A long piece on the failure of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge - often misattributed to resonance. Several videos within - including one of the Volgograd Bridge.
“”“Henry Petroski, an engineer and scholar of failure, observes that major bridge failures occur roughly every thirty years, which may be the time that it takes for a new generation of engineers to forget the lessons of their predecessors. “The essential lesson of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge,” he writes, “is not that it fell but that it fell in an atmosphere of confidence that it would not, in a manner that was not anticipated.””""
“”“The situation that gave rise to the original bridge’s risky design echoes patterns that existed prior to the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger and the GM ignition switch debacle. Cultures of groupthink discourage dissent, stepping up, speaking out, admitting fault, and making redesigns even when they are essential.”""