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b. ? and d. September 30, 1781

French painter and inventor of aqua-tinta, the most precarious kind of engraving. Leprince kept the process a secret and sold his impressions for original drawings. He adorned the imperial palace at St. Petersburg.

Books for the multitude-food for the mind,
Knowledge that lifts and refines,
Help for the feeble, the homeless and blind,
These are humanity’s lines.
Art true and beautiful, too, to adorn
The landscape, the park and hall,
That all may rejoice, for genius is born
To labor and shine for all.

—The Man of Gold: Patrick F. Durkan

Such is the strength of art, rough things to shape,
And of the rude commons rich enclosures make.

—James Howell

1450—Finiguerra Masso was the first artist to engrave on copper in Italy.

1532—Etching on copper with aqua fortis was invented by Parmigiano.

1621—Pastel-painting was invented by Bouet at Paris.

1824—Etching on metal for printing was invented by Eberhard at Darmstadt.

1858—Fox Talbot patented a photoglyphic engraving process, by which pictures were etched on a plate by the action of light, and from which prints were made.

b. September 30, 1803 and d. December 30, 1884

American engineer. One of the founders of Chicago and a promoter of its prosperity. The meat-packing industry was originated by him and he invented many appliances that were incidental to its success. He invented the dried-meal process, and “Marsh’s caloric dried meal” is still an article of commerce. The peculiar form of locomotive, cog-rail, and brakes used on the railroad to the summit of Mt. Washington were invented by him. The road was formally opened August 14, 1868, as far as “Jacob’s Ladder” and entirely completed in July, 1869.

One age moves onward, and the next builds up
Cities and gorgeous palaces, where stood
The rude log-huts of those who tamed the wild,
Rearing from out the forest they had felled
To goodly framework of a fairer state;
The builder’s trowel and the settler’s axe
Are seldom wielded by the selfsame hand.

—A Glance Behind the Curtain: Lowell

1750—Railroad, called tramways, in and about Newcastle, were made of wood, and were used for transporting coal a short distance to vessels.

1868, June 15—The railway over Mont Cenis was opened; length 48 miles. 1871, October 16—Opened for traffic.

1882, May 21, 22—The St. Gothard railway, between Lucerne and Milan, was opened.