Top 10 Engineering Achievements

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The world consists is full of wondrous engineering achievements. You stand there wondering how others even even made them! Throughout history, humans have built some of the most astonishing ancient engineering achievements. These ancient civil engineering achievements, such as the 7 Wonders of the World, have dominated the human imagination to this day. In fact, many of them have inspired modern engineers to surpass their own limitations and expectations. Check out below for top 10 engineering achievements from both ancient and modern history.

#10: Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is over 2,000 years old. The wall is one of the world’s greatest engineering achievements. However, today, parts of it stand in ruins.^[1]eworkshop – The Great Wall of China The ancient Chinese made the wall as a series of fortifications from wood, tamped earth, stones, and bricks. The Chinese built the Great Wall along its northern border in order to protect the Chinese kingdoms. The main threats were nomadic groups from the Eurasian Steppe such as the Mongols. They built some of the original wall as early as 7th Century BC. Over time, the Chinese joined sections of the wall to make it bigger and stronger.

During the course of history, various Chinese dynasties have rebuilt and maintained the Great Wall. However, the Ming Dynasty built a majority of the wall between 1368 and 1644. The Great Wall of Chinal runs from Dandong in Eastern China to Lop Lake in western China. It follows along the arc edge of Inner Mongolia. According to an archaeological surveys, the Great Wall of China is almost 5,500 miles (8850 kilometer) long. That includes 3,889 miles (6,259 km) of actual wall, about 223 miles (359 km) of trenches and 1,386 miles (2,232 km) of natural barriers such as rivers and hills.

#9: Danyang Kunshan Grand Bridge

The Danyang Kunshan Grand Bridge holds the Guinness World Record for the longest bridge in the world at 102.4 miles (164.7 km) long.^[2]Study.com – Danyang-Kunshan Bridge: Construction & Facts As such, it is one of the greatest modern engineering achievements. It located in China’s Jiangsu province along the Yangtze River Delta on the Nanjing and Shanghai rail line. Lowland rice paddies, rivers, lakes, and canals dominate this region of China. The Danyang Kunshan Grand Bridge runs parallel to the Yangtze River for about 49.7 miles (80 km). Additionally, it goes over the open water of Lake Suzhou for about 5.59 miles (9 km).

The Chinese constructed the bridge over a period of four years and at a cost of $8.5 billion USD. Furthermore, over 10,000 people helped in the construction of the bridge. Construction finished in 2010.

#8: Hoover Dam

The Hoover Dam is located on the border of Arizona and Nevada in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River. The heavily traveled Route 93 originally ran along the crest of the dam until the opening of Hoover Dam bypass in 2010. US construction engineers built the Hoover Dam between 1931 and 1936. However, they officially dedicated the dam to the then president Franklin Roosevelt on September 30, 1935.

The dam’s originally name was the Boulder Dam; however, Congress renamed it Hoover Dam in 1947 after President Hoover. The construction involved thousands of workers. Unfortunately, it also cost hundreds of lives. The dam is the largest in the United States and helps form Lake Mead.^[3]National Park Service – “The Greatest Dam in the World”: Building Hoover Dam Additionally, the Hoover Dam provides power for both the private and public utilities in Arizona, Nevada, and California. Today, it attracts over a million visitors a year.

#7: The Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable suspension bridge in the New York City. It is one of the most famous engineering achievements in the city’s history. The original construction began in 1869. However, the bridge did not open until 1883.^[4]New York City – Brooklyn Bridge John August Roebling, a German engineer, was the original designer. However, upon his death, his son Washington Roebling replaced him. They built it at a cost of $15.5 million USD. In today’s money, with inflation, that would equal over $367 million USD. It has had many names including the New York, Brooklyn, and East River Bridge. Additionally, it has also gone by the name of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

The Brooklyn Bridge connects Brooklyn and Manhattan by spanning across East River. It measures at a length of 1595 feet (486.3 meters). Furthermore, it was the first ever steel-wire suspension bridge in the world. In 1964, the Brooklyn Bridge got the designation as a National Historic Landmark. Additionally, in 1972, it became a Civil Engineering Landmark.

#6: Palm Islands

The Palm Islands are located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is part of Dubai’s initiative to turn itself from a oil producing nation into a tourist destination. Other parts of this plan include the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. The Palm Island consists of three artificial islands: Jebel Ali, Deira, and Palm Jumeirah Island. Construction of the island started in 2001. However, construction was slow and by 2011, they had only completed Palm Jumeirah.

The island gets its name from its shape of a palm tree, with a crescent at the top.^[5]Jet Propulsion Laboratory – Palm Islands, Dubai, UAE The Palm Islands are part of a home, leisure and entertainment center. Additionally, it will add another 323 miles (520 km) of beach to Dubai City. Engineers constructed this amazing engineering achievement by dredging about 3 billion cubic feet of sand from the floor of the sea. This along with concrete are the main ingredients in shaping the foundation of the palm tree.

#5: Burj Khalifa (UAE)

The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world. It stands at 2,722 feet (829.8 meters) talls.^[6]Embassy of the United Arab Emirates – Tallest Building in the World Reflects Dubai Vision Opening in 2010, it also holds a lot of other records including the world’s highest observation deck and the most number of floors (211). In 2008, officials declared it the world’s tallest building.The building is located in Dubai and is the centerpiece of its modern development. The designers named it in honor of Burj Khalifa, the president of United Arab Emirates.

Merrill, Owings, and Skidmore, an American architectural firm out of Chicago, designed the building. However, Patterns common in Islamic culture were the main design inspirations. Construction for the building was about $1.5 billion USD. Their design has received several awards. However, the building does not come without some controversy. For example, there have been many complaints that migrants from south Asia were used as laborers in the construction of the building. These laborers were paid low wages leading to a number of suicides. Unfortunately, this is very common in Dubai’s construction industry.

#4: Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a 47.8 miles (77 km) long canal that cuts across Isthmus of Panama and conects the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. Engineers began construction of the canal in 1881 and completed itin 1914 at a cost of $375 million USD. However, in today’s dollars, that would be over $9.3 billion USD! Even today it remains an important conduit for maritime trade.

The Panama Canal features locks at each end. These locks help lift ships up to an artificial lake. Engineers constructed the lake in order to reduce the amount of excavation required in constructing the canal.^[7]The Library of Congress – Topics in Chronicling America – The Panama Canal The original locks are about 111 feet (34 meters) wide. However, between 2007 and 2016, engineers constructed bigger locks in order to accommodate larger modern ships. The new lock allows for a transit of more cargo.

#3: English Channel Tunnel

The English Channel Tunnel is located under the English channel and connects Folkston, Kent to Pas-de-Calais, France. Engineers designed it to better help connect England and France. The tunnel is 31 miles long and carries high-speed passenger trains. While it is not longer than the Seikan tunnel in Japan, it does contain the world’s longest portion of the tunnel underneath the sea. When it was commissioned in 1994, it coast about £9 billion. This made it the most expensive single construction project in the world at that time.

While this is definitely a modern engineering achievement, the idea of linking the two countries was not new, In fact, Albert Mathieu, a French Engineer first hatched the idea in 1802. He proposed the construction of an underground high way that would be used by horse-drawn carriages. His proposal included having an island in between where travelers would change their steed.

Furthermore, in 1856, Aime Thome de Gamond, a French surveyor, suggested that a tunnel be mined out. He made this suggestion to Emperor Napoleon III, however, nothing happened. Not until over a century later, in December 1990, did their original idea become a reality. On this day an Englishman and a Frenchman shook hands through a hole that connected the two ends of the tunnel. The project was completed and opened by the French President Francois Mitterrand and Queen Elizabeth II on the 6th May 1994.^[8]UMass Boston – BUILDING THE WORLD

#2: The Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge is located in San Francisco, California. It holds the distinction of being one of the greatest engineering achievements in the history of the world as well as one of the most beautiful bridges in the world.^[9]National Park Service – Golden Gate Bridge It opened in 1937 and at the time was the world’s longest and tallest suspension bridge. It held this title until 1964. This suspension bridge is almost 1 miles (1.6 km) wide and connects the city of San Francisco to Marin County. It cost $27 million to build the bridge. Due to its beauty, it is one of the most photographed bridges in the world as well as one of the most influential symbols in the US.

#1: The Pyramids of Giza

The Pyramids of Giza in Egypt are one of the 7 Wonders of Ancient World.^[10]Earth Observatory The ancient Egyptians constructed them as tombs for the Egyptian Pharaohs. These engineering achievements were so large that it took 20 years to complete the construction of just one pyramid. Additionally, they remained the tallest man made structures in the world for a period spanning to 3,800 years. According to experts, if built today, it would cost around $5 billion USD.