Births on January 2

Lawrence Wackett

Born on January 2, 1896

Lawrence Wackett, Australian commander and engineer (d. 1982)

Sir Lawrence James Wackett (2 January 1896 – 18 March 1982) is widely regarded as "father of the Australian aircraft industry". He has been described as "one of the towering figures in the history of Australian aviation covering, as he did, virtually all aspects of activities: pilot, designer of airframes and engines, entrepreneur and manager". He was knighted for his services to aviation and was a winner of the Oswald Watt Gold Medal. He was also a keen angler and wrote two books on the subject.

References

Lawrence Wackett

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Events on 1896

28 Jan

Speed limit
Walter Arnold of East Peckham, Kent, becomes the first person to be convicted of speeding. He was fined one shilling, plus costs, for speeding at 8 mph (13 km/h), thereby exceeding the contemporary speed limit of 2 mph (3.2 km/h).
6 Apr

1896 Summer Olympics
In Athens, the opening of the first modern Olympic Games is celebrated, 1,500 years after the original games are banned by Roman emperor Theodosius I.
26 May

Dow Jones Industrial Average
Charles Dow publishes the first edition of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
16 Aug

Klondike Gold Rush
Skookum Jim Mason, George Carmack and Dawson Charlie discover gold in a tributary of the Klondike River in Canada, setting off the Klondike Gold Rush.
21 Sep

Horatio Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener
Mahdist War: British forces under the command of Horatio Kitchener takes Dongola in the Sudan.

Births on January 2

Lawrence Wackett

Born on January 2, 1896

References

Choose Another Date

Events on 1896

Speed limit

1896 Summer Olympics

Dow Jones Industrial Average

Klondike Gold Rush

Horatio Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener