I’ve been digging through the 1856 Great Molasses Flood. It’s a bizarre, almost cinematic failure—an old storage tank in Boston bursts, sending a wave of molasses at 35 miles an hour and killing 21 people. The planners didn’t account for the pressure build‑up of that thick sugar‑like liquid, and the city’s infrastructure was utterly unprepared. It’s a stark reminder that even seemingly mundane decisions can spiral into legend‑making catastrophes.