Failures & Disasters
Doomed megaprojects, abandoned cities, construction blunders, and the inventions that never lived up to the hype.
11 articlesLatest Failures & Disasters
These Cities Are One Disaster Away From Total Collapse
From Mexico City sinking into its lakebed to Jakarta being abandoned by its own government, these major cities face infrastructure crises that could cascade into collapse from a single disaster.
These are the Worst Construction Mistakes Ever Made
From MIT's wind tunnel building to Sweden's sunken warship Vasa, explore the most expensive, bizarre, and deadly construction mistakes in history.
Just Burn the Money: China's Failed Megaprojects
From sinking islands to crumbling dams and abandoned skyscrapers, explore China's most spectacular failed megaprojects and the systemic problems behind them.
5 Weird Military Inventions that Did NOT Work Out
From ice aircraft carriers to flying tanks and the infamous "gay bomb," discover five bizarre military inventions that never made it from blueprint to battlefield.
Gary, Indiana: The Company Town that American Abandoned
The rise and fall of Gary, Indiana, from a booming U.S. Steel company town to one of America's most abandoned cities—a story of industrial might, racial inequality, and economic collapse.
The Most Famous Failed Rebellions
Explore three of history's most famous failed rebellions: Shays' Rebellion, the Third Servile War led by Spartacus, and the June Rebellion of 1832 that inspired Les Misérables.
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More in Failures & Disasters
Forms of Transportation that Were Supposed to Change the World (But Didn't...)
From monowheels and amphibious cars to Segways and moving walkways, explore the transportation technologies that promised to revolutionize how we travel but fell short of expectations.
Fan Favourite Products That Never Left Test Markets
From McPizza to OK Soda to the Dark Barrel Latte, discover the cult-favourite products that failed their test market trials but earned devoted followings.
Mark 14: The Torpedo That Couldn't
The Mark 14 torpedo was supposed to revolutionize naval warfare. Instead, it ran too deep, exploded prematurely, failed to detonate on contact, and may have circled back to sink the submarines that fired it.
Pripyat: The City Made Uninhabitable By Chernobyl
Discover the story of Pripyat, the Soviet atomic city built to house Chernobyl workers, its opulent amenities, and its sudden abandonment after the 1986 nuclear disaster.
The Largest Controlled Demolitions Ever Attempted
From the Singer Building to the Kingdome, explore history's most monumental controlled demolitions of skyscrapers, stadiums, dams, and bridges.