A lot of steel went into this marvel.
"In 1528, during his third voyage to North America, after exploring Florida, the Bahamas and the Lesser Antilles, Verrazzano anchored away from shore and rowed ashore, probably on the island of Guadeloupe.
The fleet of two or three ships were anchored out of gunshot range and no one could respond in time."
"Giovanni da Verrazzano (1485–1528) was an Italian explorer of North America, in the service of the French crown. He is renowned as the first European since the Norse colonization of the Americas around AD 1000 to explore the Atlantic coast of North America between the Carolinas and Newfoundland, including New York Harbor and Narragansett Bay in 1524. The bridge over the opening of New York harbor, a naval vessel of the Italian navy, a destroyer of the Navigatori class, are among his numerous eponymous honors."
"The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge {MY NOTE: should be double Z: Verrazzano!] is a double-decked suspension bridge that connects theboroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City at The Narrows, the reach connecting the relatively protected upper bay with the larger lower bay.
The bridge is named for both the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano, the first known European navigator to enter New York Harbor and the Hudson River, and for the body of water it spans: The Narrows.
It has a center span of 4,260 feet (1,298 m) and was the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time of its completion in 1964, until it was surpassed by the Humber Bridge in the United Kingdom in 1981.
It now has the eighth longest center span in the world, and is still the longest bridge span in the Americas.
Its massive towers can be seen throughout a good part of the New York metropolitan area, including from spots in all five boroughs of New York City.
The bridge is also easily seen from points in New Jersey including a great viewpoint from the Laurence Harbor section of Old Bridge Township, New Jersey."
"
- "Because of the height of the towers (693 ft/211 m) and their distance apart (4,260 ft/1,298 m), the curvature of the Earth's surface had to be taken into account when designing the bridge—the towers are 15⁄8 inches (41.275 mm) farther apart at their tops than at their bases.[8]
- Because of thermal expansion/contraction of the steel cables, the bridge roadway is 12 feet (3.66 m) lower in summer than its winter elevation.[9]"
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Please read from BBC:
Tata Steel to cut 1,500 jobs in Scunthorpe and Teesside
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Rich people fall into two major categories: self-made, and heirs to somebody's fortune.
Lakhsmi Mittal became a billionaire because (among other things) he managed to TRIM costs.
What did Paris Hilton TRIM?
"Lakshmi Narayan Mittal (born 15 June 1950)[4] is an Indian steel magnate.
He is the chairman and chief executive officer of ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steelmaking company.
Mittal is the richest man in the United Kingdom[5], second richest man in Europe[6] and is presently the sixth richest individual in the world with a personal wealth of US$31.1 billion or £23.8 billion.[3]
He is the 44th most powerful person of the 68 most powerful people in the world.
One out of 5 cars in the world is made up of the steel materials of his steel empire.
But trimming jobs ruthlessly is another matter, Mittal and Tata!
CREATE JOBS in VIABLE BUSINESSES! :)
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Possible message, from beyond the grave, from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Paris Hilton:
"Paris, I said I have a DREAM, not a trim.
Use your wealth, influence and your own qualities to become SOCIAL ELITE, not just SOCIALITE!
Live, and help others live, too."
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Happy PFF (Postcard Friendship Friday)!
Please visit: http://thebestheartsarecrunchy.blogspot.com/ (wait until Beth posts the today's Linky tool for the meme, then make your entry, if you want to join).
Engineering marvels. I live in a town that used to make steel, long ago, now the same site now houses electronics and offshore technology.
ReplyDeleteAs usual, Dorin, this is another great card and history lesson!
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed how engineers, builders can build bridge like this. Truly majestic and full of skills and talents. Beautiful postcard. Mine is up - My PFF Entry.
ReplyDeleteAnother wonderful post. I didn't know about Verrazzano before visiting here.
ReplyDeleteGreat history shared... wonderful postcards, love suspension bridges!
ReplyDeleteI'm slightly surprised there are so many jobs in the steel industry left in the UK. I would have thought cutting 1500 jobs would wipe them all out. Interesting post!
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