Pier Luigi Nervi died
Pier Luigi Nervi was an Italian engineer and architect. He studied at the University of Bologna graduating in 1913. Nervi taught as a professor of engineering at Rome University from 1946 to 1961 and is known worldwide as a structural engineer and architect and for his innovative use of reinforced concrete, especially with numerous notable thin shell structures worldwide.
Aswan Dam construction started
The Aswan Dam, or more specifically since the 1980s, the Aswan High Dam, is one of the world's largest embankment dams, which was built across the Nile in Aswan, Egypt, between 1960 and 1970. Based on the success of the Low Dam, then at its maximum utilization, construction of the High Dam became a key objective of the government following the Egyptian Revolution of 1952; with its ability to better control flooding, provide increased water storage for irrigation and generate hydroelectricity, the dam was seen as pivotal to Egypt's planned industrialization. Like the earlier implementation, the High Dam has had a significant effect on the economy and culture of Egypt.
Vega de Tera disaster
The Vega de Tera disaster was a flood that occurred on the early morning of January 9, 1959 in the Province of Zamora, Spain. The flood was caused by the failure of a dam, releasing water from the Vega de Tera reservoir. A total of 144 of the 664 residents in Ribadelago were killed. It was the first of two fatal dam failures in Europe that year; in December, the collapse of the Malpasset Dam resulted in over 400 fatalities. Before the dawn of January 9, a section of the dam's retaining wall measuring 169 by 97 by 33 metres (554 ft × 318 ft × 108 ft) in dimension collapsed. The collapse released 7.8 million cubic metres (280×106 cu ft) of water from the Vega de Tera reservoir. At an initial peak discharge of 13,000 cubic metres per second, the flood traveled 8 kilometres.
Joseph Baermann Strauss was born
American structural engineer Joseph Baermann Strauss revolutionized the design of main bridges when he proposed the use of cheaper concrete counterweights in place of expensive iron ones. He designed many bridges, but is best known as the Chief Engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. He was involved in worker safety, placing a net under the Golden Gate Bridge during construction, which saved a total of 19 lives.
1857 Fort Tejon earthquake
The 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake occurred at about 8:20 a.m. (Pacific time) on January 9 in central and Southern California. One of the largest recorded earthquakes in the United States, with an estimated moment magnitude of 7.9, it ruptured the southern part of the San Andreas Fault for a length of about 225 miles (350 km), between Parkfield and Wrightwood. The earthquake is the most recent large event to occur along that portion of the San Andreas Fault, and is estimated to have had a maximum perceived intensity of IX (Violent) on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI) near Fort Tejon in the Tehachapi Mountains, and along the San Andreas Fault from Mil Potrero (near Pine Mountain Club) in the San Emigdio Mountains to Lake Hughes in the Sierra Pelona Mountains.
