2017 Java earthquake
The 2017 Java earthquake occurred on 15 December 2017 when a moment magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Java, specifically the city of Tasikmalaya on 23:47:58 West Indonesian Time (16:47:58 UTC) in West Java, Indonesia. The earthquake struck at a depth of 91 km and was categorized as a strong but deep earthquake. It was initially registered as a 7.3 magnitude earthquake by Indonesian agencies. Widespread damage was reported across Tasikmalaya, the nearest major city to the epicentre. A tsunami warning was immediately issued by the authorities but was subsequently cancelled. Four people have been confirmed dead.
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge construction started
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) is a 55-kilometre (34 mi) bridge-tunnel system consisting of a series of three cable-stayed bridges, an undersea tunnel, and four artificial islands. It is both the longest sea crossing and the longest open-sea fixed link in the world. The HZMB spans the Lingding and Jiuzhou channels, connecting Hong Kong and Macau with Zhuhai - a major city on the Pearl River Delta in China. The HZM Bridge was designed to last for 120 years and cost ¥127 billion (US$18.8 billion) to build.
Zeeland Bridge inaugurated
The Zeeland Bridge is the longest bridge in the Netherlands. The bridge spans the Eastern Scheldt estuary. It connects the islands of Schouwen-Duiveland and Noord-Beveland in the province of Zeeland. At the time of its completion, it was the longest bridge in Europe. It has a total length of 5,022 metres, and consists of 48 spans of 95 metres, 2 spans of 72.5 metres and a movable bridge with a width of 40 metres.
Hojo Coal Mine Disaster
The Mitsubishi Hojo mine disaster occurred December 15, 1914, in Kyushu, Japan. A gas explosion at the Hojo coal mine killed 687. It is the worst mining accident in Japanese history. On December 15, 1914 coal dust and methane gas mixed together in the air until some sort of spark set off a giant explosion. The blast sent the mine shaft cage, used to take miners in and out of the mine, flying out of the mine shaft. To prevent the fire from spreading underground and destroying valuable coal the mine's entrances were sealed to put out the fire but as a result, also killing anyone who survived the initial explosion underground. As with most Japanese mines the wives worked with their husbands and an estimated 20% of those killed were women.
Emil Strub died
Emil Strub was a Swiss builder, railway builder and inventor who invented the Strub rack system.
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel was born
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel was a French civil engineer. A graduate of École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, he made his name with various bridges for the French railway network, most famously the Garabit Viaduct. He is best known for the world-famous Eiffel Tower, designed by his company and built for the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris, and his contribution to building the Statue of Liberty in New York. After his retirement from engineering, Eiffel focused on research into meteorology and aerodynamics, making significant contributions in both fields.
