Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
A bomb is small in comparison to a highway. Its was meant to fit inside a plane.
The Manhattan project was spread across 30 sites in multiple allied countries. The heavy manufacturing and research was extensive. It had more than 130,000 workers and cost over $2 billion dollars in 1940s terms (closer to probably 30 billion today).
Are you talking about NYC to Indy or LA to Portland?
It probably took me more like 13 ish hours. I am not totally sure when I left NYC. I am just estimating. Driving through PA was harder because of all the curves, and up and downs. Once you get out of PA, its flat straight roads like Missouri and Illinois. I probably drove an average of 70-80mph.
If you are going for sheer size and scope within a fairly short time frame, you would enjoy reading Colossus, The Building of the Hoover Dam by Michael Hiltzik.
As for massive infrastructure projects around the world through out history, you will be subject to the varying levels of forced / slave labor toward the goal. When the workers are disposable, the projects naturally can go at breakneck (no pun intended) speeds. Especially if in climates where construction efforts are not hindered by seasonal weather patterns.
The Panama Canal and the Chinese Massive dam projects are others that come to mind since the rise of industrialization.
Ancient complexes: Gobekli Tepe (Turkey), Egypt's pyramids, Inca complex in Peru, and Gunung Padang in Indonesia would be interesting to know from a project timeline and labor workforce.
If you are going for sheer size and scope within a fairly short time frame, you would enjoy reading Colossus, The Building of the Hoover Dam by Michael Hiltzik.
As for massive infrastructure projects around the world through out history, you will be subject to the varying levels of forced / slave labor toward the goal. When the workers are disposable, the projects naturally can go at breakneck (no pun intended) speeds. Especially if in climates where construction efforts are not hindered by seasonal weather patterns.
The Panama Canal and the Chinese Massive dam projects are others that come to mind since the rise of industrialization.
Ancient complexes: Gobekli Tepe (Turkey), Egypt's pyramids, Inca complex in Peru, and Gunung Padang in Indonesia would be interesting to know from a project timeline and labor workforce.
i just watched a documentary on Chinese construction and they have put up skyscrapers in a matter of weeks
sorry no links
Well the Empire State building was built in 13 months. The 1300 mile Alaska Highway was built in 15 months. Most delays in the U.S. now are due to legal challenges which can cause projects to drag on for years.
They would have many well researched and written articles on different topics. Another one that comes to mind for this thread was the building of the Eads bridge in St Louis - the first to span the Mississippi.
The British rail expansion in the 1800s is hard to beat when looking at the coverage of the country, then the knock on effect of rail expansion in other parts of the British empire, and then also other parts of the world combined is by far the greatest expansion of anything ever built. In modern times China's railway expansion outstrips most things in the world.
Between 2011 and 2013 China poured more cement & concrete than the whole of the USA in the 20th century. A staggering figure.
“It’s no exaggeration to say that the American auto industry saved the world. The American war production job was collectively the greatest achievement in human history”
“The more you study it, and learn about it, the harder it is to believe that it actually happened.”
“It’s the most prolific, and deadly manufacturing story in the history of the world. It has never been repeated and it more than likely never will be”.
In 1940, FDR said the United States would produce 50,000 fighter aircraft in the next year for the “coming storm”. He said we would double that number a year later. The axis powers openly laughed at the speech and scoffed at his production goals. At that time, the United States had 3,000 mostly obsolete warplanes and 50,000 was more aircraft than the United States produced in total since the wright brothers flight at kiddie hawk in 1903. The United States was slotted 19th in the world in military rankings, behind Portugal.
With 2% of the population, Detroit produced 10% of the war material. The California aircraft makers sneered at the idea and said “blacksmiths can’t become watchmakers”. Within a year, Ford built the willow run plant that was 3.5 million square feet and more than 1 mile long. The temporary housing for over 40,000 plant employees needed in and of it self was a marvel.
It wasn’t just planes. Tanks, jeeps, radar, bomb sites, amphibious vehicles, and billions of billions of bullets.
Isoroku was right. A sleeping giant was awakened....
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
