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Papers of J.C. Bradfield

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:22.
  • Biographical
  • Engineering
  • Government
  • Library/Archive
  • Modern (18th-20th Century)
  • Secondary Source
URL: 

http://www.nla.gov.au/ms/findaids/4712.html

Author: 
National Library of Australia
Excerpt: 

John Job Crew Bradfield was born in Sandgate, Queensland on the 26 December 1867. He was educated at Ipswich State School, Ipswich Grammar School and the University of Sydney, where he graduated as a Bachelor of Engineering in 1889. In 1891 he married Edith Jenkins. They had six children.

In 1891 Bradfield joined the New South Wales Department of Public Works as a temporary draftsman, becoming permanent in 1895. He was involved in such major projects as the Cataract Dam and Burrunjuck Dam. In 1909 he became assistant engineer and in 1913 he was appointed chief engineer for metropolitan railway construction. He went overseas in 1914 to study railway construction and in the next few years wrote many papers advocating the electrification of suburban railways. Work commenced on the underground railway in 1923 and the first stations were opened in 1926.

Annotation: 

Scope and contents of this collection held at the National Library of Australia. Also contains a biographical note.

Strauss-type Bascule Bridge

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:22.
  • Contemporary (Post-WWII)
  • Engineering
  • Government
  • Secondary Source
URL: 

http://www.co.multnomah.or.us/dbcs/LUT/bridges/bridge_operations/bascule/strauss/strauss_bascule_brdg_ops.shtml

Author: 
Multnomah County
Excerpt: 

There are three basic types of movable bridges; the bascule, the vertical lift and the swing bridge. Multnomah County operates four movable bridges; one vertical lift and three bascule. The purpose of the following pages is to provide information on how Multnomah County operates these bridges and the distinguishing features of each type.

...Bascule bridges have sections that rotate upward and away from the centerline of the river, providing clear passage for river traffic. Side-by-side on the Willamette River in downtown Portland, the Morrison (left) and Burnside (right) bridges are two examples of bascule bridges. These two bascule type bridges have a very clean, uncluttered look to them because the counterweights and operating machinery are located out of sight in the piers supporting the bridge. The Morrison Bridge is a Chicago-type bascule bridge and the Burnside Bridge is a Strauss-type bascule bridge. Please refer to our pages titled Operation of a Chicago type Bascule Bridge and Operation of a Strauss type Bascule Bridge for a discussion on the workings of these types of bridges.

Annotation: 

Description of the operating techniques of the Burnside Bridge lift span designed by Joseph Strauss.

Mackinac Bridge

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:22.
  • Contemporary (Post-WWII)
  • Engineering
  • Government
  • Images
  • Links
  • Modern (18th-20th Century)
  • Secondary Source
URL: 

http://www.mackinacbridge.org/

Excerpt: 

A newspaper, the Lansing Republican, dated February 5, 1884, reprinted a story from the Grand Traverse Herald pointing out that the experiment to provide all-year service across the Straits by boat had failed, and that if a great east-west route were ever to be established through Michigan a bridge or tunnel would be required. The editor considered both as practicable; the only question in his mind was that of cost.

Annotation: 

The Mackinac Bridge website give facts, figures and historical information about the steel suspension bridge that connected lower Michigan with its upper peninsula after other transportation solutions failed. The Mackinac Bridge is a great example of how modern engineering gradually transformed all parts of the United States. The site includes a brief historical essay with background about the bridge, a list of bridge stats, images, an archive of traffic reports (only going back to the early 1990s, and links to other sources of information. The site is run by the Mackinac Bridge Authority and the site is well designed and well maintained.

Secrets of a Master Builder

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:22.
  • Biographical
  • Educational
  • Engineering
  • Exhibit
  • Government
  • Images
  • Links
  • Modern (18th-20th Century)
  • Primary Source
  • Secondary Source
  • Video
URL: 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eads/index.html

Author: 
The American Experience, Public Broadcasting Service
Excerpt: 

A self-made man and one of America’s greatest engineers, James Buchanan Eads led a life inextricably intertwined with the nation’s most important waterway, the Mississippi River. He explored the river bottom in a diving bell of his own design; made a fortune salvaging wrecks; in the 1870s built the world's first steel bridge over the Mississippi at St. Louis; then deepened the river at its mouth, turning New Orleans into the second largest port in the nation. By the time of his death in 1887, Eads was widely acknowledged to be one of the most influential men of his day.

Annotation: 

This PBS website, made for the program "The American Experience," is a tome of material relating to the life and career of engineer James Eads. Material includes a transcript of the television show; a list of further reading on Eads; a Flash demonstration of how to build a bridge pier; letters from the Eads family; a gallery of architectural drawings; links to descriptions of the people and events discussed in the program; and a brief section on the Mississippi River jetties today. The site is likely the most extensive archive any researcher will find on Eads, and it is an indispensible resource for anyone looking for information on the Mississippi River engineer.

Wheeling Suspension Bridge Nat'l Monument Dedication by D. B. Steinman

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:22.
  • Engineering
  • Government
  • Library/Archive
  • Modern (18th-20th Century)
  • Secondary Source
URL: 

http://wheeling.weirton.lib.wv.us/landmark/bridges/susp/bridge3.htm

Author: 
Ohio County Public Library
Excerpt: 

This an historic occasion. Today we are gathered here to dedicate a famous pioneer structure -- the oldest cable suspension highway bridge in the world -- as a national monument. Because this span has played a dramatic and significant role in the development of bridge engineering, and because its outstanding record of more than a century of distinguished service is interwoven with the unfolding panorama of American history, it is altogether fitting and proper that the shrine to thrill and inspire future generations.

When this great structure -- the first bridge over the Ohio River -- was completed in 1849, it was truly notable achievement. Its span of 1,010 feet was by far the longest in the world, the first time human courage and resourcefulness had achieved a span exceeding one-thousand feet.

Annotation: 

Speech given by D.B.Steinman in 1956 in dedication of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge, the first bridge over the Ohio River.

Roebling's Delaware Aqueduct

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:22.
  • Engineering
  • Government
  • Images
  • Modern (18th-20th Century)
  • Secondary Source
URL: 

http://www.nps.gov/upde/roebaque.htm

Author: 
Division for the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, National Park Service
Excerpt: 

Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River is the home of the oldest existing wire suspension bridge in the United States — the Delaware Aqueduct, or Roebling Bridge as it is now known. Begun in 1847 as one of four suspension aqueducts on the Delaware and Hudson Canal, it was designed by and built under the supervision of John A. Roebling, future engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Portions of the D & H Canal, including the Delaware Aqueduct, were designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968. The Delaware Aqueduct is also designated a National Civil Engineering Landmark.

...A German immigrant, and graduate of the Royal Polytechnic School of Berlin, Roebling came to the United States in 1831. It was not until 1845 that he built his first suspension structure. From 1845 until his death in 1869, he designed five major suspension bridges. Two — the Cincinnati-Covington Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge — are still standing.

Annotation: 

This National Park Service site details the history of the Delaware Aqueduct, the oldest existing wire suspension bridge in the United States. The page includes a brief biography of Roebling and a timeline of important events in his life, as well as details on the bridge's construction, restoration, and continuing importance in the life of the D & H Canal.

Squire Whipple Bowstring Truss

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:22.
  • Engineering
  • Government
  • Images
  • Modern (18th-20th Century)
  • Secondary Source
URL: 

http://www.dot.state.oh.us/oes/rehab.htm

Author: 
Ohio Environmental Services, Ohio Department of Transportation
Excerpt: 

This rare cast-and wrought iron bridge was built in 1872. The bridge was located in Coshocton County, Ohio, crossing Wills Creek on Linton Township Road 144.

It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a rare example of early engineering design by one of the most famous engineers of his time, Squire Whipple. This bridge was designed and patented by him in 1841. He had designed other bridges but this was the most popular. The State of New York accepted this as their official design and it was used extensively on the Erie Canal. his design was illegally copied by many other bridge builders, depriving him of much deserved royalties. In 1847 Squire Whipple wrote his book on the design of bridges using scientific methods. This is the first time a book of this type had been written. It has been revised several times and copies can still be found in some libraries. His methods and formulas are still useful. He was considered one of the top engineers of the 19th Century and was the first honorary member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Annotation: 

Rare example of early engineering design by oSquire Whipple. This bridge was designed and patented by him in 1841.

Diciphering the Genetic Code: M. Nirenberg

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:22.
  • Biographical
  • Contemporary (Post-WWII)
  • Exhibit
  • Government
  • Images
  • Life Sciences
  • Medicine/Behavioral Science
  • Modern (18th-20th Century)
  • Museum
  • Secondary Source
URL: 

http://history.nih.gov/exhibits/nirenberg/

Author: 
Stetten Museum, Office of National Institutes of Health History
Excerpt: 

Marshall Nirenberg is best known for “breaking the genetic code” in 1961, an achievement that won him the Nobel Prize. But what exactly is the genetic code? And how did he decipher it? This exhibit will explore genetics research in the 1950s and 1960s and explain the importance of Nirenberg's experiments and discoveries.

Annotation: 

"Diciphering the Genetic Code" is an online exhibit that explores Marshall Nirenberg's genetics research in the 1950's and 1960's and explains the importance of his experiments and discoveries. The exhibit includes an eight-section history of genetics research beginning with Gregor Mendel and ending with a copy of Nirenber's article in Science Magazine entitled "Will Society Be Prepared?" Images and descriptions of the instruments used in the lab are provided, as are brief biographies of many of the researchers involved. A glossary and links to related web sites are included. The site is well-designed and approachable, and is a good starting point for understanding the study of genetics.

Remembering Columbia STS-107

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:22.
  • Aviation/Space Exploration
  • Contemporary (Post-WWII)
  • Government
  • Images
  • Links
  • Primary Source
  • Secondary Source
URL: 

http://history.nasa.gov/columbia/

Author: 
NASA History Office
Excerpt: 

The Columbia STS-107 mission lifted off on January 16, 2003, for a 17-day science mission featuring numerous microgravity experiments. Upon reentering the atmosphere on February 1, 2003, the Columbia orbiter suffered a catastrophic failure due to a breach that occurred during launch when falling foam from the External Tank struck the Reinforced Carbon Carbon panels on the underside of the left wing. The orbiter and its seven crewmembers (Rick D. Husband, William C. McCool, David Brown, Laurel Blair Salton Clark, Michael P. Anderson, Ilan Ramon, and Kalpana Chawla) were lost approximately 15 minutes before Columbia was scheduled to touch down at Kennedy Space Center. This site presents information about the STS-107 flight, as well as information related to the accident and subsequent investigation by the formal Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

Annotation: 

This website from the NASA History Office has a wealth of information about the shuttle Columbia mission itself, the loss of the shuttle in February 2003, and the ensuing investigation. There are formal biographies of crew members, extremely detailed timelines, and a twenty-page document with accompanying acronym list entitled "STS-107 Accident Investigation Ground Track, Events Summary, and Sighting Data." A number of images and links to documents from NASA, Congress, and the White House are available, as is full information about the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, from its charter and members, to the six-volume report. Professionally-compiled bibliogaphies on Space Shuttles, the Columbia accident, and organizational culture are also included. Finally, reflections from the public gathered on the web are collected and displayed, adding individual responses to the loss of the shuttle to this very informative site.

IP at the National Academies

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/08/2007 - 20:22.
  • Computers/Information Technology
  • Consumer Technology
  • Contemporary (Post-WWII)
  • Government
  • Medicine/Behavioral Science
  • Secondary Source
URL: 

http://ip.nationalacademies.org/

Author: 
National Academies
Excerpt: 

Welcome to the National Academies' Intellectual Property website. From Internet content protection to human gene patenting, Intellectual Property (IP) in many forms have emerged from legal obscurity to public debate. This website serves as a guide to the Academies' extensive work on Intellectual Property and a forum to discuss ongoing work

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