History of Civil Engineering Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the key definitions, historical figures, dates, and milestones in the history of civil engineering.

Civil Engineering

A professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment.

Qanat water management system

The oldest water management system built after the battle era, which is older than 3000 years and longer than 71 km.

Puente Trajan Bridge

An Ancient Roman Bridge constructed by military/civil engineers after the Battle Era.

Vitruvius' De Archiectura

A work published in 1AD in Rome, written around 15 BC by Roman architect Vitruvius and dedicated to Emperor Caesar Augustus as a guide for building projects.

Imhotep

The first documented engineer, known for building the first pyramid for King Djoser.

Stepped Pyramid

The famous first pyramid built by Imhotep for King Djoser, located at Saqqara Necropolis.

Parthenon

A structure in Ancient Greece built by Iktinos (447-438 BC) showcasing post-and-lintel construction.

Post-and-lintel construction

An early frame system structure where horizontal beams are placed across vertical posts.

General Meng T’ien

The military leader who built the Great Wall of China under orders from China Emperor Shih Huang Ti (c. 220 BC).

Machu Picchu

A site in Peru built around 1450, at the height of the Inca Empire.

École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées

The 'National School of Bridges and Highways' in France, grown out of the Bridge and Highway Corps (1716) in 1747 as the first engineering school.

John Smeaton

Recognized as 'The Father of Civil Engineering', who built the Eddystone Lighthouse (1756–59) and introduced the term 'Civil Engineering' in 1771.

Smeatonian Society

Originally founded in 1771 by John Smeaton as the Society of Civil Engineers.

Henry H. White

The first KY Civil Engineering graduate, who graduated from Bacon (Georgetown) College in 1840.

John Wesley Gunn

A graduate from Lexington who received the first Civil Engineering degree from A & M College (UK) in 1890.