Notes

Massively epic engineering disasters
xiii, 241 pages :

colour illustrations.
On cover: 33 thrilling experiments for young scientists.Contents: The Colossus of Rhodes -- Fidenae Stadium collapses -- The leaning Tower of Pisa -- The collapsing cathedral -- The Tay Bridge disaster -- The unsinkable Titanic -- The Boston molasses flood -- The Hindenburg crashes -- The Tacoma Narrows Bridge -- Sherman tanks get stuck -- Flight of the Spruce Goose -- The plywood skyscraper -- Radial tires come unglued -- Whoops -- the lake's gone -- The Sinclair C5 stalls -- The Exxon Valdez oil spill -- The Paris Airport collapse -- Chile's trapped miners -- The Metrodome deflates -- The infamous Fryscraper.
Summary: Beginning with the toppling of the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, to the destructive, laserlike sunbeams bouncing off London's infamous "Fryscraper" in 2013, here is an illustrated tour of the greatest engineering disasters in history. Each engineering disaster includes a simple, exciting experiment or two using everyday household items to explain the underlying science and put learning into action. Understand the Titanic's demise by sinking an ice-cube-tray ocean liner in the bathtub. Stomp on a tube of toothpaste to demonstrate what happens to non-Newtonian fluids under pressure -- and how a ruptured tank sent a tsunami of molasses through the streets of Boston in 1919. (Trove)