william henry smith, born 1792
creator of w.h.smith
William Henry Smith was the creator of the W.H.Smith newspaper distribution and bookstall business. The business began in a very modest way. William Smith himself worked in his shirt-sleeves sorting the papers at 5am in the Strand. He invented a peculiar slip knot for tying up the newspaper parcels; this enabled the packer to draw the string as tightly as if by machinery. Smith later became a Member of Parliament, and was Leader of the House of Commons, First Lord of the Admiralty, and Minister for War.
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Source: Extracted from ‘Fortunes Made in Business: Life Struggles of Successful People’ published by Amalgamated Press in 1902.