# Happy Karl Terzaghi's Birthday!



## EL Nica PE (Oct 2, 2006)

"Yes, my fellow geotechnical engineers, it is that day again. Today marks the 123rd year since the birth of the Father of Modern Soil Mechanics, the Sultan of Soils, an Engineer?s Engineer: Karl Terzaghi! So let us raise our coffee mugs (or whatever vessel contains your morning beverage of choice) this morning in honor of the man that helped define what we do as a field unto itself in civil engineering. Later this evening, after you have spent another great day as a geotechnical engineer teaching students, visiting a site to observe or test foundation construction, performing settlement analysis, telling that architect yet again why he can?t use shallow foundations for his 10-story building like he planned, working like crazy to finish that bid on a complex _____ (pile, shaft, soil nail, etc.) installation, or figuring out how to handle the outrageous axial and lateral load combinations the structural engineer gave you this week, raise a toast of beer, wine, or other beverage of your choice to Professor Terzaghi and his work. You got to spend another day in the most fun and exciting field in civil engineering (really, who wants to sit at a desk designing moment connections all day?).

If you want some extra motivation this morning, or to reflect on the contributions of Professor Terzaghi, follow this link http://www.geoengineer.org/terzaghi2.html to an on-line reprint (by permission) of an article by Dr. Richard Goodman, P.E. from the October, 2002 issue of Geo-Strata.

Have a great day!" :???: :claps: :bow: :drunk:


----------



## EdinNO (Oct 2, 2006)

Sounds like a dirty job, but somebody had to do it!


----------



## RIP - VTEnviro (Oct 2, 2006)

> Sounds like a dirty job, but somebody had to do it!


You rang?


----------



## EdinNO (Oct 2, 2006)

:wtf: is that?

What does the guy's hat say?

That's not you VT is it?  :dunno:

Ed


----------



## RIP - VTEnviro (Oct 2, 2006)

That's the guy from the show Dirty Jobs. He goes from place to place and works a day in the nastiest, messy jobs.

One of my favorite shows.

In that episode they were at a pharmaceutical plant. They use that red algae he's holding to make a drug.


----------



## EdinNO (Oct 2, 2006)

OK, I have to admit, my imagination got the best of me and I went way out to left field on that one.

What channel? When?

Ed


----------



## RIP - VTEnviro (Oct 2, 2006)

Dirty Jobs link

I'm a Discovery Channel whore. I watch a lot of Deadliest Catch and Mythbusters too.


----------



## GTScott (Oct 2, 2006)

In celebration of his birthday, I think I will spend a few hours going through the Geotech depth section in my lovely NCEES sample test.

-GT


----------



## Fudgey (Oct 2, 2006)

> Today marks the 123rd year since the birth of the Father of Modern Soil Mechanics, the Sultan of Soils, an Engineer?s Engineer: Karl Terzaghi!



The original Dirtmaster Flex himself!


----------



## redrum (Oct 2, 2006)

its a little known fact that karl actually stole his formulas from slaves


----------

