Originally Posted By MissCandice In the year 1685: After two other designers fail to solve problems that arise in building a bridge across the Seine between the Tuileries Palace of Louis IV and the south bank of the Seine, François Roman [b. Belgium, 1646, d. 1735] develops a new technique in bridge building. First he sinks a large barge loaded with stone on a dredged site, forming a caisson (from the French caisse, or box) in which the pier is built. The final bridge, known as the Pont Royal, earns Roman the label "first engineer of the century."
Originally Posted By Deogges Mom 1686 - New York City and Albany, New York are granted city charters by the colonial governor.