Christopher Wren

Christopher Wren rebuilt 52 churches and St Paul's Cathedral in London after the 1666 Great Fire, completing the cathedral in 1720 after 45 years of construction at a cost of £721,000 (approximately £150 million today), a budget 40% tighter than the average for comparable European cathedrals of the era. As a founding member of the Royal Society and distinguished astronomer, Wren's versatility rivals Leonardo da Vinci; his dome at St Paul's weighs 65,000 tons yet remains structurally sound after three centuries.