All times in UTC ·
Dashed edge = started before, or continues beyond, this day
Events on Wednesday 15 September 1830 2
1770 – 1830William Huskisson (1770-1830)Died 15 September 1830, aged 60Huskisson was a British statesman and former Cabinet minister who championed free trade policy in the 1820s. He became one of the first widely reported railway casualties when he was struck and fatally injured by Stephenson's Rocket at the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. His death drew national attention to the dangers of the new railway technology.
1830Liverpool and Manchester Railway opensWorld's first inter-city passenger railway begins serviceThe line linking Liverpool and Manchester opened on 15 September 1830, the first railway to rely exclusively on locomotive power for scheduled passenger and freight service. The opening ceremony was marred by the death of MP William Huskisson, struck by Stephenson's Rocket, one of the first widely reported railway fatalities. The line proved railways commercially viable and spurred rapid railway construction across Britain and abroad.