Sir Henry Bessemer was an inventor and engineer who previously had invented movable stamps for dating deeds and other government documents, improved a typesetting machine, “gold” powder for gold paint, and sugarcane-crushing machine. Due to all of his great inventions he was knighted in 1879.

The invention of the Bessemer process happened in 1856 in London, England. The Bessemer process was the first inexpensive process to purify iron to make steel. This process removes carbon and impurities by blowing air through the molten iron. The wrought iron would be put into a pot where carbon would be mixed in. Once these were mixed air would be blown into the pot and this air would push out any carbon and impurities.

What caused the Bessemer process to be invented was the fact that the original process to create steel was time consuming and expensive, it also helped that his father was an engineer. In 1853, during the Crimean war, Bessemer created a shell for a cannon, while bargaining with the French, they pointed out that it would be to heavy for their cast iron cannons. This event motivated Bessemer to create a stronger metal.

Would you like this new shell I created?

It's too heavy for our cannons.

Long term effects of the Bessemer Process would be the cost of steel went down and was able to be made faster, which gave it a higher demand. The Bessemer process also made steel stronger, lighter and harder. Due o the lower cost of steel and its ability to be made faster steel became the metal of choice.