During the 1950s and 60s, engineers and scientists sought ways to use nuclear weapons for major construction projects such as harbors, roads and even alternative routes for the Panama Canal.
On a Saturday morning in the summer of 1966, Vinton Bacon, general superintendent of the Metropolitan Sanitary District of Chicago, pulled his car into a service station near his suburban home for gas and an oil check. The attendant found four sticks of dynamite wired to the car’s engine. Only a faulty connection prevented them from exploding.
Access to water played a critical role in the development of Los Angeles into one of the country’s largest cities. In 1900, it covered 61 square miles and had 102,000 residents.
During the 19th century, Chicago’s sewage got dumped into the Chicago River and flowed into Lake Michigan. Because the city’s drinking water was, and still is, drawn from the lake via two mile-long tunnels, officials feared that the sewage would endanger the water supply.
The National Building Museum turned 40 last year, but rather than slowing down, the Washington, D.C., institution has kicked into high gear as it reopens with a new executive director and a stronger emphasis on critical issues facing the construction industry today.
