The Great Boston Molasses Flood
Around 12:30 pm on January 15th, 1919, a noise like machine-gun fire erupted near downtown Boston. The jarring sound was followed by a muffled roar, and then 2.3 million gallons were released suddenly from a ruptured tank. A 15-foot wave of molasses flowed, at 35 miles per hour ...
The April Ethical Dilemma: Improper Disclosure
One of the more challenging areas of engineering ethics issues involves the everyday relations among engineers. At one time, the Code had strict provisions regarding relations..
April 2022 Pop Quiz for Engineers
Will your score on this month's quiz make you look like an APRIL FOOL? Here's the April 2022 Pop Quiz for Engineers. Are you smarter than an undergraduate?
Riddle Me This: King Arthur’s Coin Game
What strategy can you come up with the guarantee that you win? Riddle me this ...
How the Panama Canal Makes Water Flow Uphill
Early on, engineers debated the very nature of the Panama Canal. They finally abandoned ideas about a sea-level canal (like the Suez) when engineer John Frank Stevens instead insisted upon a different option—a locks canal.
The Eschede Derailment
It had never happened before. In seven years of service, no one had ever been killed on an ICE train. The super-fast, state-of-the-art Inter City Express ...