1810-1900

English inventor and engineer who made significant developments in the fields of hydraulic engineering, shipbuilding, and artillery production. Early in life Armstrong developed an interest in hydraulics and electricity, subjects upon which he became a popular lecturer. While studying the instruments and equipment being produced at Newcastle's High Bridge Works, he built his first hydraulic machine, which he later used to power cranes, hoists, dock gates, and bridges. During the Crimean War, the British War Office commissioned him to design and make submarine mines. This led him into the field of artillery, and in 1855 he designed a lightweight gun for field use, which fired lead projectiles rather than cast-iron balls. Later, he developed an interest in shipbuilding, and worked to furnish ships with more complex hydraulic equipment.