| George Parker Bidder | |
 George Parker Bidder, drawn in the Illustrated London News of March 1856 |
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Name | George Parker Bidder |
| Nationality | English |
| Birth date | June 4, 1806 |
| Birth place | Moretonhampstead, Devon |
| Date of death | 28 September 1878 |
| Place of death | Dartmouth, Devon |
| Work | |
| Engineering Discipline | civil engineer |
| Institution memberships | Institution of Civil Engineers (president) |
| Practice name | Electric Telegraph Company |
| Significant design | Royal Victoria Dock |
George Parker Bidder (born June 14, 1806 in Moretonhampstead; died September 28, 1878) was an English engineer and calculating prodigy. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. Year 1806 ( MDCCCVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Moretonhampstead is a fairly small Market town and Civil parish in Devon, England. Devon is a large county in the South West of England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt. Year 1878 ( MDCCCLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Dartmouth is a town in Devon in the south-west of England. It is a Tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart Devon is a large county in the South West of England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name A civil engineer is a person who practices Civil engineering, one of the many engineering professions Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE is an independent Professional association, based in central London, Electric Telegraph Company was the world's first public Telegraph company founded in the United Kingdom in 1846 by Sir William Fothergill Cooke and Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the Year 1806 ( MDCCCVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Moretonhampstead is a fairly small Market town and Civil parish in Devon, England. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt. Year 1878 ( MDCCCLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common
He displayed a natural skill at calculation from an early age. His father, who was a stonemason, went on to exhibit him as a "calculating boy. " In this way his talent was turned to profitable account, but his general education was in danger of being completely neglected. Still many of those who saw him developed an interest in his education, a notable example being Sir John Herschel. Sir John Frederick William Herschel 1st Baronet KH, FRS ( March 7, 1792 &ndash May 11, 1871)was an His interest led him to arrange it so George could be sent to school in Camberwell. There he did not remain long, being removed by his father, who wished to exhibit him again, but he was saved from this misfortune and enabled to attend classes at the University of Edinburgh, largely through the kindness of Sir Henry Jardine, to whom he subsequently showed his gratitude by founding a "Jardine Bursary" at the university. The University of Edinburgh (Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann founded in 1582 is a renowned centre for teaching and research in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
On leaving college in 1824 he received a post in the ordnance survey, but gradually drifted into engineering work. In 1834 Robert Stephenson, whose acquaintance he had made in Edinburgh, offered him an appointment on the London & Birmingham Railway, and in the succeeding year or two he began to assist George Stephenson in his parliamentary work, which at that time included schemes for railways between London and Brighton and between Manchester and Rugby via the Potteries. Robert Stephenson FRS (16 October 1803 &ndash 12 October 1859 was an English Civil engineer. This is about the 19th century railway company For the 21st century train operating company see London Midland The London and Birmingham Railway In this way he was introduced to engineering and parliamentary practice at a period of great activity which saw the establishment of the main features and principles that have since governed English railway construction. He has been praised as the best witness that ever entered a committee-room. He was quick to discover and take advantage of the weak points in an opponent's case, and his powers of mental calculation frequently stood him in good stead, as when, for example, an apparently casual glance at the plans of a railway enabled him to point out errors in the engineering data that were sufficient to secure rejection of the scheme to which he was opposed. In consequence there was scarcely an engineering proposal of any importance brought before parliament in connexion with which his services were not secured by one party or the other.
On the constructive side of his profession he was also busily occupied. In 1837 he was engaged with R. Stephenson in building the Blackwall railway, and it was he who designed the peculiar method of disconnecting a carriage at each station while the rest of the train went on without stopping, which was employed in the early days of that line when it was worked by means of a cable. Another series of railways with which he had much to do were those in the eastern counties which afterwards became the Great Eastern system. He also advised on the construction of the Belgian railways; with R. Stephenson he made the first railway in Norway, from Christiania to Eidsvold; he was engineer-in-chief of the Danish railways, and he was largely concerned with railways in India, where he strongly and successfully opposed break of gauge on through routes.
Though he sometimes spoke of himself as a mere "railway-engineer," he was in reality very much more; there was indeed no branch of engineering in which he did not take an interest, as was shown by the assiduity with which for half a century he attended the weekly meetings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, of which he was elected president in 1860. Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE is an independent Professional association, based in central London, He was "one of the first to recognize the value of the electric telegraph. That invention was in its infancy when, in 1837, jointly with R. Stephenson, he recommended its introduction on a portion of the London & Birmingham and on the Blackwall lines, while three years later he advised that it should be adopted to facilitate the working of the single line between Norwich and Yarmouth. He was also one of the founders of the Electric Telegraph Company, which enabled the public generally to enjoy the benefits of telegraphic communication. Electric Telegraph Company was the world's first public Telegraph company founded in the United Kingdom in 1846 by Sir William Fothergill Cooke and In hydraulic engineering, he was the designer of the Victoria Docks (London), being responsible not only for their construction, but also for what was regarded by some people at the time as the foolish idea of utilizing the Essex marshes for dock accommodation on a large scale. Hydraulic engineering is a sub-discipline of Civil engineering concerned with the flow and conveyance of Fluids principally Water. His advice was frequently sought by the government on points both of naval and military engineering. He died at Dartmouth on 28 September 1878. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt. Year 1878 ( MDCCCLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common
His son, George Parker Bidder, Jr. (1836-1896), who inherited much of his father's calculating power, was a successful parliamentary counsel and an authority on cryptography. [1] His grandson, also named George Parker Bidder, became a marine biologist and president of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. Marine biology is the scientific study of living Organisms in the Ocean or other marine or Brackish bodies of water [2]
He was placed second on a book on The Great Mental Calculators, just behind Jacques Inaudi. Jacques Inaudi ( October 15, 1867 - November 10, 1950) was an Italian Calculating prodigy.
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone