1748-1814

English Inventor

Joseph Bramah was an English engineer and inventor during the early years of the Industrial Revolution. Considered one of the fathers of the tool industry, his inventions made a significant contribution to the emerging new industries of the early nineteenth century. His mechanical inventions included the burglar-proof lock and the hydraulic press.

Born Joe Brammer in Stainborough, Yorkshire, England, Bramah was incapacitated by a serious injury to his ankle when he was 16 years old and was unable to work with his family's agricultural business as planned. Instead, he became apprenticed to a carpenter. One of the jobs he was assigned was refitting a water closet (known today as a toilet). Frustrated with the poor mechanical design, he proposed a new one with better flushing capabilities and received a patent for it in 1778. At this time he also changed his name to Bramah, believing...