William Henry Perkin:
William Henry Perkin was an English chemist and pioneer of the aniline dye industry.
Birth:
March 12, 1838 in London, England
Death:
July 14, 1907 in London, England
Claim to Fame:
Perkin was an English chemist who discovered the first aniline dye called mauveine. He was trying to synthesize quinine and discovered aniline mixed with sodium dichromate produced a very purple mixture. This discovery started the artificial dye business that revolutionized the textiles industry.
He also synthesized coumarin, the first synthetic perfume that began the synthetic perfume industry.
