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Charles Algernon Parsons
Sign in to saveAlso known as Charles A. Parsons, Sir Charles A. Parsons, Sir Charles Algernon Parsons, Hon. Sir Charles Algernon Parsons, Charles Parsons
inventor of the steam turbine (1854-1931)
OverviewAI-generated
Charles Algernon Parsons (1854–1931) was a British engineer, inventor, and businessperson whose primary field of work was the steam turbine. Born in London, he was the son of William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, and Mary Rosse. He received his education at Trinity College, Dublin, and St John's College. Parsons held citizenship in the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
He was a member of the Royal Society, the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences. Parsons received several awards, including the Copley Medal, Faraday Medal, and Rumford Medal, and was recognized as a Fellow of the Royal Society. His published works include *Scientific papers and addresses, with a memoir by Lord Rayleigh and appendices* and *The steam turbine*. He died in Kingston, Kingston Harbour.
Synthesized by Vinony from 32 facts across 6 sources: Wikidata, Crossref, Open Library, MusicBrainz, Vinony collections, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Key facts
- Born
- Charles Algernon Parsons , ( 1854-06-13 ) 13 June 1854, London , England
- Died
- 11 February 1931 (1931-02-11) (aged 76), Duchess of Richmond
- Resting place
- Church of St Bartholomew, Northumberland
- Education
- Trinity College Dublin (B.A., 1871) St John's College, Cambridge (M.A., 1877)
- Occupations
- Engineer inventor
- Known for
- Inventing the modern steam turbine (1884)
- Notable work
- Turbinia (1894)
- Spouse
- Katharine Bethell ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1883 )
- Children
- 2, including Rachel
- Parents
- William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse Mary Field
- Relatives
- Lawrence Parsons, 4th Earl of Rosse (brother)
- Awards
- FRS (1898) Rumford Medal (1902) Albert Medal (1911) Bakerian Medal (1918) Franklin Medal (1920) Faraday Medal (1923) Kelvin Gold Medal (1926) Copley Medal (1928) Bessemer Gold Medal (1929)
- Honours
- Order of the Bath (Knight Commander, 1911) Order of Merit (1927)
- Discipline
- Mechanical engineering
- Employer s
- C. A. Parsons and Company , Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company
- Significant advance
- Heat engine , Steamship
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Given name
- Algernon
- Family name
- Parsons
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- Place of birth
- London
- Place of death
- Kingston Harbour
- Spouse
- Katharine, Lady Parsons
- Mother
- Mary Rosse
- Occupation
- businessperson
- Educated at
- St John's College
- Employer
- Heaton
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Award
- Order of Merit
- Academic degree
- Master of Arts
- Field of work
- steam turbine
- Image
- Charles Algernon Parsons.jpg
Show 12 more facts
- Commons category
- Charles Algernon Parsons
- member of
- British Science Association
- date of birth
- 1854-06-13
- date of death
- 1931-02-11
- Commons gallery
- Charles Algernon Parsons
- Commons Creator page
- Charles Algernon Parsons
- name in native language
- Charles Algernon Parsons
- honorific prefix
- Sir
- birth name
- Charles Algernon Parsons
- place of burial
- St John's College
- cause of death
- peripheral neuropathy
- manner of death
- natural causes
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
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Encyclopedic overview
Sir Charles Algernon Parsons (13 June 1854 – 11 February 1931) was an Anglo-Irish mechanical engineer and inventor who designed the modern steam turbine in 1884. His invention revolutionised marine propulsion, and he was also the founder of C. A. Parsons and Company, developing and building Turbinia (1894), the first steam turbine-powered steamship.
He worked as an engineer on dynamo and turbine design, and power generation, with great influence in the naval and electrical engineering fields. He also helped develop optical equipment for searchlights and telescopes. Parsons received the Franklin Medal in 1920, the Faraday Medal in 1923, and the Copley Medal in 1928 for his work, as well as the Engineering Heritage Awards posthumously in 1995.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Charles Algernon Parsons” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.