Includes index.

1.First Structural Failure 17 -- 2. Miracle on Thirty-fourth Street 25 -- 3. Will the Pantheon Stand Up Forever? 31 -- 4. For Lack of Redundancy 55 -- 5. Big Bangs 76 -- 6. Day the Earth Shook 90 -- 7. Galloping Gertie 109 -- 8. When Metals Tire 121 -- 9. Thruways to Eternity 134 -- 10. Weaknesses of Mother Earth 149 -- 11. Valley of Tears 161 -- 12. House of Cards 173 -- 13. Structural Dermatology 183 -- 14. Old-Age Death 207 -- 15. Worst Structural Disaster in the United States 221 -- 16. Politics of Destruction 231 -- 17. Structure of the Law 242 -- 18. Terror from the Sky 257 -- 19. Conclusion: Can We Prevent Future Failures? 269 -- A. Loads 281 -- B. Stress and Strain 289 -- C. Structural Materials 292 -- D. Structural Systems 295.