Frank Pick (1878–1941) was a British transport administrator. In 1906,
he joined the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL)
where he rose through the corporate ranks, becoming managing director in
1928. On 1 July 1933, he became chief executive officer and vice-
chairman of the London Passenger Transport Board when it was formed to
take charge of most of the transport operations in and around London.
Pick had a strong interest in public design, steering the development of
the London Underground's corporate identity by commissioning commercial
art, modern architecture and graphic design, including the first version
of the Underground's roundel (pictured). Under his direction, London's
Underground network and associated bus services expanded considerably,
reaching out into new areas and stimulating the growth of London's
suburbs. His impact on the growth of London between the world wars led
to him being likened to Baron Haussmann and Robert Moses. Pick wrote and
lectured extensively on sociological issues and on the place of art and
design in society, for which he was compared to Gaius Maecenas and
Thomas Aquinas.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Pick>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1879:
American evangelist Charles Taze Russell published the first
issue of The Watchtower, the most widely circulated magazine in the
world.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Watchtower>
1911:
The German gunboat Panther arrived in the Moroccan port of
Agadir, sparking the Agadir Crisis between Germany, Great Britain, and
France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agadir_Crisis>
1943:
Tokyo City was dissolved, with its territory divided into the
special wards of the newly created Tokyo Metropolis.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo>
1960:
Ghana became a republic with Kwame Nkrumah as its first
president.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwame_Nkrumah>
1963:
The British government revealed that former MI6 agent Kim
Philby had engaged in espionage for the Soviet Union.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Philby>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
scuppernong:
1. A large greenish-bronze grape native to the Southeastern United States,
a variety of the muscadine grape (Vitis rotundifolia).
2. A sweet, golden or amber-colored American wine made from this variety of
grape.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/scuppernong>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Man is always partial and is quite right to be. Even impartiality
is partial.
--Georg Christoph Lichtenberg
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Georg_Christoph_Lichtenberg>