Originally published at: Titan submersible creator added to Wikipedia's "List of inventors killed by their own invention" | Boing Boing
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ETA: Y’all know why I posted this, right?
I don’t want to get carried away again by the sub story - because the sub story burying the other victims at sea.
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Why is he on that list? That’s not an invention. He didn’t invent statues. If he’s on there, they should add Carravaggio, who died from long term exposure to the lead in the paints he used.
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Similarly silly:
Henry Winstanley (1644–1703) built the first lighthouse on the Eddystone Rocks in Devon, England between 1696 and 1698. During the Great Storm of 1703, the lighthouse was completely destroyed with Winstanley and five other men inside. No trace of them was found
The storm killed them, not anything having to do with the structure itself.
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Plus, I’m fairly certain he didn’t invent the lighthouse.
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To be fair:
The lighthouse was also the first recorded instance of an offshore lighthouse
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Nor did Mr. Rush invent the deep sea submersible. He just died in his very poorly designed implementation.
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Yeah. I guess that list is more “List of people killed by their own creations”.
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Indeed, the first section on that Wikipedia page broadens the scope a little beyond what the title implies.
This is a list of inventors whose deaths were in some manner caused by or related to a product, process, procedure, or other innovation that they invented or designed.
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John Roebling, architect of the Brooklyn Bridge. Was involved in an accident at the construction site that caused a wound on his foot…he didn’t believe in germs, so he refused medical treatment.
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Sorta impressed that Survival Research Laboratories hasn’t made the list.
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The Segway guy… But, Sylvester H. Roper, inventor of the Roper steam velocipede. TOO SOON!!
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The Segway guy was the guy who bought the company, not Kamen.
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Definitely not the first time a crappy sub maker was offed by their own shoddy vehicle
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longish story by David Pogue.
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Darn it, you are right. Thanks for the correction!
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So a number of pieces of the wreckage have been brought up. Looks like most of the major components are accounted for except for the composite hull.
The porthole acrylic in the front titanium dome is missing but that doesn’t neccesarily point to a failure of the acrylic itself because I’m guessing that the shock from the implosion could have popped things loose.
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Officials have said they will try to establish what caused the implosion, and make recommendations to prevent future tragedies.
Oh, I don’t know, how about something like not ignoring all the safety rules?
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That long crack could be where the carbon fibers first split, which I suppose would make him even more fitting for the list in that using that material was uniquely his thing, even though a lot of folks in the industry were saying how terrible of an idea it was for this application.
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