Rebuilding Mathematically: A Study of the Rebuilding of Lisbon and London

Abstract

In 1666, the City of London burned to the ground in what has become known as the “Great Fire of London”. In 1755, just 89 years later, Lisbon was destroyed by an earthquake. Throughout this time period Lisbon and London were joined by extensive commercial ties and there are several interesting parallels between the rebuilding of these two great cities. Both processes were led by individuals deeply committed to modernization and the use of the scientific method as a part of reconstruction. At the time of the 1666 London fire, calculus was being discovered in Europe and there were early attempts to create mathematical models for the properties of materials. By 1755, the elasticity of beams was reasonably well understood and some of the first seismically engineered structures were built in Lisbon. This paper examines some of the similarities and differences between how London and Lisbon were reconstructed and the role that mathematics and engineering played in their reconstruction.