Today in Technology History
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August 7
Technology exists primarily for the purpose of helping man to overcome the obstacles that nature puts in his way -- like bodies of water. We build bridges to go over them, tunnels to go under them and dams to hold them back. Agriculture and transportation depended on bodies of water for most of history, so most civilizations clung to the riverbanks, hoping the waters would be kind to them.
Given our dependence upon bodies of water, it's no surprise that ancient engineers developed fairly sophisticated systems for managing and manipulating the motions of water on the ground. The Egyptians developed remarkable irrigation techniques to take advantage of the Nile's regular flood cycle, and some of ancient Rome's aqueducts are still in use today, to name just two familiar examples.
Perhaps what's most astounding about the achievements of the ancients in the area of water engineering is that they were accomplished without modern mathematical techniques. In fact, it wasn't until fairly recently that engineers and scientists have been able to use mathematical techniques to help us understand the motion of water under and on the ground.
The person most responsible for the modernization of water studies was an Austrian named Philipp Forchheimer, who was born exactly 150 years ago -- on August 7, 1852. He showed that the mathematical principles, equations and calculations that were used in other areas of physics could also work in hydrology. By improving our understanding of the workings of groundwater, Forchheimer gave us a powerful new way to make our structures stronger and our water resources reliable.
Forchheimer spent most of his career affiliated with universities, but he also acted as an advisor on major construction projects. He wrote several books, including one about the construction of tunnels that ended with influential suggestions for building a tunnel under the English Channel. He died in 1933.
Related links:
Click here to read about ancient Egyptian irrigation techniques.
Click here to read about ancient Roman aqueducts.
Click here to learn more about hydrology.
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