Which engineering fail is most forgivable?
Chapter 1

When battle plans backfire

Chapter 2

Engineering errors that made history

Chapter 3

Lost in translation and calculation

Chapter 4

Ecological and nature backfires

Ch 2 · Engineering errors that made history
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schopenhauer A drilling accident drains Lake Peigneur into an underground salt mine

Sep 25

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schopenhauer The flawed foundation of the Pisa bell tower

Sep 25

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schopenhauer The disastrous maiden voyage of the Swedish warship Vasa

Sep 25

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The wobbling Millennium Bridge
BETA

schopenhauer Balance the wobbly bridge to learn how a design flaw caused a famous historical blunder.

Sep 25

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schopenhauer Engineering errors in history

The math failed, the bridge swayed, it fell down.

Sep 25

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schopenhauer The Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsed during a windstorm in Washington state.

Sep 25

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The sudden drain of Lake Peigneur

schopenhauer A Texaco oil drill accidentally pierces a salt mine, swallowing an entire freshwater lake.

Sep 25

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Fun Fact

Engineering oops: The Leaning Tower of Pisa actually leaned the opposite direction at one point after builders tried to correct the angle.

Sep 25

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The foundation failure of Pisa

schopenhauer Construction of the famous bell tower begins on soft, shifting clay, causing its iconic lean.

Sep 25

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Glossary
ballast (noun)
Heavy material placed low in a vessel to improve its stability. In 1628, insufficient ballast caused the Swedish warship Vasa to capsize on its maiden voyage.

Sep 25

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Quiz

How deep was the original foundation laid for the Leaning Tower of Pisa in 1173?

Sep 25

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Gossip

Which engineering fail is most forgivable?

Sep 25

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Quiz

What type of mine lay beneath Lake Peigneur before the 1980 drilling disaster?

Sep 25

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Quiz

In which direction does the Leaning Tower of Pisa lean today?

Sep 25

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Quiz

What physical phenomenon caused the Tacoma Narrows Bridge to collapse in 1940?

Sep 25

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Quiz

In 2000, why did London's Millennium Bridge have to close just days after opening?

Sep 25

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Quiz

Which Swedish king ordered the extra heavy cannons that caused the warship Vasa to sink?

Sep 25

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Quiz

In 1980, what human activity accidentally drained the entire freshwater Lake Peigneur in Louisiana?

Sep 25

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Quiz

In 1628, why did the Swedish warship Vasa sink just minutes into its maiden voyage?

Sep 25