Person    | Male  Born 12/3/1838  Died 14/7/1907

Sir William Henry Perkin, FRS

Categories: Science

Chemist. Born King David's Lane, Shadwell. While a student at the Royal College of Chemistry, aged 18 he discovered the first aniline dyestuff while working in his home laboratory. He dropped out of college and with his family's support he opened a chemical factory at Greenford Green (where there is now a plaque) and began manufacturing the dye, the first mauve. His plaque says that he "went on to found science-based industry". We understand the words (and discovered that SBI is even a recognised acronyn) but aren't too sure of the significance since we would have thought that SBI dates back to at least the beginning of the industrial revolution in the 18th century. Died at home in Sudbury.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Sir William Henry Perkin, FRS

Commemorated ati

Sir William Perkin

Sir William Henry Perkin, FRS, discovered the first aniline dyestuff, March 1...

Read More

Other Subjects

John Harrison (clocks)

John Harrison (clocks)

Inventor of the marine chronometer. Born Yorkshire. Died London. Buried at St John's Church, Hampstead, strangely, since he died in Red Lion Square and had no connections with Hampstead. The pictu...

Person, Science

1 memorial
Venn diagram

Venn diagram

Invented by Dr John Venn.  We think the attached picture does an excellent job of both illustrating all you need to know about how Venn diagrams work and also of succinctly answering that knotty qu...

Concept, Science

1 memorial
James D. Watson

James D. Watson

Molecular biologist, geneticist and zoologist. Born Chicago as James Dewey Watson. 1962 awarded a Nobel Prize with Crick and Wilkins, for their work on the theory of a double-helix structure for DNA.

Person, Science, USA

1 memorial
Thomas Huxley

Thomas Huxley

Thomas Henry Huxley. Biologist and anthropologist. Born Ealing.  An early adherent to Darwin's theory of evolution, he was a strong supporter while also pointing out what he saw as flaws.  At the R...

Person, Education, Race Issues, Science

2 memorials
Dr Alphonse Normandy

Dr Alphonse Normandy

Full name: Dr Alphonse Rene Le Mire de Normandy. Born Rouen, France. He completed a medical course but then devoted himself to chemistry. Came to England in the late 1830s/early 1840s, initially li...

Person, Food & Drink, Science, France

1 memorial

Previously viewed

Embassy of the Slovak Republic

Embassy of the Slovak Republic

Located at 25 Kensington Palace Gardens.

Building, Politics & Administration, Balkans

1 memorial
Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II

Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II

The twenty-fifth anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II.  This was celebrated all year but particularly on the weekend of 4 and 5 June 1977, the following week and the weekend of the Qu...

Event, Royalty

30 memorials
The Times

The Times

Newspaper, founded by John Walter on 1st January 1785 as The London Daily Universal Register and renamed as The Times on 1st January 1803. It was the first newspaper to send war correspondents to c...

Group, Journalism / Publishing

1 memorial
Reginald Bradley
War dead, WW1
1 memorial
Chris Roberts

Chris Roberts

Former Labour leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

Person, Politics & Administration

3 memorials