Koshi Barrage collapse
The Koshi Barrage is a sluice across the Koshi river that carries vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic between Saptari district and Sunsari district of Nepal. In August 2008, the eastern embankments of the Koshi Barrage collapsed, several miles north of the Nepal-India border. The resulting flood wiped out miles of fertile farmland in Nepal, covering it with a thick layer of river sand, and affected 53,800 Nepalese. It left 3 million people homeless in Bihar, India.
Hurricane Alicia hits Texas coast
Hurricane Alicia was a small but powerful tropical cyclone that caused significant destruction in the Greater Houston area of Southeast Texas in August 1983. Although Alicia was a relatively small hurricane, its track over the rapidly growing metropolitan area contributed to its $3 billion damage toll, making it the costliest Atlantic hurricane at the time.August 18, Alicia became a major hurricane and made landfall an hour later on Galveston Island-25 mi (40 km) southwest of Galveston, Texas-with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 962 mbar (hPa; 28.41 inHg) as measured by aircraft reconnaissance, making it a low-end Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. In total, Alicia caused 21 fatalities and 7,288 injuries.
1891 Martinique hurricane
The 1891 Martinique hurricane, also known as Hurricane San Magín, was an intense major hurricane that struck the island of Martinique and caused massive damage. It was the third hurricane of the 1891 Atlantic hurricane season and the only major hurricane of the season. It was first sighted east of the Lesser Antilles on August 18 as a Category 2 hurricane. The storm made landfall on the island of Martinique, where it caused severe damage, over 700 deaths and at least 1,000 injuries. The storm is considered to be the worst on Martinique since 1817.
John Anthony Sydney Ritson was born
John Anthony Sydney Ritson was an English mines inspector and engineer who became professor of mining at Leeds University and at the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College, London.
Ellis S. Chesbrough died
Ellis Sylvester Chesbrough was an engineer credited with the design of the Chicago sewer system, which are sometimes known as the 'Chesbrough sewers'. This was the first comprehensive sewer system in the United States. He is responsible for the plan to raise Chicago, construction of the first water crib in Chicago, and designing the Boston water distribution system. The water system he designed for Chicago is on the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated a Historical Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Antonio Ferramolino died
Antonio Ferramolino was a 16th-century Italian architect and military engineer. He is also known as Sferrandino da Bergamo, and is called Hernan Molin in Spanish sources. He is mostly known for his work in Sicily, but he also designed fortifications in Ragusa and Malta.
