The Johnstown Flood
by David McCullough
The 1889 dam failure that killed over two thousand people, the negligence of the wealthy club that owned the dam, and the response. McCullough's first book and a study of how preventable disasters happen.
Read it if…
you want a case study in negligence and consequence.
See the book →
Skip it if…
you want uplift.
Try instead: Revolutionary Summer →
Three things you will actually use
- Deferred maintenance is a decision.
- Warnings ignored compound.
- Accountability rarely follows wealth.
Do this first
Read the chapter on the dam's maintenance.
Our verdict
A preventable disaster.
See the book →
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