As the holidays arrive and the calendar year draws to a close, our latest quiz looks at some of the quirky and even amusing history our industry has come to associate with popular winter traditions...
1. First off, topping out celebrations on new steel structures today still use an evergreen tree, often decorated for Christmas, to symbolize good luck for the project and for the future occupants. This practice is believed to have started in Scandinavia closest to which of the following years:
A. 1900
B. 1800
C. 1600
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Source: American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC)
2. Topping out ceremonies often involve the erection of a final, symbolic steel beam signed by key project participants, including engineers, architects, contractors, ironworkers, owners, etc. That beam is usually painted which color?
3. This seminal figure in the history of science, math, physics, and engineering, was born on Christmas Day, 1642. (At least on the Julian Calendar). Name him:
4. On Dec.16,1965, NASA Astronauts Walter Schirra Jr. and Thomas Stafford were orbiting Earth in the Gemini VI-A spacecraft. They radioed in a UFO sighting to Mission Control, claiming to hear sound coming from a passing object. As they patched through the signal, Schirra and Stafford whimsically pulled out a harmonica and sleigh bells and played this song…
5. In December 2020, in preparation for our first and probably scariest Covid Christmas, HPAC contributor Larry Clark penned his annual holiday column to reflect current events that were unprecedented in our lifetimes. Tweaking a new version of “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas,” he wrote “Every Cool Down in Coolville.” What was the big present that everyone in Coolville received that day?