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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Rainhill trials
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The competition held on 6–14 October 1829 at Rainhill, near Liverpool, to choose the design of locomotive for the *Liverpool and Manchester railway. The contenders (Robert *Stephenson's Rocket, Timothy Hackworth's Sans Pareil and John Braithwaite and John Ericsson's Novelty) had to run at least 113km/70m in a day at an average speed of not less than 16kph/10mph, back and forth over a 3km/2m level course. On the first day Rocket achieved 19km/12m in 53 minutes, and was eventually awarded the £500 prize. Eight versions of it (the original is now in the Science Museum in London) were ready for the opening of the railway a year later.
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