Upside down house built in Germany

An upside down house is seen in Trassenheide, Germany, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008. The house was built to enable an alternative view on everyday life for visitors. (AP Photo/Frank Hormann)

A visitor stands in a room of an upside down house in Trassenheide, Germany, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008. The house was built to enable an alternative view on everyday life for visitors.
(AP Photo/Frank Hormann)

George Washington Bridge

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Date: 2008
George Washington Bridge vehicular suspension bridge across the Hudson River, between Manhattan borough of New York City and Fort Lee, N.J.; constructed 1927-31. It is one of the longest suspension bridges in the world. Its main span is 3,500 ft (1,067 m) long and 250 ft (76 m) above the water. Cass Gilbert was the consulting architect, and O. H. Ammann was in general charge of the planning and construction. In 1962 a lower deck of six lanes was completed. Author not available, GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE. , The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition 2007 ... Read more

Author not available, GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE., The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition 2008The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press.

Tunnel

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
tunnel underground passage usually made without removing the overlying rock or soil. Although tunnels are approximately horizontal, they must be built with sufficient gradient for proper drainage. Tunnels may be ventilated by shafts leading to the surface or by exhaust fans at the ends. Design and Construction Techniques Methods of tunneling vary with the nature of the material to be cut through. When soft earth is encountered, the excavation is timbered for support as the work advances; the timbers are sometimes left as a permanent lining for the tunnel. Another method is to cut two p... Read more

Bibliography

See T. M. Megaw and J. V. Bartlett, Tunnels (1981-82); B. Stack, Handbook of Mining and Tunnelling Machinery (1982); Approaching the 21st Century (1987).Author not available, TUNNEL., The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition 2008

Science Museums

The Oxford Companion to British History Date: 2002
Science Museums (Kensington). The museums are the fruit of the Great Exhibition of 1851. It made a profit, and land was bought in Kensington Gore; Prince Albert hoped to establish there a great cultural centre, but to many people it seemed remote from central London. In 1862 the next exhibition was staged there; in 1864 the underground railway station was authorized; and the Department of Science and Arts ran what grew into the Science Museum. Richard Owen, superintendent of natural history at the British Museum, campaigned from 1861 to have ‘his’ exhibits moved to a new building, and in 1881 the Natural History Museum opened its doors.
by : David Knight
© The Oxford Companion to British History 2002, originally published by Oxford University Press 2002.

Northern Pacific Railway

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
Northern Pacific Railway former American rail line, following the northern route from Duluth and St. Paul, Minn., to Seattle, Wash., and Portland, Oreg. The Northern Pacific RR Company was chartered by special act of Congress in 1864, and construction was begun in 1870. Jay Cooke at first managed the enterprise, but after the Panic of 1873 the railroad company went into bankruptcy. Under the leadership of Henry Billard, the Northern Pacific was opened in 1883 from Ashland, Wis., to Portland, Oreg. The company became the Northern Pacific Railway in 1896. In 1901 there was a spectacular financ... Read more .

Civil Engineering

Civil engineering includes the planning, designing, construction, and maintenance of structures and altering geography to suit human needs. Some of the numerous subdivisions are transportation (e.g., railroad facilities and highways); hydraulics (e.g., river control, irrigation, swamp draining, water supply, and sewage disposal); and structures (e.g., buildings, bridges, and tunnels).