The Book of Massively Epic Engineering Disasters

Danger: This Book Contains Detailed Information About the Most Legendary Engineering Disasters of All Time! Sean Connolly, author of the bestselling The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science, The Book of Potentially CatastrophicScience, The Book of Perfectly Perilous Math, and The Book of Wildy Spectacular Sports Science, rolls up his sleeves for another exciting collection of experiments, this time exploring the science behind historical feats of engineering fail.

Every wonder why Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa has been slowly toppling over for centuries? Stack books on a foundation of paper balls to learn about rickety building foundations and centre of mass.It’s hands-on science with a capital “E”—for engineering. 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, from the bestselling author of The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science. 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. From why the Leaning Tower of Pisa leans to the fatal design flaw in the Sherman tank, here’s a book of science at its most riveting.