Short answers, pulled from the story.
William Aspdin was an English cement manufacturer born on the 23rd of September 1815, credited as the inventor of "modern" Portland cement. He developed a formula using higher limestone content fired at much greater heat, producing a slow-setting, high-strength product suitable for structural concrete. He is also known for a career marked by bankruptcy, fraud, and fabricated claims.
Joseph Aspdin's 1824 patent described a fast-setting cement useful only in mortars and stuccos. William's formula increased the limestone proportion and applied much higher kiln temperatures, creating a slow-setting, high-strength material suitable for concrete. The two products were mineralogically distinct, and William's material was significantly more expensive to produce.
William Aspdin died on the 11th of April 1864 at Itzehoe, near Hamburg, Germany. He had relocated to Germany in 1857 and from 1860 established the first modern Portland cement plants outside the United Kingdom, at Altona and Lagerdorf.
Aspdin would scatter handfuls of brightly colored crystals over the raw kiln mix just before firing, giving observers the impression that his cement's superior strength came from a secret additive. The real source of the product's quality was his higher limestone content and kiln temperature, not any special crystal. He kept the actual formula secret and did not patent the product.
Aspdin went bankrupt at least twice and left unpaid creditors at each business relocation. The historian Courland documented evidence of forgery and embezzlement in his dealings and identified him as a con man. He also falsely asserted that his father's cement was used by Marc Isambard Brunel in the construction of the Thames Tunnel in London, a claim that has since been shown to be false.
Aspdin is credited with producing the first cement ever to contain alite as an active ingredient, a discovery he made by increasing limestone proportions and raising kiln temperatures without understanding the chemistry involved. His innovations appear to have been the result of luck rather than formal scientific training. He is recognized as the founder of the modern Portland cement industry.