Vembanad Rail Bridge was completed
Located in Kochi, Kerala, India, the bridge is constructed over pile foundations at 133 locations and comprises 231 girders, each weighing 220 tonnes. The bridge has 132 spans consisting of 33 spans of 20 m and 99 spans of 40 m which are made of PSC girders and cater to electric traction.
1931 Nicaragua earthquake
The 1931 Nicaragua earthquake devastated Nicaragua's capital city Managua on 31 March. It had a moment magnitude of 6.1 and a maximum MSK intensity of VI (Strong). Between 1,000 and 2,450 people were killed. A major fire started and destroyed thousands of structures, burning into the next day. At least 45,000 were left homeless and losses of $35 million were recorded.
Eiffel Tower opened to the public
Located in Paris, Eiffel Tower is considered a marvel of civil engineering, standing at 324 meters tall and weighing 10,100 tons. Constructed of wrought iron, the tower is the most-visited paid monument in the world.
Benjamin Baker was born
Sir Benjamin Baker was an eminent English civil engineer who worked in mid to late Victorian era. He helped develop the early underground railways in London with Sir John Fowler, but he is best known for his work on the Forth Bridge.
Sir Isaac Newton died
English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian and author Sir Isaac Newton was was a key figure in the philosophical revolution known as the Enlightenment. His main contributions were the establishment of classical mechanics, the development (with the German mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz) of the infinitesimal calculus and the advancement of optics.
René Descartes was born
French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician René Descartes is considered a seminal figure in the emergence of modern philosophy and science. Mathematics was central to his method of inquiry, and he connected the previously separate fields of geometry and algebra into analytic geometry.
