VELCRO: An Idea That Stuck

Zippers, buttons, glue, staples, stitching. Prior to 1955, those were the main ways in which things were fastened together. But inventor George de Mestral’s 1941 discovery led to an easier and often more effective way of conjoining two things: VELCRO. While we’ve all used the substance and it’s a common part of things we use every day, it was an invention that was a long time in the making.

By |2023-06-27T16:15:50-06:00July 3rd, 2023|Tuesday Tidbits|2 Comments

The Silver Bridge: America’s Deadliest Bridge Failure

The Silver Bridge’s origin traces back to the early 1900s to Charles Holzer, a doctor who grew tired of the time it took to reach patients on the other side of the river. Some died awaiting his arrival. Holzer eventually organized community groups to plan a bridge. Those groups eventually merged into the West Virginia Ohio River Bridge Company, with Holzer at the helm.

By |2023-06-27T16:21:52-06:00June 29th, 2023|Friday Famous Failures|11 Comments

The PEPCON Disaster: Manmade Earthquake and Inferno

A PEPCON employee was on the loading dock on May 4, 1988 when a thick cloud began moving through the facility. There were no flames in sight, but a sudden explosion rocked the plant. Then, a second explosion sent a shock wave across the terrain and Boulder Highway was reduced to a war zone. There was glass everywhere. Very few people got out.

By |2023-06-27T16:22:20-06:00May 25th, 2023|Friday Famous Failures|7 Comments

The May Ethical Dilemma: The Clairvoyant Engineer

Engineer Ben is hired by Client X to develop a design for a project. After Ben develops what he believes to be the best design and meets with Client X to discuss the design plans and specifications, Client X and Ben enter a dispute concerning the project’s ultimate success.

By |2023-06-27T16:09:41-06:00May 15th, 2023|Ethical Dilemma|16 Comments