BORN ON THIS DAY

ISAMBARD KINgDOM BRuNEL (1806-1859). The Portsmouthborn civil and mechanical engineer, who designed the first transatlantic steamer, the great Western Railway and the Clifton Suspension Bridge, was voted the second greatest Briton in history, behind Winston Churchill. Brunel was 5ft 3in tall and wore his trademark stovepipe hat (right) to add an extra eight inches. CARL PERKINS (1932-1998). The American rock ’ n’ roll pioneer, who started out as a cotton picker, wrote songs covered by Elvis Presley and The Beatles. His most famous hit, Blue Suede Shoes, sold two million copies before Elvis made the song his own.