1871 That was the year that was…: As the IET starts its 150 year anniversary celebrations – a build-up that will conclude next year – we look at the events and technologies that made 1871 a landmark year for engineering

The year is 1871. Queen Victoria is on the throne and Liberal Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone is head of the 20th Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is the year that rugby football is invented, Bank Holidays are created and trade unions legalised. Workers in Tyneside are striking for a shorter working day, while the completion of the transglobal London-Australia telegraph cable creates a landmark event in communications technology by uniting the opposite sides of the world. It is also the year that the Society of Telegraph Engineers is formed – the organisation that would become known as the IET. So, what was the state of engineering, what notable events shaped the world of technology during this year, and who were the main players?