The French Revolution had many dramatic effects and one unguarded remark by this particular Frenchman quickly turned him into an emigre that greatly benefitted first the US and then the UK. His inventive genius and engaging personality elevated him to the very top of English society from where, with exemplary business ineptitude, he plummeted into debtors prison. Mistreated and highly regarded, his influential friends bailed him out and with his spirit intact he not only invented modern shield tunnelling but put it into effect in a project that changed the world, The Thames Tunnel. He started a dynasty of Engineers: himself; Isambard Kingdom and Henry Marc - all Brunels. It is not much appreciated that he and IK were an extraordinary father and son team and there was a “Brunel in petticoats” too.