The first structural failure -- Miracle on thirty-fourth street -- Will the Pantheon stand up forever -- For lack of redundancy -- Big bangs -- The day the earth shook -- Galloping Gertie -- When metals tire -- Thruways to eternity -- The weaknesses of mother earth -- Valley of tears -- The house of cards -- Structural dermatology -- Old-age death -- The worst structural disaster in the United States -- The politics of destruction -- The structure of the law -- Conclusion: can we prevent future failures?