Harry Atwood

Harry Nelson Atwood (November 15, 1883 – July 14, 1967) was an American pioneer aviator, engineer and inventor.

Biography

Atwood was born on November 15, 1883. He trained at the Wright Flying School at Huffman Prairie, near Dayton, Ohio, with fellow students Thomas D. Milling, Calbraith Perry Rodgers and Henry H. Arnold. Within three months of his first lesson he flew a record-breaking 576 miles (927 km) from Boston to Washington, DC, and on July 14, 1911, landed on the White House lawn. A prize of $10,000 was offered to Atwood to fly between Chicago and Milwaukee on August 10. Between August 14, 1911 and August 25, 1911 he flew 1,256 miles (2,021 km) from St. Louis to New York, making 11 stops and spending 28 hours 31 minutes in the air. Atwood funded his flying activities with the sale of two different electric meter designs to General Electric.

Aviation career

Straight out of flight school in May 1911, Atwood became the chief flight instructor for William Starling Burgess whose Burgess Company built a variety of airplanes, including licensed Wright aircraft between 1911 and 1913. In 1912, Atwood signed with the General Aviation Corporation for three years. The company purchased an old race track in Saugus, Massachusetts and converted it into an airfield, which they named after Atwood. Atwood served as the chief instructor of the company's flight instruction school there from the time it opened until he quit on June 10, 1912 because he could make more money in exhibition flights and because he was disenchanted with fellow instructor Arch Freeman. On May 31, 1912, Atwood made the first airmail delivery in New England. He flew about five miles (8 km) from Atwood Park to the Lynn, Massachusetts Town Commons where he dropped a sack of mail from the plane. The sack was then retrieved by a Lynn postal employee and driven to the post office.

Harry Nelson

Harry Nelson can refer to:

Harry Nelson (singer) (born 1804), singer and comedian

Harry L. Nelson (born 1932), American mathematician

Harry Nelson (athlete), Canadian in Athletics at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games

Harry Nelson (singer)

Harry Nelson (1804-????) was a Newcastle upon Tyne concert hall singer and comedian of the late 19th/early 20th century. He is credited with writing “Hi, canny man hoy a ha'penny oot”

Works

Harry Nelson made a few recordings right at the end of his career, which included “Hi, canny man” and “Our Jemmie” (or “Oh, hey ye seen wor Jimmie”), both of which songs are still popular in Tyneside folk clubs
Both these songs survived and are available on the CD “Various Artists - Wor Nanny's A Mazer: Early Recordings Of Artists From The North East 1904-1933” (on Phonograph, PHCD2K1)

The full list of tracks on this CD are as follows :-

Recordings

Harry Nelson – sings “Hi, Canny Man” and “Our Jimmie” on the CD - Various Artists - Wor Nanny's A Mazer: Early Recordings Of Artists From The North East 1904-1933

Harry Nelson made his 3 records (6 sides) just before the outbreak of the Great War only months before his death. Therefore the birth date of 1804 is much too early - he was performing right until the end.