Henry Bessemer was born in Charlton, Hertfordshire, England in 1813. After spending much of his childhood at his father's engineering works, he moved to London at the age of 17. His early inventions were for the printing industry. In 1856 he developed an inexpensive process for steel production which involved blowing air through molten iron and coke. He was knighted in 1879 and received honours from many countries.
