1. William Aspdin was an English cement manufacturer, and a pioneer of the Portland cement industry.
13 Facts About William Aspdin
1. 2.
William Aspdin is considered the inventor of "modern" Portland cement.
3.
William Aspdin has been termed "an incorrigible liar and swindler".
4.
William Aspdin was born in Leeds, the second son of Joseph William Aspdin, an English cement manufacturer.
5.
William Aspdin joined his father's cement manufacturing firm in 1829, at the age of fourteen.
6.
In July 1841, William Aspdin left the firm after a major disagreement with his father.
7.
In 1843, William Aspdin set up a manufacturing plant at Rotherhithe, southeast London, where he was making a cement that caused a sensation among users in London.
8.
William Aspdin had discovered that a significantly different product, with much wider applications, could be made by modifying his father's cement formulation.
9.
William Aspdin died at Itzehoe near Hamburg on 11 April 1864.
10.
William Aspdin's finances were chaotic, to say the least, and he went bankrupt at least twice.
11.
William Aspdin made a number of claims which have since been shown to be false, including trading on his father's name, reputation, and patent.
12.
William Aspdin's contribution was to make the first cement containing alite as an active ingredient.
13.
William Aspdin is credited with launching the "modern" Portland cement industry.