Wolverton Viaduct is a railway bridge carrying the West Coast Main Line over the River Great Ouse to the north of Wolverton, part of Milton Keynes, in south-eastern England. Built in 1838 for the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR;) to the design of Robert Stephenson, it was the largest viaduct on the L&BR;'s route. It is in the centre of Wolverton Embankment, itself the largest on the line. It has six brick arches and covers a distance of 660 feet (200 metres), reaching a maximum height of 57 feet (17 metres) above the river, and terminating in substantial abutments which contain decorative arches. Several contemporary commentators likened Stephenson's bridges to Roman aqueducts. The viaduct was widened to take four tracks in the 1880s with a blue-brick extension, in contrast to the red-brick original. Masts for overhead electrification were added in the 1950s but otherwise the bridge is little changed since it was built and it is now a Grade II listed building.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolverton_Viaduct

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1778:

Anglo-French War: Having established an alliance with the United States, France invaded the Caribbean island of Dominica and captured its British fort. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Dominica_%281778%29

1936:

The last thylacine died in captivity in Hobart Zoo, Australia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thylacine

1940:

Second World War: The Luftwaffe changed their strategy in the Battle of Britain and began bombing London and other cities and towns. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blitz

2010:

A Chinese fishing trawler operating in disputed waters collided with Japan Coast Guard patrol boats near the Senkaku Islands, sparking a major diplomatic dispute between the two countries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Senkaku_boat_collision_incident

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

split-second: 1. (chiefly attributive) A stopwatch with two second hands, each of which may be stopped separately to time the intervals of a race by a sportsperson, or to time more than one sportsperson. 2. A fraction of a second; hence (figurative, also attributive) a very short time period; an instant, a moment. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/split-second

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

It is a stern fact of history that no nation that rushed to the abyss ever turned back. Not ever, in the long history of the world. We are now on the edge of the abyss. Can we, for the first time in history, turn back? It is up to you.   --Taylor Caldwell https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Taylor_Caldwell