6 July 1960: Death of Aneurin Bevan, British Politician

Aneurin Bevan was born into an area of Wales where two-thirds of the male population worked underground in the mines. Throughout his career he championed the cause of the working classes and his service as Minister for Health gave the British universal healthcare through the National Health Service.

Aneurin Bevan

Aneurin “Nye” Bevan was [...]

5 July 1810: Birth of P. T. Barnum, American Showman

P. T. Barnum is remembered as the circus showman and promoter of “The Greatest Show on Earth”, but he did not start his circus venture until he was 60. In his earlier career he took on many roles, becoming a newspaper publisher, an exhibitor of curiosities, a concert promoter and a theatre owner.

4 July 1790: Birth of George Everest, British Surveyor

George Everest was responsible for the great trigonometrical survey of India, but it is for the peak that bears his name that he is remembered. Despite this, he never saw the world’s largest mountain.

George Everest

George Everest, the eldest son and third of six children of William and Lucetta Everest, was born on [...]

1 July 1860: Death of Charles Goodyear, American Inventor

For Charles Goodyear, the inventor of vulcanized rubber, life was always a struggle. But even frequent incarceration in debtors’ prisons did not stop him achieving his goal of perfecting the rubber manufacturing process. Unfortunately, he never benefited financially from his hard work.

Charles Goodyear

Charles Goodyear was born on 29 December 1800 in New [...]

16 June 1890: Birth of Stan Laurel, English Comic Actor

As one half of the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy, Stan Laurel starred in over a hundred comedy shorts and feature films. But he also had a successful acting and writing career before his partnership with Oliver Hardy.

Arthur Stanley Jefferson was born into a theatrical family in Ulverston, Lancashire, on 16 June 1890. [...]

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