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.
1896Jan, 2
Lawrence Wackett
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Events on 1896
- 28Jan
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). - 26May
Dow Jones Industrial Average
Charles Dow publishes the first edition of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. - 16Aug
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. - 21Sep
Horatio Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener
Mahdist War: British forces under the command of Horatio Kitchener takes Dongola in the Sudan. - 22Sep
George III of the United Kingdom
Queen Victoria surpasses her grandfather King George III as the longest reigning monarch in British history.