2010 Chile earthquake
The 2010 Chile earthquake and tsunami occurred off the coast of central Chile on Saturday, 27 February at 03:34 local time (06:34 UTC), having a magnitude of 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale, with intense shaking lasting for about three minutes. The earthquake triggered a tsunami which devastated several coastal towns in south-central Chile and damaged the port at Talcahuano. Tsunami warnings were issued in 53 countries, and the wave caused minor damage in the San Diego area of California and in the Tohoku region of Japan, where damage to the fisheries business was estimated at ¥6.26 billion (US$66.7 million). According to official sources, 525 people lost their lives and 25 people went missing.
Zifeng Tower construction started
Zifeng Tower is a 450-meter (1,480 ft) supertall skyscraper in Nanjing, Jiangsu. The 66-story building completed in 2010 comprises retail and office. Floors 49-71 feature a hotel, numerous restaurants, and a public observatory. The building is currently the tallest in Nanjing and Jiangsu province, the eleventh tallest in China and the twentieth tallest in the world. The Tower occupies an area of 18,721 square meters.
Laurits Bjerrum died
Danish Civil Engineer, first director of the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute Laurits Bjerrum died in 1973. Bjerrum is particularly known for his work on the shear resistance of clays. In 1971 he received the Terzaghi Award from the ASCE. He was an honorary member of the Norwegian Geotechnical Society. From 1965 to 1969 he was President of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering (ISSMFE), now known as ISSMGE, after having been Vice President for Europe from 1961 to 1965.
Tower of Pisa in danger
On 27 February 1964, the government of Italy requested aid in preventing the tower from toppling. It was, however, considered important to retain the current tilt, due to the role that this element played in promoting the tourism industry of Pisa. The tower has survived at least four strong earthquakes since 1280. A 2018 engineering investigation concluded that the tower withstood the tremors because of dynamic soil-structure interaction: the height and stiffness of the tower combined with the softness of the foundation soil influences the tower's vibrational characteristics in such a way that it does not resonate with earthquake ground motion. The same soft soil that caused the leaning and brought the tower to the verge of collapse helped it survive.
Smith Mine disaster
The Smith Mine disaster was the worst coal mining disaster in the U.S. state of Montana, and the 43rd worst in the United States, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). An explosion ripped through Smith Mine No. 3, a coal mine located between the towns of Bearcreek and Washoe. Since it was a Saturday, there was a short crew in the mine. Of the 77 men working that day, only three got out of the mine alive, and one of the rescue workers died soon afterward. The report from the United States Bureau of Mines states that 30 of the men were killed instantly by the explosion. The explosion was attributed to a build-up of methane gas in the mine.
Athens Metro opened
The Athens Metro is a rapid-transit system in Greece which serves the Athens urban area. Line 1 opened as a single-track conventional steam railway in 1869 and was electrified in 1904. In 1991, Elliniko Metro S.A. constructed and extended Lines 2 and 3. Line 1 is 25.7 km long and serves 24 stations, while line 2 is 18.7 km long and has 20 stations and line 3 has 27 stations and is 47.3 km in length.
