Bad science, epic fails, and deadly hubris

Welcome to Deep Dives and Drafts! If you're new, please check out our group page to learn more about us here.

Let's dive into the times when smart people, terrible incentives, or pure hubris created spectacular disasters or catastrophic failures. Inspired by our Conspiracy Theory Night, this MeetUp encourages anyone in attendance to bring your "favorite historical fail" to present to the group.
We're talking about things like lobotomies, the Great Molasses Flood of 1919, over-the-counter opium, deadly wood alcohol of Prohibition, or the Galloping Gertie bridge collapse, etc... If hindsight was 20/20, then it probably counts...

How it will work:

• Resources: No resource list this time- find your rabbit hole. (Although reading Pandora's Lab by Offit and Bad Science by Goldacre have great ideas.)
• Expectations: Whether you fully deep-dive into a topic and give a powerpoint presentation, OR ask ChatGPT for talking points under the table, we welcome any level of participation. This is low-stakes and is intended to be fun.
• Preventing duplicates: if you plan to invest time into a topic and don't want someone else to present it, I’ll put you on the "Claimed Topics" list.
• Set-Up: If so inclined, Fox has a TV w/ HDMI cable and wifi.
• Reminder of Ground Rules: While we encourage thoughtful engagement with complex ideas or theories—some of which may have roots in sensitive, prejudicial, or uncomfortable beliefs—everyone is expected to uphold our “Group Norms” explained here.

Claimed Topics:

• Radium Craze / Radium watch painting - Kelsie
• Blood-letting, life before aseptic technique - Kelsie
• "Brain Gym" - Kelsie (if time)

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