Today in Technology History
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March 15
A century ago, three engineers died within a decade of one another -- all on March 15. Each of them shaped the world we live in and, coincidentally, each had a connection to bridges.
This is one of Whipple's bridges. Click the image to see details from his important patent. Squire Whipple (born 1804) was an engineer in the northeastern U.S. who spent his life constructing bridges, many of which still exist.
In 1841, Whipple patented an influential new bridge design -- but his most important contribution was an 1847 book, one of the first efforts to scientifically study bridge construction. Some of Whipple's methods for calculating stress are still used by architects designing high-rises today. He died on March 15, 1888.
Joseph Bazalgette (born 1819) was a British engineer who built some major bridges in London. His claim to fame, however, is in another area: waste management.
By the mid-1800s, so many Londoners were using the new "water closets" that the Thames River was horribly polluted with sewage. The "Great Stink" crisis resulted in cholera outbreaks, so Bazalgette was chosen to design and build London's sewer system, a 20-year project. Some of his ideas still influence urban engineering today. He died on March 15, 1891.
Finally, Henry Bessemer (born 1813) was the Englishman who made the production of steel affordable.
Steel, an alloy of iron and carbon, already existed -- but it was very difficult to get the proportions of iron and carbon correct. Bessemer, an inventor, devised an ingenious method that made him a fortune and ushered in the era of steel construction, bringing us skyscrapers and -- you guessed it -- giant suspension bridges. He died on March 15, 1898.
Related links:
Use these three links for encyclopedia articles on Whipple, Bazalgette and Bessemer.
Click here for photos of one of Whipple's bridges, taken by an engineer who restored it.
This site has stories and pictures related to the history of London's sewers.
Click here to read Bessemer's autobiography.
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