1779-1855 English bricklayer and inventor who patented Portland Cement. Concrete, a mixture of cement, gravel, and sand, had existed since the time of the Romans. However, the cement portion was often of uneven quality. Aspdin discovered that the key...

Joseph Aspdin (December? 1778 – 20 March 1855) was a British cement manufacturer who obtained the patent for Portland cement on 21 October 1824. Joseph Aspdin (or Aspden) was the eldest of the six children of Thomas Aspdin, a bricklayer living in the...