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Stupid Engineering Mistakes

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the back-to-the-drawing-board dept.

lee1 writes "Wired has bestowed on us a list of the ten worst engineering mistakes of all time. We have the St. Francis Dam designed by 'self-taught' engineer William Mulholland, which burst and wiped out several towns near LA; the Kansas City Hyatt walkway collapse; the DC-10, and more, but my favorite is the one I'd never heard of: a giant tank of molasses that ruptured in 1919 and sent 'waves of molasses up to 15 feet high' through Boston, killing 21."

2 of 592 comments (clear)

  1. Never Heard of Molasses Flood? Selling Bridge by MSTCrow5429 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    The uber-parent never heard of the infamous Great Molasses Flood? I'm totally shocked that someone could have gone through life and never heard of this. I have lived in New England most of my life, mostly in Massachusetts, but I keep coming across stories of this event that aren't at all something that only New Englanders would have heard about. Amazing ignorance, or just not well read?

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  2. No kidding by themusicgod1 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Can't fault them though, they *do* live in america. Can't really expect them to know what's going on in the rest of the world, or their own country now can we?

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