January 8 » Herman Hollerith is issued US patent #395,791 for the 'Art of Applying Statistics' — his punched card calculator.
March 31 » The Eiffel Tower is officially opened.
June 3 » The first long-distance electric power transmission line in the United States is completed, running 14 miles (23km) between a generator at Willamette Falls and downtown Portland, Oregon.
June 29 » Hyde Park and several other Illinois townships vote to be annexed by Chicago, forming the largest United States city in area and second largest in population at the time.
September 28 » The General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) defines the length of a meter.
October 24 » Henry Parkes delivers the Tenterfield Oration, effectively starting the federation process in Australia.
Day of death October 15, 1953
The temperature on October 15, 1953 was between 11.7 °C and 14.5 °C and averaged 13.0 °C. There was 0.1 mm of rain. The almost completely overcast was. The average windspeed was 2 Bft (weak wind) and was prevailing from the north. Source: KNMI
When copying data from this family tree, please include a reference to the origin: Hendrik Dreyer, "Dreyer Tree", database, Genealogy Online (https://www.genealogieonline.nl/dreyer-tree/I8393.php : accessed January 25, 2026), "Jacobus Johannes van Niekerk (1889-1953)".
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