Civil Engineering Orientation - History Flashcards (VOCABULARY, ENGLISH)

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering key terms, people, institutions, structures, and milestones in the history of civil engineering as presented in the notes.

Civil engineering

A professional engineering discipline focused on the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and built environment (roads, bridges, dams, water systems, buildings, railways, etc.).

Public works

Government-funded infrastructure such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewerage systems, pipelines, and public buildings.

Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia (origins)

Earliest civil engineering practices (ca. 4000–2000 BC) as humans shifted from nomadic life to shelter-building, wheel usage, and early-scale constructions.

Imhotep

The first documented engineer (circa 2550 BC), builder of the stepped pyramid for King Djoser at Saqqara and innovator in stone construction.

Pyramids of Egypt (circa 2700–2500 BC)

Early large-scale structures representing ancient civil and architectural engineering.

Vitruvius

Roman architect and author of De Architectura, a key ancient text on building projects and engineering education.

De Architectura (Vitruvius)

Vitruvius’s treatise on architecture (circa 1 AD) guiding building practices and education.

Archimedes’ principle

Buoyancy principle described by Archimedes, foundational to understanding floating bodies and fluids.

Archimedes’ screw

A device used historically to lift water, attributed to Archimedes.

Qanat

Ancient water-management system, dating back over 3000 years, often extending tens of kilometers.

Parthenon (Iktinos)

Athens temple (447–438 BC) illustrating classical engineering and architectural principles.

Appian Way

Roman road (c. 312 BC) exemplary of ancient infrastructure and road-building.

Great Wall of China

Massive defensive wall begun circa 220 BC under Emperor Shih Huang Ti, constructed by various engineers including Meng T’ien.

Jetavanaramaya and Anuradhapura irrigation

Historic Sri Lankan stupas and irrigation works showcasing ancient civil engineering in irrigation and water management.

Romans’ civil structures

Romans developed aqueducts, insulae, harbors, bridges, dams, and roads across their empire.

Sennacherib’s Aqueduct at Jerwan

Ancient aqueduct built in 691 BC by Assyrian engineers.

Li Ping irrigation projects (China)

Ancient Chinese irrigation initiatives dating to around 220 BC.

Julius Caesar’s Bridge over the Rhine

Romano engineering achievement dated to 55 BC, demonstrating advanced bridge-building.

Pons Fabricius

Roman bridge in Rome illustrating ancient infrastructure engineering.

Machu Picchu (Inca)

Andean city (c. 1450) with sophisticated water supply, drainage, and stone construction.

Archimedes’ screw (redundant)

See Archimedes’ screw above.

Eddystone Lighthouse

Lighthouse designed by James Smeaton (1756–59), notable for interlocking masonry.

James Brindley

British canal builder who advanced early navigation and waterway systems.

John Rennie

Millwright’s apprentice who became a major British bridge builder (e.g., London Bridge).

John Smeaton

First to call himself a civil engineer; designed Eddystone Lighthouse and founded the Smeatonian Society.

Smeatonian Society

Historic society founded by Smeaton (1771) to promote large public works and professional collaboration.

Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)

World’s first professional engineering society (founded 1818 in London; Royal Charter 1828).

École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (France)

National School of Bridges and Highways founded in Paris (1747).

Bauakademie (Berlin)

German architectural/engineering school started in 1799.

Thomas Telford

British civil engineer and road/bridge builder; early leader among modern engineers; later first president of ICE?

Smeaton

Refer to John Smeaton; noted for lighthouse design and professional leadership.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Founded 1824; awarded the first Civil Engineering degree in the United States (1835).

Norwich University

Founded 1819; first private college in the United States to offer civil engineering.

Nora Stanton Blatch

First woman to earn a Civil Engineering degree in the United States (Cornell, 1905).

University College London (UCL)

Founded 1826; early broad-range engineering education; mechanical philosophy course.

King’s College London (KCL)

First taught civil engineering in 1838 in Britain.

University of Glasgow (UK)

First chair of civil engineering and mechanics established in 1840.

Maestro de Obras

Spanish-era term meaning master builder; responsible for construction and maintenance in the Philippines.

Intramuros (Walled City)

Historic fortified district in Manila built by Spaniards.

Fort Santiago

Historic fortification within Intramuros, Manila.

Puente Grande / Jones Bridge

First Pasig River bridge (1632); later rebuilt as Jones Bridge in the 1930s; sometimes linked to Eiffel but historically built by a Basque engineer.

Pasig River Lighthouse (1846)

First masonry lighthouse in the Philippines; later demolished in 1992 and replaced.

Cavite Friar Lands

Friar Lands irrigation system in Cavite from the 17th century; land grants to priests under Spanish rule.

Carriedo Waterworks

Manila’s water supply project initiated in the late 19th century; Carriedo Legacy funded Manila water infrastructure.

Liceo de Manila

Private school (founded 1900) offering maestro de obras training; forerunner of formal architecture/engineering education in the Philippines.

UST College of Engineering

University of Santo Tomas, oldest engineering school in the Philippines (est. 1907; MSCE degrees by 1912).

Wawa Dam (Montalban Dam)

1909 gravity dam on Marikina River; supplied Manila’s water supply until Angat Dam; later rehabilitated.

Angat Dam

1961–1967 dam forming part of the Angat–Ipo–La Mesa system; provides most of Metro Manila’s raw water.

Pantabangan Dam

Pantabangan Multi-Purpose Project; built 1971–1977; one of the Philippines’ largest dams.

Magat Dam

1967–1982 rock-fill dam on Magat River; major multipurpose project funded by World Bank; part of MRMP.

San Roque Dam

SRMP on the Agno River; completed in 2003; multipurpose reservoir for power, flood control, and irrigation.

NAWASA / MWSS / LWUA

National Waterworks and Sewerage Authority (NAWASA) replaced by MWSS (Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System) in 1971; LWUA is Local Water Utilities Administration.

Manila Railroad Company (MRRCo) / Philippine National Railways (PNR)

MRRCo renamed to Philippine National Railways in 1964; main rail operator in the Philippines.

Engineers and Architects Law (Act No. 2985, 1921)

Created separate boards for civil engineering and architecture; allowed Filipinos to practice as engineers/architects due to experience as Maestro de Obras.

Presidential Decree 223 (1973) / PRC

Created the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) to regulate professions and merge PSCE and PACE into PICE.

Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) modernization (RA 8041, 2000)

Law to modernize and regulate professional boards; PRC modernization for engineers and architects.

Republic Act 9184 (2003)

Government Procurement Reform Act; governs procurement processes for government projects.

Republic Act 9266 (2004) / Architecture Act of 2004

Law governing architectural practice in the Philippines; architecture act enacted in 2004.

Republic Act 9275 (2004)

Clean Water Act; focuses on water quality management in the Philippines.

Executive Order 124 (1987) / MIA to NAIA

Renamed Manila International Airport to Ninoy Aquino International Airport; MIA retained as charter.

Civil Engineering Week (1991) / Proclamation No. 799

National acknowledgment of Civil Engineering Week in the Philippines.

SI units adoption (1980s)

Introduction of the International System of Units (SI) in engineering calculations and practice.

Overseas Filipino engineers (1960s–)

Migration of Filipino architects and engineers to the US and Europe due to opportunities and language proficiency.