Is Tesla being steered in the wrong direction?
The Millennium Bridge in London was opened to the public on June 10, 2000, connecting St Paul's Cathedral with the Tate Modern art gallery. Everything seemed perfect, until "wobbling" occurred when people walked across it. The phenomenon gained attention because the wobbling was significant enough to make people feel uncomfortable and unsteady while walking on the bridge.
A catastrophic explosion occurred on October 20, 1944, when liquefied gas seeped into the sewer system and combined with sewer gas and air, tragically leading to the loss of over 130 lives.
The inaugural space station operated by the United States was conceived for orbital deployment without a planned reentry to Earth. Nevertheless, in 1979, debris from the station reentered the atmosphere, primarily impacting the Indian Ocean and Australia.
The collapse of this bridge happened twice—first in 1907, and then again in 1916—due to inadequate verification of initial calculations during the early planning phases. The bridge was essentially designed to bear a load far beyond its actual capacity, resulting in these catastrophic failures.
On May 22, 1915, one of the most severe rail disasters in Britain's history occurred. While two signalmen were held responsible, there are suspicions that there may have been the concealing of mistakes made by the railway itself.
Civil engineer William Mulholland disregarded warning signs, such as cracks and leaks discovered during inspections. This neglect led to the catastrophic failure of the dam in 1928, resulting in the loss of over 450 lives.
Apollo 1 caught fire during a preflight test in 1967. Three astronauts died.
In 1975, a combination of factors, including bad design, inadequate maintenance, faulty construction practices, and the impact of a typhoon (depicted), led to the failure of this Chinese dam. The aftermath of the dam breaking resulted in a devastating loss of 230,000 lives, and forced approximately 11 million people to relocate.
The collapse was attributed to an engineering error, where the roof's strength was insufficient to support the weight of the heavy metal pillars.
The Swedish warship was equipped with extensive weaponry but suffered from inadequate design, causing it to sink shortly after departing from Stockholm harbor in 1626.
Merely two days following the launch of Apollo 13, an oxygen tank explosion took place. Despite this setback, the astronauts ultimately succeeded in safely returning to Earth.
On July 17, 1981, in Kansas City, Missouri, a walkway at a Hyatt Regency hotel collapsed due to flawed design.
On May 6, 1937, the German airship caught fire and crashed in New Jersey, resulting in the tragic loss of 36 lives.
The disaster was triggered by an electrostatic discharge, which, combined with a hydrogen leak, created the conditions for the spark to ignite the fire.
In 2010, an explosion occurred on a BP drilling rig, leading to the largest oil spill in history and one of the most significant environmental disasters in the United States. The primary cause was attributed to a defective cement job.
See also: Fatal technology disasters that went down in history
The official report said: "the failure was attributed to a flawed design that exhibited an unacceptable level of sensitivity to various factors."
The sinking of the supposedly "unsinkable" ship on April 14, 1912, serves as a lasting reminder of human hubris. A culmination of factors, including several design flaws, played a role in the ship's tragic sinking on that fateful night.
On January 28, 1986, the shuttle tragically disintegrated, claiming seven lives. The widely recognized catastrophe resulted from the failure of the O-ring, which was responsible for sealing the shuttle's rocket booster.
In 2004, the roof of Terminal 2E at Charles de Gaulle Airport in France suffered a collapse.
One of the contributing factors was the weakness of the iron plates used to connect the steel plates near the bow and the stern. This structural weakness resulted in the ship tearing apart rapidly after the collision with the iceberg.
The most catastrophic nuclear power plant accident in history took place between April 25 and 26, 1986, in the vicinity of the abandoned town of Pripyat, Ukraine.
The World Nuclear Association attributes the cause of the accident to a flawed reactor design and inadequately trained employees.
The inaugural transatlantic telegraph cable project ended in failure due to subpar design and mishandling that led to compromised cable insulation, resulting in its ultimate breakdown.
The steamboat Sultana's disaster occurred when one of its boilers exploded, causing the steamboat to sink. With around 2,400 individuals on board, approximately 1,700 of them lost their lives.
In 1984, a tragic gas leak occurred at the Union Carbide Facility in Bhopal, India, resulting in the loss of thousands of lives. The incident was largely attributed to faulty equipment design and inadequate maintenance practices.
The engineers held accountable faced charges of gross negligence, incompetence, misconduct, and unprofessional conduct. Although they were eventually acquitted, their employer, Jack D. Gillum and Associates, faced severe consequences including the revocation of engineering licenses in multiple states and the loss of membership in the American Society of Civil Engineers.
The tower was constructed on unstable soil composed of mud, sand, and clay. Over the years, the monument has undergone several interventions, yet it continues to stand as one of Italy's most prominent attractions.
Mistakes are an inherent part of human behavior, and engineers are no exception to this reality. Major concern arises when these mistakes lead to dire consequences, a reality that sadly characterizes numerous engineering blunders.
The annals of history are replete with instances where catastrophic outcomes were triggered by substantial design flaws. Tragically, many lives have been lost due to engineers seeking shortcuts, opting for cost-effective materials, displaying negligence, or, at times, simply making erroneous decisions during the design phase.
These errors are not limited to specific domains of engineering; they span diverse fields, encompassing civil, aerospace, and others. In this gallery, you will encounter some of the most significant blunders in engineering history—most of which resulted in grievous consequences. Click on for more.
History's most disastrous engineering failures
The outcomes were catastrophic
LIFESTYLE Accidents
Mistakes are an inherent part of human behavior, and engineers are no exception to this reality. Major concern arises when these mistakes lead to dire consequences, a reality that sadly characterizes numerous engineering blunders.
The annals of history are replete with instances where catastrophic outcomes were triggered by substantial design flaws. Tragically, many lives have been lost due to engineers seeking shortcuts, opting for cost-effective materials, displaying negligence, or, at times, simply making erroneous decisions during the design phase.
These errors are not limited to specific domains of engineering; they span diverse fields, encompassing civil, aerospace, and others. In this gallery, you will encounter some of the most significant blunders in engineering history—most of which resulted in grievous consequences. Click on for more.