2010 Ladakh floods
The 2010 Ladakh floods occurred on 6 August 2010 across a large part of Ladakh, then part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. 71 towns and villages were damaged, including the main town in the area, Leh. At least 255 people are reported to have died, six of whom were foreign tourists, after a cloudburst and heavy overnight rains triggered flash floods, mudflows, and debris flows. 200 people were reported missing in the initial aftermath of the storm, and thousands more were rendered homeless after the flooding caused extensive damage to property and infrastructure. Overall, 9000 people were directly affected by the event.
25 de Abril Bridge opened
The 25 de Abril Bridge is a suspension bridge connecting the city of Lisbon, capital of Portugal, to the municipality of Almada on the left (south) bank of the Tagus River. It has a total length of 2,277 metres (7,470 ft), making it the 46th longest suspension bridge in the world.
First motor vehicle road opened
The first Kraftfahrstraße ("motor vehicle road"), predecessor of the Autobahn, between Cologne and Bonn was opened by Konrad Adenauer (Lord Mayor of Cologne and future Chancellor of West Germany). It had two lanes each direction without intersections, pedestrians, bicycles, or animal-powered transportation.
Laurits Bjerrum was born
Danish Civil Engineer, first director of the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute Laurits Bjerrum was born in 1918
James Henry Greathead was born
James Henry Greathead was a mechanical and civil engineer renowned for his work on the London Underground railways, Winchester Cathedral, and Liverpool overhead railway, as well as being one of the earliest proponents of the English Channel, Irish Sea and Bristol Channel tunnels. His invention is also the reason that the London Underground is colloquially named the "Tube".
