Skip to main content

1982

Rogue River Bridge
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: BridgesEra: 1930-1939DateCreated: 1931Rogue RiverGold BeachState: ORZip: 97444Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/Project/Rogue-River-Bridge/Creator: McCullough, Conde

The Rogue River Bridge was the most advanced concrete bridge in America when it was built. Distinguished bridge engineer Conde McCullough employed the techniques of Frenchman Eugene Freyssinet to create thin, graceful concrete arches for this seven-span structure.

Pre-compression of the concrete arch was achieved and, as a result of its success, pre-stressing became one of the hallmarks of American bridge building techniques.

YearAdded:
1982
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Bruce Fingerhood (CC BY 2.0)Image Caption: Rogue River BridgeEra_date_from: 1931
Society: ASMEMain Category: Mechanical, RoadSub Category: Road TransportationEra: 1910-1919DateCreated: 1910Lumberman's MuseumPattenState: MEZip: 04765Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/history/landmarks/topics-m-z/road-and-off-road-transportation/-79-lombard-steam-log-hauler-%281910%29Creator: Lombard, Alvin
This steam crawler-tractor emancipated horses from the killing work of hauling trains of sleds over iced roads in the winter woods of the United States and Canada. Designed, patented (1901), and built by Alvin C. Lombard (1856-1937) of Waterville, Maine, eighty-three "Lombards" were the first practical examples of the often-tried lag or crawler tread that would become the mark of the internal combustion engine-driven agricultural and construction equipment and military tank in current use.
YearAdded:
1982
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/cliff1066,Image Caption: Lombard Steam Log HaulerEra_date_from: 1910
Kinzua Railway Viaduct
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: BridgesEra: 1880-1889DateCreated: 1882Kinzua CreekMcKean CountyState: PAZip: 16735Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/Project/Kinzua-Railway-Viaduct/Creator: Chanute, Octave , Phoenix Iron Works

The workforce consisted of less than 100 men, yet they finished construction in just 94 days. Such speed was possible due to the elimination of scaffolding. Instead, iron rods were used to support construction of the trusses between the towers, and workers moved back and forth across the rods. A dangerous venture, yet no workers were seriously injured.

YearAdded:
1982
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Peter Pawlowski (CC BY 2.0)Image Caption: Kinzua Railway ViaductEra_date_from: 1882
John A. Roebling Bridge
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: BridgesEra: 1860-1869DateCreated: 1866Ohio RiverCincinnatiState: OHCountry: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/Project/John-A--Roebling-Bridge/Creator: Roebling, John

In 1866, the Covington and Cincinnati Suspension Bridge was the largest suspension bridge in the world. Also called the Ohio Bridge, it was officially renamed the John A. Roebling Bridge in 1983. It was the first permanent bridge over the Ohio River and the only public project in America financed by private investors during the Civil War.

Renowned bridge designer John A. Roebling proposed the structure in 1846; but building the bridge would become a 20-year saga, with heated lobbying both for and against the crossing.

YearAdded:
1982
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Tom Hamilton (CC BY 2.0)Image Caption: John A. Roebling BridgeEra_date_from: 1866
Detroit-Windsor Tunnel
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: TunnelsEra: 1930-1939DateCreated: 1930-Windsor TunnelDetroitState: MIZip: 48226Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/project/Detroit-Windsor-Tunnel/Creator: Value, Burnside, Thoresen, Søren Anton

The Detroit-Windsor Tunnel is a 5,160-foot structure that carries traffic under the Detroit River between Detroit, Michigan and Ontario, Canada. Privately financed, built, and owned, it was completed in 26 months, 10 months ahead of schedule. 

YearAdded:
1982
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Brian Rawson-Ketchum (CC BY-SA 2.0)Image Caption: Detroit-Windsor TunnelEra_date_from: 1930
Carrollton Viaduct
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: BridgesEra: 1800-1829DateCreated: 1829Gwynns FallsBaltimoreState: MDCountry: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/Project/Carrollton-Viaduct/Creator: Wever, Caspar , Lloyd, James

The Carrollton Viaduct over Gwynn's Falls was the first masonry railroad viaduct constructed in the United States. This structure proved the feasibility of using a viaduct to transport railway vehicles across wide and deep valleys.

YearAdded:
1982
Image Credit: Public Domain (National Park Service)Image Caption: Carrollton ViaductEra_date_from: 1829
AC Electrification of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad (DUPE: IEEE+ASME)
Society: IEEEMain Category: ElectricalSub Category: Power, Energy & Industry ApplicationEra: 1900-1909DateCreated: 1907New York to New Haven to BostonCos CobState: CTCountry: USAWebsite: http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Milestones:Alternating-Current_Electrification_of_the_New_York,_New_Haven_%26_Hartford_Railroad,_1907Creator: New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad , Westinghouse Electric

This was a pioneering venture in mainline railroad electrification. It established single-phase alternating current as a technical and economical alternative to direct current. This concept exerted considerable influence over subsequent systems both in the United States and abroad. The major components of the system were developed by the engineering staffs of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad and the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company of East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

YearAdded:
1982
Image Credit: Courtesy of the New York Public Library.Image Caption: Alternating-Current Electrification of the New York, New Haven & Hartford RailroadEra_date_from: 1907
Society: ASMEMain Category: MechanicalSub Category: Research and DevelopmentEra: 1900-1909DateCreated: 1908Alden Research LaboratoryHoldenState: MAZip: 01520Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/history/landmarks/topics-m-z/research-and-development/-75-alden-research-laboratory-rotating-boom-%281908%29Creator: Allen, Charles M.
The idea of constructing a rotating boom for hydromechanical tests at the Alden Hydraulic Laboratory originated with Professor Charles Metcalf Allen, head of the lab from 1896 to 1950. The original boom was designed in 1908 by Professor Allen, assisted by two Worcester Polytechnic Institute students. Professor Allen needed a moving test stand for hydraulic experiments and for rating current meters.
YearAdded:
1982
Image Credit: Courtesy ASMEImage Caption: L.J. Hooper (left), Charles M. Allen (center) and Clyde W. Hubbard (right) sit together on the rotating boom.Era_date_from: 1908
Holland Tunnel
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: TunnelsEra: 1920-1929DateCreated: 1927Hudson RiverJersey CityState: NJZip: 07310Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/Project/Holland-Tunnel/Creator: Holland, Clifford

The 1.6-mile Holland Tunnel was the first underwater vehicular crossing of the Hudson River and the first tunnel specifically designed for automobiles and trucks. It dramatically reduced the time required to traverse the Hudson River, a trip previously possible only by ferry. 

A major difficulty when tunneling beneath a river is to keep water and mud from inundating the workers and equipment in the tunnel. Builders of the Holland Tunnel used a shield that enveloped the work site as the excavation progressed; this also avoided obstruction of shipping traffic during construction.

YearAdded:
1982
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Chris Leung (CC BY-SA 2.0)Image Caption: Holland TunnelEra_date_from: 1927
Aberdeen Range, Aberdeen Proving Ground
Society: ASMEMain Category: MechanicalSub Category: Research and DevelopmentEra: 1940-1949DateCreated: 1943US Army Test & Evaluation Command - Ryan BuildingAberdeenState: MDCountry: USAWebsite: https://www.asme.org/about-asme/who-we-are/engineering-history/landmarks/80-aberdeen-range-aberdeen-proving-groundCreator: U.S. Army

During the 1930's, research into advanced ballistic measurement techniques began at Aberdeen Proving Ground—the world's first large-scale, fully-instrumented ballistic range producing data on the aerodynamic characteristics of missiles in free flight.

YearAdded:
1982
Image Credit: Courtesy U.S. Army RDECOMImage Caption: High Explosive shells at Aberdeen Proving GroundEra_date_from: 1943
Subscribe to 1982

Innovations

We hope you enjoyed this essay.

Please support America's only magazine of the history of engineering and innovation, and the volunteers that sustain it with a donation to Invention & Technology.

Donate

Stay informed - subscribe to our newsletter.
The subscriber's email address.