William Armstrong
The nineteenth century was a period of rapid industrial expansion in Britain, when engineering and invention transformed manufacturing, infrastructure, and warfare alike. William George Armstrong was born into that world on 26 November 1810 in Newcastle upon Tyne, and he would spend his long life working at its centre.
Armstrong trained as a lawyer and practised in that profession before turning his energies toward engineering and invention. He had been educated at King James I Academy, the Royal Grammar School, and Newcastle University, a background that gave him a broad foundation across disciplines. He went on to work as a civil and mechanical engineer as well as an entrepreneur and politician, occupying a range of roles that placed him at the intersection of industry, commerce, and public life in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. His career as an inventor ran alongside these other pursuits, and his output reflected the practical demands of an era hungry for new machinery, new weapons, and new sources of power.
The honours Armstrong received over the course of his life indicate the regard in which he was held by his contemporaries. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath. He also received the Albert Medal and was made a Knight Bachelor. Armstrong died on 27 December 1900 in Northumberland, having lived to ninety years of age. The Albert Medal, awarded during his lifetime, remains a concrete marker of the recognition his work earned him among the scientific and engineering community of his day.
Quotes by William Armstrong
In my opinion, I'd rather have Barnes & Noble's book business than Borders book business.
Considering Wall Street held serious doubts about Tweeter's survival, ... if the company can continue this sales momentum through the holiday season, it will be on much more solid footing and have a better chance for survival.
It's a great company, and the stock was pretty cheap until today. It's a leader in the arts and crafts industry, it's much bigger than its competition, has much higher profitability and consistently superior same-store sales growth.
Amazon had to build its name up from scratch, ... Barnes and Noble, on the other hand, is very well known. It's obviously much bigger and has greater financial resources.
The throaty V-8 growl that William Clay Ford Jr. claims he likes. That was my last major contribution.
There's a glut of inventory out there, ... in a difficult environment industry-wide.
Tweeter has been losing market share to the big guys. It served a higher-end customer, and historically it differentiated itself with home audio, but that business has fallen off a cliff. No one buys stereos anymore. They buy MP3 players, and you don't need the same kind of service to sell these lower priced, lower margin products.
We have not seen our health-care budget shrink during the past few years. We are not aware of any impending cuts. No matter what the budget, our first priority is to provide quality care to our veterans, and this will not be sacrificed.