Today we revel in seeing things get conceived and built that no one dreamed possible in the past. Well, imagine the thrill for people more than 50 years ago when the 630-ft Gateway Arch was constructed in St Louis on the banks of the Mississippi River? This was a mind boggling feat that began in February 1963 and ended in October of 1965. The visitor’s center would open in June of 1967 to the public. Designed all the way back in 1947, it took years to get the funding and approvals in place to start construction.
Seeing the methods used here, the engineering theories and work applied, as well as the thoughtfulness of the workers is something. An actuarial firm predicted that during construction, 13 people would die for various job related causes. Falls, equipment failures, accidents, etc. We’re happy to report that they were wrong…by 13 people. Not one person died on the job while building the arch.
This is a great video and more proof that human beings can be infuriatingly dumb but when we put our minds to something, it can be pure magic.
