The Apollo lunar module (LM-13) was developed by the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp. (now Northrop Grumman). The LM's main functions were to carry two astronauts from lunar orbit to the moon's surface, and then return them to lunar orbit to rendezvous and dock with the Apollo command-service modules. On the surface, the LM served as a shelter and base of operations as the astronauts carried out their exploration and experiments. On July 20, 1969, the LM "Eagle" touched down on the moon, becoming the first piloted spacecraft to land on a celestial body other than Earth.
USA
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Image Credit:
Courtesy Flickr/Michael Gray (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Image Caption:
The Apollo Lunar Module LM-13 on display in the Cradle of Aviation Museum
Era_date_from:
1972
2002
"An essential part of the human experience is to create an aesthetic atmosphere."
The George Washington Bridge represented a departure in suspension bridge design. Chief Engineer O.H. Ammann developed a system of stiffening trusses that offered greater flexibility and saved the project nearly $10 million. Initially, just six of the upper eight lanes were paved, but Ammann designed the bridge to easily accommodate a future lower level.
Swiss-born O.H. Ammann (1879-1965) was Chief Engineer for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey during the bridge's construction.
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Image Credit:
Original Image: Flickr/Marcin Wichary
Image Caption:
George Washington Bridge
Era_date_from:
1931
1981
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.
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Image Credit:
Courtesy of the New York Public Library.
Image Caption:
Alternating-Current Electrification of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad
Era_date_from:
1907
1982
The "Alligator" amphibian tractor is the progenitor of all amphibian assault vehicles used since 1941, a pioneer venture both in its design and the materials used in its construction. Donald Roebling, a grandson of Colonel Washington Roebling (designer of the Brooklyn Bridge), built an amphibian tractor to rescue victims of Florida's devastating hurricanes (particularly those in 1926, 1928, and 1932 that hit southern Florida).
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Image Credit:
Public Domain (US Marine Corps)
Image Caption:
An Alligator Amphibian on the slope of a Landing Craft Tank, armed with machine guns
Era_date_from:
1940
1997
Built with a single set of tracks consisting of hardwood rails and wooden ties, and using wooden trestles to carry it over low-lying areas, the 136-mile Charleston-Hamburg Railroad was one of the longest railroads in the world when it was completed in 1833. It also became the first railroad in the United States to be powered entirely by steam, the first to carry mail under contract, and the first to provide regularly scheduled passenger service.
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Image Credit:
The earliest general map to show the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company's line which began in Charleston, S.C. It was completed to Hamburg, S.C., in 1833. Its 136 miles of track were then the longest in the world.
Image Caption:
Charleston - Hamburg Railroad, also known as
Era_date_from:
1833
1969
In an era when roads and canals were the most common means of overland transportation, the Allegheny Portage Railroad provided a novel alternative. The railway carried fully-loaded canal boats over the steep grades of the Allegheny Mountain. The 36-mile system rose almost 2,300 feet above sea level at its summit - the highest level to which canal boats had ever been carried. The project included ten double-tracked inclined planes, powered by steam engines. Its 900-foot Staple Bend Tunnel, cut from solid rock, was the first railroad tunnel constructed in America.
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Image Credit:
Public Domain (National Park Service)
Image Caption:
The Staple Bend Tunnel, completed 1834 for the Allegheny Portage Railroad
Era_date_from:
1834
1987
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.
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Image Credit:
Courtesy ASME
Image Caption:
L.J. Hooper (left), Charles M. Allen (center) and Clyde W. Hubbard (right) sit together on the rotating boom.
Era_date_from:
1908
1982
The Alaska Highway, initially called the Alaskan-Canadian (Alcan) Military Highway, provided an essential transportation link to the Yukon and Alaska during World War II. It begins at the junction with several Canadian highways in Dawson Creek, British Columbia and runs to Delta Junction, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon. After the shock of Pearl Harbor, the Alaska Highway was a first step in America's defense strategy -- a vital military supply line during the war. Over ten thousand Army Engineers were rushed to the far Northwest.
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Image Credit:
Courtesy Flickr/Bruce McKay (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Image Caption:
Driving on the Alaska Highway with a snowy mountain horizon
Era_date_from:
1942
1995
This 50,000-ton die-forging press is among the largest fabrication tools in the world. It was designed and built for the U.S. Air Force by the Mesta Machine Company of Pittsburgh, following the discovery of a 30,000-ton press used by the Germans in World War II (later acquired by the Soviet Union). By 1950, a Heavy Press Program was organized to establish a self-sustaining industrial base for a press capable of producing large forgings and extrusions for the United States. The 50,000-ton Mesta press was one of the first built under this program between 1952 and 1955.
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Image Credit:
Image Caption:
The true enormity of the ALCOA 50,000-ton Hydraulic Forging Press can be fully appreciated when put into comparison of the average-sized person (lower right and on the platform).
Era_date_from:
1954
1981
This is one of the earliest uses of engineered water supply and irrigation systems in the United States. The first of eight original acequias was under construction in 1718 and two are still in operation. The remains of one are visible on the grounds of the Alamo. The Acequias of San Antonio are among the earliest engineered water supply and irrigation systems recorded in the United States. The Acequias served an integral role in the growth and stability of the San Antonio community for nearly 200 years.
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Image Credit:
Courtesy: Flickr/Amy the Nurse (CC BY-ND 2.0)
Image Caption:
The Espada Aqueduct, running over the Piedras Creek
Era_date_from:
1718
1968
