Brief History of Civil Engineering

• What were the earliest practices of civil engineering found in?

  Ancient Egypt and ancient Mesopotamia
• What is the Appian Way known as?

  The "queen of the roads."
• What key innovation in construction was developed under Emperor Augustus in 27 BC?


  Opus caementicium (Roman concrete)
• Who founded the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussees?

  Daniel-Charles Trudaine
• What major construction did John Smeaton build in 1771?


  The Eddystone Lighthouse
• Who was the first woman to earn a Civil Engineering degree?

  Nora Stanton Blatch
• When was the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussees established?

  1747
• When was the first degree in Civil Engineering was awarded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute occured?


  1835
• When was the first Civil Engineering degree awarded to a woman?

  1905
• In what time period were the earliest practices of civil engineering found in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia? 


  4000 BC - 2000 BC
• Around which years were the pyramids in Egypt and the Great Wall of China constructed?

  2700 BC – 2500 BC
• In which year was the Appian Way established?

  312 BC
• What year marks the development of Opus caementicium (Roman concrete) under Emperor Augustus?

  27 BC
• When did the term "Civil Engineering" first emerge?

  18th century
• What year saw the first degree in Civil Engineering awarded in the US?

  1835
• Which major structures were built around 2700 BC – 2500 BC?

  Pyramids in Egypt, Great Wall of China, Colosseum in Rome, and Taj Mahal of India.
• What society did John Smeaton form? 


  The Smeatonian Society
• What key innovation did John Smeaton create related to concrete?

  Hydraulic Lime, which allowed concrete to set underwater.
• What construction technique did John Smeaton introduce?

  Dovetail joints and marble dowels for securing blocks.
• Which institution awarded the first degree in Civil Engineering in the US in 1835? 


  Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• From which institution did Nora Stanton Blatch receive her Civil Engineering degree?

  Cornell University
• Term used to describe engineering by civilians for non-military purposes.


  Civil Engineering