Deaths on October 21

James Henry Greathead

Died on October 21, 1896

James Henry Greathead, South African-English engineer (b. 1844)

James Henry Greathead (6 August 1844 – 21 October 1896) was a mechanical and civil engineer renowned for his work on the London Underground railways, Winchester Cathedral, and Liverpool overhead railway, as well as being one of the earliest proponents of the English Channel, Irish Sea and Bristol Channel tunnels. His invention is also the reason that the London Underground is colloquially named the "Tube".

References

James Henry Greathead

Choose Another Date

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).
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.
22 Sep

George III of the United Kingdom
Queen Victoria surpasses her grandfather King George III as the longest reigning monarch in British history.

Deaths on October 21

James Henry Greathead

Died on October 21, 1896

References

Choose Another Date

Events on 1896

Speed limit

Dow Jones Industrial Average

Klondike Gold Rush

Horatio Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener

George III of the United Kingdom