Isambard Kingdom Brunel's SS Great Western, the first steamship built specifically for transatlantic service, was launched in Bristol, England. This wooden paddle steamer was the largest passenger ship in the world and the first to offer regular scheduled service across the Atlantic. The Great Western's success established the viability of steam-powered ocean liners and began the era of transatlantic passenger travel.

Brunel's Great Western is a symbol of the Victorian era's confidence in technology and progress. Its regular crossings between Bristol and New York became a metaphor for the connection between the Old and New Worlds. The ship's stories and the experiences of its passengers have been a rich source of inspiration for poets and writers, who saw it as a symbol of a shrinking globe.