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Questions tagged [construction]

Questions regarding the history of constructing any type of installations or infrastructure.

31 votes
4 answers
14k views

Why does the Great Wall of China follow such a bendy route?

Why does the path of the Great Wall of China bend back and forth so much? Naïvely, it would have taken less material and guards to defend if it had taken a straighter path, so there must have been ...
BenRW's user avatar
  • 543
7 votes
1 answer
16k views

How were peasant houses constructed in medieval England?

What was the typical construction material and process for a house in medieval England? Specifically, for a typical farming serf, operating a few acres of land. This question is meant as a more-...
user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
267 views

Why were the Malinta Tunnels built?

I understand that their function was for munitions storage, but according to Wikipedia, the Army Corps of Engineers just up and started building the Manlinta Tunnels in 1922. What was happening in ...
Mikey's user avatar
  • 123
15 votes
7 answers
2k views

Has the U.S. Navy ever commissioned the building of a warship overseas?

Many foreign navies have commissioned foreign shipyards to build warships and submarines for them. Most recently, Russia purchased to amphibious dock landing ships from France (that sale is currently ...
Bruce James's user avatar
  • 5,114
8 votes
1 answer
389 views

How close did the French come to digging a canal across the Isthmus of Kra in the 1880s?

Ferdinand de Lesseps is known to history as the man who pushed through the construction of the Suez Canal in the 1860s. Later (from 1880 onward) he led an attempt to dig a canal through Panama, but ...
neubau's user avatar
  • 1,597
4 votes
1 answer
2k views

How much did Shah Jahan spend on Taj Mahal?

I have watched(on TV) that the spending on Taj Mahal was so huge that it brought misery to the kingdom. So how much did Shah Jahan actually spend?(in whichever monetary unit you think is appropriate)....
Registered User's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
3k views

Construction of the Great Cothon of Carthage

I'm fascinated by the Great Cothon of Carthage, but when I try to learn more about it online, there's surprisingly little information. Everyone has physical descriptions of the size and shape, but ...
Nerrolken's user avatar
  • 7,712
10 votes
1 answer
426 views

When did we begin using metal mesh platforms?

I am trying to find the first time we used metal meshes as platforms, like in the image above. I though that a good starting point would be to find the moment metal meshes were created. Unfortunately,...
Saturn's user avatar
  • 219
4 votes
2 answers
397 views

What does the forward "Bullnose" of a Bailey Bridge that is under construction look like?

I read an excellent book titled "First Across the Rhine: The 291st Engineer Combat Battalion in France, Belgium, and Germany". In it, they describe some of the many functions that are performed by a ...
Major Stackings's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
3k views

What kind of wood was the standard decking for aircraft carriers in World War 2?

I know that both Japan and the United States used wooden decks on their WWII Aircraft Carriers. Was there a specific, "ideal" standard type of wood that was utilized by either country? If so, what ...
Major Stackings's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
5k views

Did the British and the French build the Suez Canal?

How is it that British officials and French engineers were responsible for the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869? This was before Egypt became a protectorate of the British Empire in 1914.
Daniel's user avatar
  • 3,537
11 votes
3 answers
1k views

What is the origin of the English Ship Building Philosophy?

I was reading an article on the Vasa the ship built under command of King Gustav Adolf, the ship sank during its launch on August 10, 1628. Part if the article mentions that the ship was somehow ...
MichaelF's user avatar
  • 7,547
41 votes
10 answers
8k views

What is the oldest building in the world still in use?

What's the oldest building in the world that is still in use (i.e. used for something other than a tourist spot).
Opt's user avatar
  • 3,872
18 votes
3 answers
1k views

Why were the Normans such good builders?

The Normans are a bunch of Vikings that settled in northern France, and within a century they were Christians speaking French. By 1066 they had become very experienced at fighting wars between ...
none's user avatar
  • 5,572

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