Robert William Thomson

Stonehaven, Scotland, 1822 - 1873

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About MeAn inquisitive child, Robert Thomson grew up to be a prolific inventor. Aged 23, Robert patented his revolutionary design for the pneumatic tyre. His so-called ‘Aerial Wheels’ were heralded as a great improvement in comfort and noise reduction and would eventually transform road travel.

The eleventh of twelve children, Robert was born to a woollen mill owner and his wife in Stonehaven. Robert taught himself chemistry and astronomy with the help of a local weaver, and when his father gave him a workshop Robert set about improving his mother’s household devices, initially inventing a reversible washing mangle. By the age of 17 he had also designed and built a ribbon saw and completed the first working model of his elliptical rotary steam engine, which he would perfect in later life.

He served an engineering apprenticeship in Aberdeen and Dundee before joining an Edinburgh firm of civil engineers. There he devised a new method of detonating explosive charges by using electricity, an invention which greatly reduced the loss of lives in mines throughout the world. In addition to patenting the pneumatic tyre he also patented the self-filling fountain pen. His patents for a steam tractor and steam omnibus both went into production complete with pneumatic tyres.
Additional InfoImage Attribution: Engraving by R & E Taylor, after a drawing by Thomas Dewell Scot, from a photograph by Mr Peterson of CopenhagenThe Illustrated London News, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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