It is known that many events in history that caused great disasters occurred as a result of human error. These mistakes made; Sometimes it lost wealth, cost the lives of many people, and sometimes caused environmental disasters that were so big that it changed the environment. Some of the biggest mistakes made in history are as follows;
Explosion of the Ariane 5 Rocket
This error was experienced as a huge loss due to computer error. The Ariane 5 rocket is the geostationary launcher of an orbiting satellite of the European Space Agency (ESA). It was developed in 1995 to replace the Ariane 4. After months of preparation and many tests, the first flight and orbit of the satellite were unsuccessful. As a result of a programming error, the rocket shattered and exploded in mid-flight. This mistake caused a great deal of material damage.
Sinking of the Titanic
The sinking of the Titanic ship, one of the biggest maritime accidents in history, occurred after a mistake. The ship was built by the White Star Line company from 1909 to 1912. The architects who built the ship are Thomas Andrews and Alexander Montgomery Carlisle. Leaving the port for the first time on April 14, 1912, the ship struck an iceberg 4 days later and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean. In this event, approximately 1500 people died and great financial losses were experienced.
Great Wildfires in California
In 2003, California experienced massive wildfires. A 34-year-old California hunter got lost in a San Diego County forest and lit a campfire for help. As a result of the fire losing control, it started one of the worst fires in its history. After the fire, an area of 110,500 hectares and 2,820 buildings were destroyed by burning. At the same time, 15 firefighters who intervened in this fire lost their lives.
Chernobyl Disaster
Chernobyl disaster; It is one of the biggest environmental disasters that occurred as a result of the explosion of reactor number 4 of the nuclear power plant on April 26, 1986. Experiments in the power plant are prohibited by the institution responsible for safety. Despite this ban, engineers at the nuclear facility tried to conduct experiments, which led to disaster. The calculation error made in the experiment caused a big explosion, and then fires broke out. A large amount of radioactive substances were released into the atmosphere and these substances seriously affected human health. After the disaster, 200 thousand people died directly or indirectly.
Great London Smoke
This disaster, called the great fog or the killing fog, occurred in London. During the period of the fog, many people died or became ill within 10 days. With a harsh winter in 1952, Londoners’ use of coal increased enormously. In the same period, electric trams, motorized buses running on gasoline and diesel started to be used. After this event, which caused extreme environmental pollution, a dense fog descended on the city and continued for 10 days. Due to the deadly fog, thousands of people applied to hospitals for shortness of breath and various reasons. It is estimated that more than 12 thousand people died directly and indirectly due to the triggering of chronic diseases.
Three Mile Island Power Plant Disaster
This event is one of the biggest disasters in Pennsylvania, USA in 1978. A major disaster occurred at the Three Mile Island power plant on the night of March 28, following a chain of failures due to mechanical failures and human error. The core of reactor No. 2 of the power plant melted and radioactive gases were released into the environment. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, this disaster marked a turning point for the global nuclear industry sector. Since then, the United States has stopped building new nuclear power plants.
Piper Alpha’s Explosion
One of the deadliest accidents in oil business history, the explosion at Piper Alpha occurred on an oil rig. On the night of July 6, 1988, there was a communication error after a minor technical malfunction. The naval base platform, which produces approximately 300 thousand barrels of oil a day, suddenly exploded and started to burn. In the explosion of the Oil Tower, 167 people died and great financial losses were experienced. It took about 3 weeks to extinguish the fire on the sea.
