Some people like Bessemer with a 100+ patents are bound to have a few that don't cut the mustard, but his steel processing changed the world in profound ways.

"In 1898, Scientific American published an article called Bessemer Steel and its Effect on the World explaining the significant economic effects of the increased supply in cheap steel. They noted that the expansion of railroads into previously sparsely inhabited regions of the country had led to settlement in those regions, and had made the trade of certain goods profitable, which had previously been too costly to transport."