Civil Engineering, GOL-HOR

Civil engineering, the profession of designing and executing structural works that serve the general public. The term was first used in the 18th century to distinguish the newly recognized profession from military engineering, until then preeminent.
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Civil Engineering Encyclopedia Articles By Title

Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge, suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate in California to link San Francisco with Marin county......
Golden Spike National Historic Site
Golden Spike National Historic Site, national historic site at Promontory in Box Elder county, northern Utah, U.S.,......
Goldin, Daniel
Daniel Goldin is an American engineer who was the longest-serving National Aeronautics and Space Administration......
Goldmark, Peter Carl
Peter Carl Goldmark was an American engineer who developed the first commercial colour-television system and the......
Goldsmid, Sir Frederick John
Sir Frederick John Goldsmid was a major general in the British Army who, through negotiations with several Asian......
Golosov, Ilya Aleksandrovich
Ilya Aleksandrovich Golosov was a Russian architect who worked in various styles but attained his highest distinction......
Gooch, Sir Daniel, 1st Baronet
Sir Daniel Gooch, 1st Baronet was an English railway pioneer and mechanical engineer who laid the first successful......
Good Roads Movement
Good Roads Movement, broad-based crusade to build and improve the condition of U.S. roads in the late 1800s that......
gopura
gopura, in south Indian architecture, the entrance gateway to a Hindu temple enclosure. Relatively small at first,......
Gotthard Base Tunnel
Gotthard Base Tunnel, railway tunnel under the Saint-Gotthard Massif in the Lepontine Alps in southern Switzerland,......
Gould, Jay
Jay Gould was an American railroad executive, financier, and speculator. He was an important railroad developer......
Graceland
Graceland, mansion that was Elvis Presley’s home from 1957 to 1977. Today it is a major tourist attraction in Memphis,......
grader
grader, in excavation, precision finishing vehicle for final shaping of surfaces on which pavement will be placed.......
Grahame-White, Claude
Claude Grahame-White was an English aviator who played a seminal role in early British aviation. (Read Orville......
Grand Canal
Grand Canal, series of waterways in eastern and northern China that link Hangzhou in Zhejiang province with Beijing.......
Grand Canal d’Alsace
Grand Canal d’Alsace, waterway along the Rhine River, in eastern France, designed in 1922. The first section, at......
Grand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Dam, gravity dam on the Columbia River in the state of Washington, U.S. It was originally a project......
Grand Palais
Grand Palais, exhibition hall and museum complex built between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine River in Paris......
Grand Trunk Railway
Grand Trunk Railway, early Canadian railway line, incorporated in 1852–53 to build a railway connecting the key......
Grande Dixence Dam
Grande Dixence Dam, gravity dam on the Dixence River, Switzerland, completed in 1961. It is 285 metres (935 feet)......
Granger movement
Granger movement, coalition of U.S. farmers, particularly in the Middle West, that fought monopolistic grain transport......
Granite Railway
Granite Railway, first chartered railroad in the United States (March 4, 1826). It was designed and built by Gridley......
gravity dam
gravity dam, a concrete or masonry dam so proportioned that it will resist overturning and sliding forces by its......
Great Bath
Great Bath, ancient structure at Mohenjo-daro, Pakistan, an archaeological site featuring ruins of the Indus civilization.......
great hall
great hall, main apartment in a medieval manor house, monastery, or college, in which meals were taken. In large......
Great Man-Made River
Great Man-Made River (GMR), vast network of underground pipelines and aqueducts bringing high-quality fresh water......
Great Northern Railway Company
Great Northern Railway Company, American railroad founded by James J. Hill in 1890. It developed out of a struggling......
Great Railroad Strike of 1877
Great Railroad Strike of 1877, series of violent rail strikes across the United States in 1877. That year the country......
Greathead, James Henry
James Henry Greathead was a British civil engineer who improved the tunneling shield, the basic tool of underwater......
Greek-cross plan
Greek-cross plan, church plan in the form of a Greek cross, with a square central mass and four arms of equal length.......
greeting card
greeting card, an illustrated message that expresses, either seriously or humorously, affection, good will, gratitude,......
Gresham, Sir Thomas
Sir Thomas Gresham was an English merchant, financier, and founder of the Royal Exchange. Gresham was educated......
Griffith, Sir Richard John, 1st Baronet
Sir Richard John Griffith, 1st Baronet was an Irish geologist and civil engineer who has sometimes been called......
groin
groin, in coastal engineering, a long, narrow structure built out into the water from a beach in order to prevent......
Gropius, Walter
Walter Gropius was a German American architect and educator who, particularly as director of the Bauhaus (1919–28),......
Gruen, Victor
Victor Gruen was an Austrian-born American architect and city planner best known as a pioneer of the regional shopping......
Guericke, Otto von
Otto von Guericke was a German physicist, engineer, and natural philosopher who invented the first air pump and......
Guest, Keen & Nettlefolds, PLC
Guest, Keen & Nettlefolds, PLC, major British group of engineering companies. The group has a variety of manufacturing......
Guettard, Jean-Étienne
Jean-Étienne Guettard was a French geologist and mineralogist who was the first to survey and map the geologic......
Guimard, Hector
Hector Guimard was an architect, decorator, and furniture designer, probably the best-known French representative......
gurdwara
gurdwara, in Sikhism, a place of worship in India and overseas. The gurdwara contains—on a cot under a canopy—a......
Guri Dam
Guri Dam, hydroelectric project and reservoir on the Caroní River, Bolívar State, eastern Venezuela, on the site......
gymnasium
gymnasium, large room used and equipped for the performance of various sports. The history of the gymnasium dates......
gypsum plaster
gypsum plaster, white cementing material made by partial or complete dehydration of the mineral gypsum, commonly......
Göta Canal
Göta Canal, artificial waterway that crosses southern Sweden to connect Lake Vänern with the Baltic Sea. For most......
hagioscope
hagioscope, in architecture, any opening, usually oblique, cut through a wall or a pier in the chancel of a church......
half-timber work
half-timber work, method of building in which external and internal walls are constructed of timber frames and......
hall
hall, a meeting place, entry, or passageway, ranging in size from a large reception room in a public building to......
hall church
hall church, church in which the aisles are approximately equal in height to the nave. The interior is typically......
Hall, Samuel
Samuel Hall was an English engineer and inventor of the surface condenser for steam boilers. The son of a cotton......
halogen lamp
halogen lamp, Incandescent lamp with a quartz bulb and a gas filling that includes a halogen. It gives brilliant......
halon
halon, chemical compound formerly used in firefighting. A halon may be any of a group of organohalogen compounds......
hammer-beam roof
hammer-beam roof, English medieval timber roof system used when a long span was needed. Not a true truss, the construction......
Hammond, John Hays
John Hays Hammond was a U.S. mining engineer who helped develop gold mining in South Africa and California. In......
harbours and sea works
harbours and sea works, any part of a body of water and the manmade structures surrounding it that sufficiently......
Harriman, Edward Henry
Edward Henry Harriman was an American financier and railroad magnate, one of the leading builders and organizers......
Harrison, Peter
Peter Harrison was a British-American architect who became popular through his adaptations of designs by the great......
Harrison, Wallace K
Wallace K. Harrison was an American architect best known as head of the group of architects that designed the United......
Haupt, Herman
Herman Haupt was an American civil engineer and inventor, known especially for his work on the Hoosac Tunnel in......
Hawkshaw, Sir John
Sir John Hawkshaw was a British civil engineer noted for his work on the Charing Cross and Cannon Street railways,......
Hayden, Ferdinand Vandiveer
Ferdinand Vandiveer Hayden was an American geologist who was a pioneer investigator of the western United States.......
Hayden, Sophia
Sophia Hayden was an American architect who fought for the aesthetic integrity of her design for the Woman’s Building......
Hayford, John Fillmore
John Fillmore Hayford was an American civil engineer and early geodesist who established the theory of isostasy.......
Haynes, Elwood
Elwood Haynes was an American automobile pioneer who built one of the first automobiles. He successfully tested......
hazardous-waste management
hazardous-waste management, the collection, treatment, and disposal of waste material that, when improperly handled,......
heat pump
heat pump, device for transferring heat from a substance or space at one temperature to another substance or space......
heating
heating, process and system of raising the temperature of an enclosed space for the primary purpose of ensuring......
hedgerow
hedgerow, Fence or boundary formed by a dense row of shrubs or low trees. Hedgerows enclose or separate fields,......
Hefner, Lake
Lake Hefner, storage reservoir in northwestern Oklahoma City, U.S., that supplies domestic water to the metropolitan......
Hejaz Railway
Hejaz Railway, railroad between Damascus, Syria, and Medina (now in Saudi Arabia), one of the principal railroads......
Hellenic Parliament Building
Hellenic Parliament Building, ochre-coloured Neoclassical building on the east side of Síntagma Square in Athens,......
helmet
helmet, defensive covering for the head, one of the most universal forms of armour. Helmets are usually thought......
Hennebique, François
François Hennebique was a French engineer who devised the technique of construction with reinforced concrete. At......
Heraeum
Heraeum, in ancient Greece, a temple or sanctuary dedicated to Hera, queen of the Olympian gods. The most important......
Herr, Herbert Thacker
Herbert Thacker Herr was a U.S. engineer who made important improvements in steam turbines. After working for various......
Herrington, Arthur William Sidney
Arthur William Sidney Herrington was an American engineer and manufacturer who developed a series of military vehicles,......
Hewlett, William
William Hewlett was an American engineer and businessman who cofounded the electronics and computer corporation......
High Speed Train
High Speed Train (HST), British long-distance passenger train operating nationwide since 1976, when the first service......
high-efficiency particulate air system
high-efficiency particulate air system (HEPA system), particulate air-filtration system designed to capture at......
high-rise building
high-rise building, multistory building tall enough to require the use of a system of mechanical vertical transportation......
high-speed rail
high-speed rail (HSR), passenger train that generally travels at least 200 km (124 miles) per hour and can cruise......
highway
highway, major road, usually in rural areas, but more recently a rural or urban road where points of entrance and......
Hill, James J.
James J. Hill was an American financier and railroad builder who helped expand rail networks in the northwestern......
Hindu temple
Hindu temple, sacred space in Hinduism for devotional worship of Hindu deities. Temples are considered to be homes......
hip roof
hip roof, roof that slopes upward from all sides of a structure, having no vertical ends. The hip is the external......
hippodrome
hippodrome, ancient Greek stadium designed for horse racing and especially chariot racing. Its Roman counterpart......
Ho Chi Minh Trail
Ho Chi Minh Trail, elaborate system of mountain and jungle paths and trails used by North Vietnam to infiltrate......
Hodgkinson, Eaton
Eaton Hodgkinson was an English mathematician and civil engineer. From 1847, he taught at University College in......
hogan
hogan, traditional dwelling and ceremonial structure of the Navajo Indians of Arizona and New Mexico. Early hogans......
Holland Tunnel
Holland Tunnel, twin-tube vehicular tunnel under the Hudson River connecting Canal Street in Manhattan, New York,......
Holley, Alexander Lyman
Alexander Lyman Holley was an American metallurgist and mechanical engineer. For the steelmaker Corning, Winslow......
Holonyak, Nick, Jr.
Nick Holonyak, Jr. was an American engineer who was known for his pioneering work with light-emitting diodes (LEDs),......
Honda Kenichi
Honda Kenichi was a Japanese engineer whose discovery (with Fujishima Akira) of the photocatalytic properties of......
Hongqi Canal
Hongqi Canal, canal and irrigation system in northern Henan province and in Shanxi province, eastern China. The......
Hoosac Tunnel
Hoosac Tunnel, railway tunnel that runs through Hoosac Mountain of the Berkshire Hills, east of North Adams, Massachusetts,......
Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam, dam in Black Canyon on the Colorado River, at the Arizona-Nevada border, U.S. Constructed between 1930......
Hoover, Theodore Jesse
Theodore Jesse Hoover was an American mining engineer, naturalist, educator, and the elder brother of U.S. Pres.......
Hopkins, Mark
Mark Hopkins was a California capitalist who helped build the Central Pacific (later the Southern Pacific) Railroad......
Hopkinson, John
John Hopkinson was a British engineer and physicist who invented the three-wire system for electricity distribution......
horsecar
horsecar, street carriage on rails, pulled by horse or mule, introduced into New York City’s Bowery in 1832 by......

Civil Engineering Encyclopedia Articles By Title