John Boyd Dunlop (1840–1921) was a Scottish inventor who spent most of his career in Ireland, settling in Belfast. Here he developed the first practical pneumatic tyre for his son’s tricycle and noticed that his ride was a lot smoother. John Boyd Dunlop established the Dunlop Rubber Company and went on to market his invention, initially for bicycles. Soon after, the company started making tyres for the new motor cars that were emerging in the 1890s just when the transport network started being built across Europe and the world.

In 1970 the company pioneered the development of failsafe tyres that could withstand a blowout without causing an accident. This invention has saved many lives.

John Boyd Dunlop did not benefit financially from his invention as he sold it early on, but he is credited with the invention of the modern rubber tyre. Dunlop tyres is now managed by different countries around the world.