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George Harrison (prospector)
George Harrison was the prospector who allegedly discovered gold in the Witwatersrand on Langlaagte farm. He was a friend of George Walker and George Honeyball. He apparently found the main reef in 1886. He later left the Rand. He is believed to have sold his claim for £10. The site of Harrison's claim has since become George Harrison Park in Johannesburg. In 2013 and 2015 the park was reported to be in a state of disrepair; an undated article on the Johannesburg Parks website states that a major refurbishment is planned. A 1988 statue of Harrison by Tienie Pritchard, also known as "The Miner", was commissioned to celebrate the centenary of Johannesburg. It is tall and is described as "one of the largest sculptures in South Africa". It is sited at Settlers Park, Eastgate. ''With images of the sculpture being installed'' Sources * ', Eric Rosenthal, 1967. References Gold prospectors {{SouthAfrica-bio-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Witwatersrand
The Witwatersrand () (locally the Rand or, less commonly, the Reef) is a , north-facing scarp in South Africa. It consists of a hard, erosion-resistant quartzite metamorphic rock, over which several north-flowing rivers form waterfalls, which account for the name Witwatersrand, meaning "white water ridge" in Afrikaans.Truswell, J.F. (1977). ''The Geological Evolution of South Africa''. pp. 21, 27–28, 33–36. Cape Town: Purnell. This east-west-running scarp can be traced with only one short gap, from Bedfordview (about west of O.R. Tambo International Airport) in the east, through Johannesburg and Roodepoort, to Krugersdorp in the west (see the diagram at left below).Norman, N.; Whitfield, G. (2006) ''Geological Journeys''. pp. 38–49, 60–61. Cape Town: Struik Publishers. The scarp forms the northern edge of a plateau (or ridge) which rises about above the surrounding plains of the Highveld. A number of picturesque Johannesburg suburbs, including Observatory, Linksfi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Walker (South Africa)
George Walker (1853 - September 18, 1924) was one of the alleged discoverers of the main gold reef on the Witwatersrand. He was born in Wigan, Lancashire, and emigrated as a young man to South Africa, where he worked as a prospector for the rest of his life. In 1886, the year he discovered the reef, he began working for the Struben brothers. Walker never received any credit for the discovery and died in poverty in Krugersdorp on 18 September 1924. References {{reflist Sources * '' Ensiklopedie van Suidelike Afrika'', Eric Rosenthal, 1967. British emigrants Mining in South Africa 1853 births 1924 deaths ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demographia, the Johannesburg–Pretoria urban area (combined because of strong transport links that make commuting feasible) is the 26th-largest in the world in terms of population, with 14,167,000 inhabitants. It is the provincial capital and largest city of Gauteng, which is the wealthiest province in South Africa. Johannesburg is the seat of the Constitutional Court, the highest court in South Africa. Most of the major South African companies and banks have their head offices in Johannesburg. The city is located in the mineral-rich Witwatersrand range of hills and is the centre of large-scale gold and diamond trade. The city was established in 1886 following the discovery of gold on what had been a farm. Due to the extremely large gold de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eric Rosenthal (historian)
Eric Rosenthal, (10 July 1905 – 1983) was a South African historian and writer. He was born in Newlands, Cape Town, Cape Colony. He studied as an attorney, later becoming a journalist and writer of many corporate histories. He was a member of the ''Three Wise Men'' on Springbok Radio's long-running quiz show, ''Test the Team''. The elder of two children born to Richard Rosenthal and Hedwig De Beer, he received his first education at Parktown Preparatory School in Johannesburg, and later St. John's College. He chose to follow a legal career and qualified as an attorney at the University of the Witwatersrand. Early opportunities as a journalist saw his virtual abandoning of law. He was competent at sketching and enlivened his books with explanatory drawings. Rosenthal was married to Jenny Bradley on 18 December 1934 in Westcliff, Johannesburg. They spent most of their married life in Fish Hoek near Cape Town. Rosenthal has been attributed with helping write the initi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
