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Introduction: When Progress Goes Wrong
1/25/2026
Engineering Failure as a Historical Force
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Why Disasters Are Rarely Caused by One Mistake
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Learning from the Systems That Failed
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Chapter 1: Building the Industrial World
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The Rise of Large-Scale Engineering
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New Machines, Materials, and Hidden Risks
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The Birth of Modern Safety Thinking
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Chapter 2: The Tay Bridge Disaster
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Building Across the Firth of Tay
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The Collapse in the Storm
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How the Disaster Changed Bridge Engineering
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Chapter 3: The Johnstown Flood
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The South Fork Dam and a Growing Industrial Town
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Neglect, Privilege, and Catastrophic Failure
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The Development of Dam Safety and Liability
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Chapter 4: The Quebec Bridge Collapses
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Ambition, Expansion, and Structural Miscalculation
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The Warning Signs Engineers Failed to Act On
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Professional Responsibility After Disaster
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Chapter 5: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
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Industrial Buildings and Dangerous Working Conditions
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Locked Doors, Poor Design, and Mass Casualties
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Fire Codes, Labor Reform, and Building Regulation
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Chapter 6: The Titanic and the Myth of Unsinkable Technology
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Designing the World’s Most Celebrated Ocean Liner
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The Collision, Evacuation, and Communication Failures
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Maritime Safety Reforms After the Sinking
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Chapter 7: The Tacoma Narrows Bridge
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A New Generation of Elegant Suspension Bridges
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Wind, Motion, and Structural Instability
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The Rise of Aerodynamic Bridge Testing
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Chapter 8: The de Havilland Comet Failures
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The Beginning of Commercial Jet Travel
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Metal Fatigue and Pressurized Aircraft Cabins
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How Accident Investigation Transformed Aviation
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Chapter 9: The Hyatt Regency Walkway Collapse
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A Landmark Hotel and a Critical Design Change
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Communication Failures Between Engineers and Contractors
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Ethics, Accountability, and Structural Review
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Chapter 10: Bhopal and the Chemical Age
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Industrial Expansion and Hazardous Production
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Safety Systems That Failed or Were Disabled
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Corporate Responsibility and Global Process Safety
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Chapter 11: Challenger and the Cost of Organizational Silence
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Engineering the Space Shuttle Program
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The O-Ring Warning and Launch Decision
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How Institutional Culture Can Defeat Technical Knowledge
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Chapter 12: Chernobyl and Fukushima
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Different Reactors, Different Political Systems
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Design Weaknesses, Human Decisions, and Natural Hazards
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The Continuing Debate Over Nuclear Safety
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Chapter 13: Deepwater Horizon and Complex Industrial Systems
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Drilling at the Limits of Technology
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Failed Barriers, Misread Tests, and Management Pressure
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Offshore Regulation and the Challenge of Preventing Repeat Disasters
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Chapter 14: Failure in the Digital and Automated World
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When Software Becomes a Safety-Critical System
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Automation, Algorithms, and Invisible Design Decisions
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Engineering Responsibility in an Interconnected Future
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Conclusion: The Modern World Built from Failure
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