Sleepless nights and perseverance lead to success

Carl Julius von Bach and the rise of the engineering sciences

By Werner Müller

It sounds like the story of dishwasher turned millionaire, only here it is the story of the son of a saddler who managed to become a titled university professor - the story of Carl Julius von Bach (1847-1931).

It was he who, over a hundred years ago, had the idea of building a tunnel link between Britain and France. And had it not been for him, the diesel engine might never have been invented.