The North East produced George and Robert Stephenson, Joseph Swan and Thomas Armstrong amongst many others.

BBC: Will PM's push for new businesses inspire the north?

After all, it spawned George and Robert Stephenson's railway engines, Joseph Swan's electric light bulbs, and Sir Charles Parson's steam turbines and electricity generators.

ECONOMIST: The north-east's propensity for high-technology

The bridge, designed by Robert Stephenson, will be lit from within its road and walkways and from the outside to provide a dramatic night time spectacle.

BBC: Lighting up the Tyne

When founders of Ffestiniog railway announced they were constructing the line for the Princess and its sister engines, rail expert contemporaries like Robert Stephenson and Isambard Kingdom Brunel are said to have scoffed.

BBC: The Princess in 1871

Robert Stephenson, son of George and one of the principal figures behind the expansion of Britain's railways, reckoned that a network that was just as productive could have been built for a third less than the actual cost.

ECONOMIST: Booms and busts