Concrete as a construction material dates back to 3000 BC but the modern

history of concrete began with the invention of the Portland cement. It all
began in the 19th century and became one of the two most common
construction material in the 20th century.

Historical Timeline of Concrete

12,000,000 BC Reactions between limestone and oil shale during spontaneous
combustion occurred in Israel to form a natural deposit of cement
compounds.

3000 BC Egyptians used mud mixed with straw to bind dried bricks. Also
furthered the discovery of lime and gypsum mortar as a binding agent
for building the Pyramids

3000 BC Used cementitious materials to hold bamboo together in their boats

and in the Great Wall.

300 BC Romans used slaked lime a volcanic ash called pozzuolana, found
near Pozzouli by the bay of Naples. They used lime as a cementitious
material. Pliny reported a mortar mixture of 1 part lime to 4 parts
sand. Vitruvius reported a 2 parts pozzolana to 1 part lime. Animal
fat, milk, and blood were used as admixtures

193 BC of PorticuHouse s Aemelia made of bound stones to form concrete

200 AD The Pantheon

After 400 AD The art of Concrete was lost after the fall of the Roman Empire

Dr. M.A. Polak, Reinforced Concrete Mechanics, L10-4 1

 1678 Joseph Moxon wrote about a hidden fire in heated lime that
appears upon the addition of water.

1756 John Smeaton, British Engineer, rediscovered hydraulic cement

through repeated testing of mortar in both fresh and salt water

1779 Bry Higgins was issued a patent for hydraulic cement (stucco) for
exterior plastering use.

1796 James Parker from England patented a natural hydraulic cement by

calcining nodules of impure limestone containing clay, called Parker’s
Cement or Roman Cement.

1812 -1813 Louis Vicat of France prepared artificial hydraulic lime by calcining
synthetic mixtures of limestone and clay.

1818 Maurice St. Leger was issued patents for hydraulic cement.

1818 Canvass White, American Engineer, found rock deposits in Madison,

County, New York, that made hydraulic cement with little processing

1820-1821 John Tickell and Abraham Chambers were issued more hydraulic
cement patents.

1822 James Frost of England prepared artificial hydraulic lime like Vicat’s
and called it British Cement.

1824 Joseph Aspdin, bricklayer and mason in Leeds, England, patented

what he called portland cement, since it resembled the stone quarried
on the Isle of Portland off the British coast.

1825 Erie Canal created the first great demand for cement in the US

I. K. Brunel is credited with the first engineering application of

1828 portland cement, which was used to fill a breach in the Thames
Tunnel.

Dr. M.A. Polak, Reinforced Concrete Mechanics, L10-4 2

 1850s Jean-Louis Lambot was the first to use reinforcing in boats

1854 William B. Wilkinson erected a reinforced concrete servants cottage

1859-1867 Portland cement used in the construction of the London sewer system

1867 Joseph Monier patented a design for reinforces garden tubs, beams
and posts

1868 The fist recorded shipment of portland cement to the US

1850-1880 Francois Coignet, a builder in France, responsible for the first

widespread use of concrete in buildings

1871 David O. Saylor established the first portland-cement plant in the US

in Coplay, PA

1871-1875 William E. Ward builds the first landmark building in reinforced

concrete in Port Chester, NY. Designed by Architect Robert Mook

1883 Ward delivered a paper on the house to the Society of Mechanical

Engineers.

Earnest L. Ransom patented a reinforcing system using twisted rods.

1884

1885 F. Ransome patented a slightly tilted horizontal kiln which could be

rotated so the material moved gradually form one end to the other

1887 Henri Le Chatelier of France established oxide ratios to prepare the

Dr. M.A. Polak, Reinforced Concrete Mechanics, L10-4 3

 proper amount of lime to produce portland cement. He named the
components: Alite (tricalcium silicate), Belite (dicalcium silicate), and
Celite (tetracalcium aluminoferrite). He proposed that hardening is
caused by the formation of crystalline products of the reaction
between cement and water.

1889 The first concrete reinforced bridge is built.

1891 George Bartholomew placed the first concrete street in the USA in
Bellefontaine, OH. which still exists.

1904 Ingalls bldg. using the Ransome system, was the first concrete

skyscraper.

1870s Francois Hennebique patented the Hennebique system. He was

responsible for the widespread acceptance of reinforced concrete.

1902 Thomas Edison was a pioneer in the further development of the rotary
kiln.

1903 August Perre makes concrete an acceptable architectural material

Perre builds 25 bis Rue Franklin and the Theatre Champs Elysee

Dr. M.A. Polak, Reinforced Concrete Mechanics, L10-4 4

 1904 Ingalls building, probably the beginning of high-rise concrete const.

1916 Portland Cement Association founded

1917 The US Bureau of Standards and the American Society for testing
Materials established a standard formula for portland cement

1919 Meis van der Rohe proposes concrete high-rises

The tallest concrete building was built – 230 ft., the Medical Arts
1922 bldg., Dallas

1922 Notre Dame du Raincy

1927 Eugene Freyssinet develops successful pre-stressed concrete

1930 Eduardo Torroja, designed the first thin shelled roof at Algeciras

1935 Eduardo Torroja, designed the Madrid Hippodrome.

1936 The first major concrete dams, Hoover Dam and Grand Coulee Dam,
were built.

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 1935 Pier Luigi Nervi built the hangers for the Italian Air Force using thin
shell construction

1931 Le Corbusier builds Villa Savoye

1936 Frank Lloyd Wright was the one of the first to exploit the cantilever at
Fallingwater.

1940s Portland Cement Laboratories perfect air-entrained concrete

1947 FLLW builds on Meis’ ideas at the Johnson wax tower

1956 FLLW builds the Guggenheim made of reinforced concrete

Dr. M.A. Polak, Reinforced Concrete Mechanics, L10-4 6

 1957 Le Corbusier builds Ronchamp

~1958 Felix Candela masters the concrete shell

1958 Felix Candela builds the restaurant at Xochimilco

1958 Executive House Hotel, Chicago, exceeds the Medical Arts record at
371 ft.

1959 Le Corbusier builds La Tourette

1960 Bank of Georgia Building in Atlanta beats Executive House at 391 ft.

1961 Le Corbusier builds the government complex at Chandigara India

1962 Bertrand Goldberg’s twin towers at Marina City marked the

beginning of the use of reinforced concrete in modern skyscrapers and
set the height record to 588 ft.

1964 1000 Lake Shore Drive beats Marina City at 640 ft. 6000 psi concrete
in the lower columns was used for the first time.

1964 Place Victoria in Montreal, ht 624 ft. using 6000psi concrete columns

Dr. M.A. Polak, Reinforced Concrete Mechanics, L10-4 7

 1967 First concrete domed sport structure, the Assembly Hall, was
constructed at The University of Illinois, at Urbana-Champaign.

1968 Lake Point Towers, 70 stories, 645 ft. 7500 psi concrete

1970 One Shell Plaza, Houston, ht 714 ft., using 6000 psi concrete

1970s Fiber reinforcement in concrete was introduced.

1975 Water Tower Place, 859 ft., 9000psi conc. using superplasticizers

1985 Peak shipment of portland cement to the US increased to nearly 3

million barrels

1985 The "highest strength" concrete was used in building the Union Plaza
constructed in Seattle, Washington.

1989 Scotia Plaza Building, Toronto, 907 ft.

1990 311S Wacker and Two Prudential Plaza in Chicago sets new height
record at 920 ft.

1996 Petronas Twin Towers, 1476 ft.

References:de Web page: The Portland Cement Association Online, http://www.portcement.org

Dr. M.A. Polak, Reinforced Concrete Mechanics, L10-4 8