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John Muir (21 April 1838 – 24 December 1914) was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of United States (US) wilderness. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, have been read by millions. His activism helped to save the Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and other wilderness areas. The Sierra Club, which he founded, is now one of the most important conservation organizations in the United States. One of the most well-known hiking trails in the US, the 211-mile John Muir Trail, was named in his honour. Other places named in his honour are Muir Woods National Monument, Muir Beach and Muir Glacier. See also: www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Muir for more info. Allan Pinkerton (25 August 1819 – 1 July 1884) was a Scottish American Detective and Spy, best known for creating the Pinkerton National Detective Agency , the first detective agency of the United States. Pinkerton was born in Glasgow, Scotland , to William Pinkerton and his wife, Isabell, in 1819. A cooper by trade, he was active in the British Chartist movement as a young man. Pinkerton married Joan Carfrae (a singer). Disillusioned by the failure to win suffrage, Pinkerton emigrated to the United States in 1842, at the age of 23. In 1849 Pinkerton was appointed as the first detective in Chicago. In the 1850s, he partnered with Chicago attorney Edward Rucker in forming the North-Western Police Agency, later known as the Pinkerton National Detective Agency which is still running (but has been renamed) as a subsidiary of Securitas AB. Pinkerton's business insignia was a wide open eye with the caption "We never sleep." See also: |
