John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, Scottish broadcaster, co-founded BBC (d. 1971)
John Charles Walsham Reith, 1st Baron Reith, (; 20 July 1889 – 16 June 1971), was a Scottish broadcasting executive who established the tradition of independent public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom. In 1922, he was employed by the BBC (British Broadcasting Company Ltd.) as its general manager; in 1923 he became its managing director and in 1927 he was employed as the Director-General of the British Broadcasting Corporation created under a royal charter. His concept of broadcasting as a way of educating the masses marked for a long time the BBC and similar organisations around the world. An engineer by trade, and standing at 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) tall, he was a larger-than-life figure who was a pioneer in his field.
1889Jul, 20
John Reith, 1st Baron Reith
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Events on 1889
- 8Jan
Punched card
Herman Hollerith is issued US patent #395,791 for the 'Art of Applying Statistics' — his punched card calculator. - 30Jan
Mayerling Incident
Archduke Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, heir to the Austro-Hungarian crown, is found dead with his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera in the Mayerling. - 23Mar
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is established by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in Qadian, British India. - 2May
Treaty of Wuchale
Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia, signs the Treaty of Wuchale, giving Italy control over Eritrea. - 6May
Exposition Universelle (1889)
The Eiffel Tower is officially opened to the public at the Universal Exposition in Paris.