Rio-Antirrio Bridge opened
The Rio-Antirrio Bridge, officially the Charilaos Trikoupis Bridge, is one of the world's longest multi-span cable-stayed bridges and longest of the fully suspended type. It crosses the Gulf of Corinth near Patras, linking the town of Rio on the Peloponnese peninsula to Antirrio on mainland Greece by road. It opened one day before the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics, on 12 August 2004, and was used to transport the Olympic flame. The 2,380-metre-long (7,810 ft; 1.48 mi) bridge dramatically improves access to and from the Peloponnese, which could previously be reached only by ferry or via the isthmus of Corinth in the east.
Prague Metro Line A opened
Line A is a line of the Prague Metro, serving the Czech capital. Chronologically the second line in the system, it was first opened in 1978 and has expanded mostly during the 1980s. With the opening of the extension to Nemocnice Motol on 6 April 2015, Line A operates on approximately 17.1 kilometres (10.6 mi) of route and serves 17 stations. An extension with a further five stations to the airport is currently planned.
1953 Ionian earthquake
The 1953 Ionian earthquake (also known as the Great Kefalonia earthquake) struck the southern Ionian Islands in Greece on August 12. In mid-August, there were over 113 recorded earthquakes in the region between Kefalonia and Zakynthos, and the most destructive was the August 12 earthquake. The event measured 6.8 on the moment magnitude scale, raised the whole island of Kefalonia by 60 cm (24 in), and caused widespread damage throughout the islands of Kefalonia and Zakynthos. The maximum felt intensity of shaking was X (extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale. Between 445 and 800 people were killed.
Kanagaratnam Sriskandan was born
Kanagaratnam Sriskandan was a Sri Lankan born British engineer and civil servant. He was the former Chief Highway Engineer, of Under Secretary Grade at the British Department for Transport. He was member of the team that assessed proposals for the channel tunnel and director of the Mott Macdonald Group.
George Stephenson died
Renowned as the "Father of Railways", British civil engineer and mechanical engineer George Stephenson was considered by the Victorians as a great example of diligent application and thirst for improvement. Along with his son Robert's company Robert Stephenson and Company, he built Locomotion No. 1, which was the first steam locomotive to carry passengers on a public rail line, the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1825. He also built the first public inter-city railway line in the world to use locomotives, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, which opened in 1830.
