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The "Famous Engineers" Series
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Trains to Planes: An Engineering Mastermind |
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The weather outside is unusually cold, even for
mid-December, 1890. A white-haired man takes a break
from reading at his desk. As he watches the snow fall
outside the window of his home in Chicago, he reflects back on
his "first" career. |
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In 1849, at the age of 17, he applied with the
Hudson River Railroad. His application was turned down,
so he offered to work for free. Within 10 years, he
would become the Chief Engineer of the Chicago and Alton
Railroad. |
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In 1867, he moved to Kansas City to build the
first bridge over the Missouri River - considered a greater
engineering feat than spanning the Mississippi River. A legend
in the railroad industry, he built stockyards and railroad
lines and bridges to the frontier West. |
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He developed the use of creosote to preserve
rail ties, and later telephone poles. He introduced the
"date nail", which was used until the 1960's by rail and phone
companies to determine the age and viability of wooden
structures. He designed a rapid mass transit system for
the city of New York to replace horse-driven carriages. |
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Not one to reflect much on his exploits, he
draws his gaze away from the window. Retired now at the
age of 58, and financially secure, he is intrigued by the
possibility of "heavier than air" flying machines. He
will spend the last 20 years of his life studying, building
and testing machines for human flight. |
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In 1894, just 4 years after retiring from the
railroad, he published the book "Progress in Flying Machines".
This ground-breaking book combined his research with the work
of others in a single compilation. It allowed the Wright
Brothers and other experimenters to read of work already done
and avoid wasted repetition. |
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But, he didn't confine his work to reading and
writing. He designed and perfected the bi-wing glider,
which became the structural model for the Wright brothers'
first airplane. |
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Wilbur Wright wrote about the retired railroad
engineer, "If he had not lived, the entire history of
progress in flying would have been other than it has been". |
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Who was this incredibly talented and versatile
engineer? |
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read more |
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Engineer Humor |
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There was an engineer who had an
exceptional gift for fixing all mechanical things. After
serving his company loyally for over 30 years, he happily
retired. Several years later his company contacted him
regarding a seemingly impossible problem they were having with
one of their multi-million dollar machines. |
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12/31 |
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AL |
15 PDH All Engineers |
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AR |
15 PDH All Engineers |
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GA |
30 PDH All Engineers |
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IA |
30 PDH Based on Date of Licensure |
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MO |
30 PDH Based on Date of Licensure |
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MS |
15 PDH All Engineers |
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NC |
15 PDH All Engineers |
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ND |
30 PDH Based on Date of Licensure |
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NH |
30 PDH
Based on Engineer's Birthdate |
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NM |
30 PDH License #'s
Ending With Even # |
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NY |
36 PDH Based on Engineer's
Birthdate |
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OK |
30 PDH
Based on Date of Licensure |
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OR |
30 PDH Last Name "L" thru "R" |
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SD |
30 PDH Based on Date of
Licensure |
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TN |
24 PDH Based on
Date of Licensure |
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TX |
15 PDH Based on Date of Licensure |
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UT |
24 PDH All Engineers |
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WY |
30 PDH Based on Date of Licensure |
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1/01 |
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NB |
30 PDH Last Name "A" thru "K" |
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NV |
30 PDH Last Name "L" thru "R" |
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Check Your State's Requirements |
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Happy Holidays! |
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In the spirit of the
holiday season, we are offering 20% off all PDHengineer
courses through the end of the year. |
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 20%
Coupon Code (Expires 12/31/06) |
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On behalf of the
PDHengineer staff, I would like to wish you and your family a
Merry Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year.
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We thank you for your
business. And we ask that you consider using PDHengineer
to earn your PDHs in December and into the new year. |
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Warmest Regards, |
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Edward Brunet, Jr.,
P.E. |
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Managing Director |
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PDHengineer.com |
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