Leon Moisseiff

Leon Moisseiff
Born
Leon Solomon Moisseiff

(1872-11-10)November 10, 1872
Riga, Latvia
DiedSeptember 3, 1943(1943-09-03) (aged 70)
Belmar, New Jersey
Resting placeMount Hebron Cemetery
EducationColumbia University
Known forSuspension bridge engineering, use of steel in bridges
Notable workManhattan Bridge
George Washington Bridge
Benjamin Franklin Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
Tacoma Narrows Suspension Bridge of 1940
AwardsLouis E. Levy Medal in 1933

Leon Solomon Moisseiff (November 10, 1872 – September 3, 1943)[1] was a leading suspension bridge engineer in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. He was awarded The Franklin Institute's Louis E. Levy Medal in 1933.[2]

His developments of the theory of suspension bridges are eclipsed by the dramatic failure of the Tacoma Narrows Suspension Bridge, his design, four months after its completion in 1940. The failure was filmed, and is shown to engineering students as a reminder of the possibility of failure, and to avoid hubris.

  1. ^ "Leon Moisseiff, Biographical Sketch". Structurae. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  2. ^ "Franklin Laureate Database – Louis E. Levy Medal Laureates". Franklin Institute. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2011.