2012 Northern Italy earthquakes
In May 2012, two major earthquakes struck Northern Italy, causing 27 deaths and widespread damage. The events are known in Italy as the 2012 Emilia earthquakes, because they mainly affected the Emilia region. The first 6.1 Mw quake struck on 20 May, leading to seven deaths, while the second 5.8 Mw earthquake occured on 29 May, causing an additional twenty deaths and additional damage, particularly to buildings already weakened by the 20 May earthquake.
Stephen Timoshenko died
Ukrainian-American Stepan Prokopovich Timoshenko is considered to be the father of modern engineering mechanics. He was a founding member of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences and wrote seminal works in the areas of engineering mechanics, elasticity and strength of materials, many of which are still widely used today. Along with Paul Ehrenfest, he developed the theory that takes into account shear deformation and rotary inertia (Timoshenko-Ehrenfest beam theory).
Estadio Azteca opened
Regarded as one of the most famous and iconic football stadiums in the world, Estadio Azteca is the first to have hosted two FIFA World Cup Finals, in 1970 and 1986. With a capacity of 87,523, it is the largest stadium in Mexico and Latin America and the eighth largest association football stadium in the world. The stadium sits at an altitude of 2,200 m (7,200 feet) above sea level and its construction lasted 5 years.
Iannis Xenakis was born
Giannis Klearchou Xenakis was a Romanian-born Greek-French avant-garde composer, music theorist, architect, performance director and engineer. Xenakis pioneered the use of mathematical models in music, while integrating music with architecture. As an architect, Xenakis is primarily known for his early work under Le Corbusier: the priory of Sainte-Marie de La Tourette, on which the two collaborated, and the Philips Pavilion at Expo 58, which Xenakis designed by himself.
George Geoffrey Meyerhof was born
Son of Nobel Laureate in Medicine, Otto Meyerhof, distinguished geotechnical engineer George Geoffrey Meyerhof was best known for his work on the bearing capacity of foundations. Born in Kiel, Germany in 1916, Meyerhof studied at the University of London, and worked in England for several years, where he did extensive research on soil mechanics and foundation problems. In 1953 he immigrated to Canada and among other things he taught at the Nova Scotia Technical College (later TUNS).
Gabriel Auguste Daubree died
Gabriel Auguste Daubree was a French geologist, best known for applying experimental methods to structural geology. He served as the director of the Ecole des Mines as well as the president of the French Academy of Sciences.
