Tay Bridge Disaster

The Tay Bridge Disaster occurred on December 28, 1879, when the first Tay Rail Bridge, near Dundee, catastrophically collapsed during a violent storm. A train, carrying an estimated 75 people, was crossing the bridge at the time, and all passengers and crew were lost in the tragedy, plunging into the icy waters of the Firth of Tay below. The subsequent inquiry attributed the disaster primarily to poor design and construction, inadequate maintenance, and the failure of central navigation spans due to high winds. The bridge's designer, Sir Thomas Bouch, faced severe criticism, and the disaster led to significant changes and improvements in engineering standards, inspection protocols, and construction methodologies for bridges, impacting civil engineering practices worldwide.