History Channel: Modern Marvels - More Engineering Disasters

Whether attributable to accidents or the foibles of the ego, engineering mistakes have caused some of the greatest disasters in human history. Modern Marvels takes a look at the poor planning, strategical errors, arrogance, and negligence that have populated humankind's endeavors with its massive failures. The U.S.S. Thresher, a submarine that failed to resurface from a 1963 test run, was just such a tragedy, killing all 129 people aboard. Also covered is the 1928 catastrophe in California, which saw the collapse of the St. Francis dam and the subsequent deaths of many residents of the San Francisquito Valley, all due to an ignorance of local geology. The Vanguard Rocket launch, the sinking of the Andrea Doria, and other disasters are addressed by a panel of experts and historians, who provide fascinating commentary to the footage, which includes extensive maps, diagrams, and location shooting.