No one is perfect, and mistakes are inevitable. However, over time there have been many mistakes that have cost a fortune, not to mention human losses and environmental impact. If we aroused your curiosity, here are 10 of the most expensive mistakes in history. Bemorepanda collected them to inform you!

1. The explosion of the Ariane rocket 5

On June 4, 1996, the first Ariane 5 rocket started its engines and was launched from the coast of French Guiana. 37 seconds later, the rocket twisted 90 degrees in the wrong direction and in less than two seconds - the aerodynamic forces caused the amplifiers outside the rocket to break. This triggered the self-destruct mechanism and the rocket exploded. The disastrous launch cost about $ 370 million and delayed scientific research on the operation of the Earth's magnetosphere by almost 4 years. The launch of Ariane 5 is widely recognized as one of the most expensive software failures in history.

2. The sinking of the Titanic

The sinking of the Titanic is one of the most disastrous maritime accidents in history. On April 14, 1912, just four days after leaving port, the huge ship was destroyed in the North Atlantic Ocean in a collision with an iceberg, and about 1,500 people lost their lives. A century later, it emerged that the sinking of the Titanic was caused by a navigation error, doubled by a wrong decision. The financial loss was estimated at $ 7.5 million or about $ 168 million today. 

3. Hitler's came to power

Henry Tandey, the most decorated British soldier during the First World War, could change history and stop all the horrors caused by the Nazis, as well as the loss of 60 million lives in World War II.

While on a battlefield in France during World War I, Tandey (a 26-year-old soldier) aimed his rifle at a wounded German soldier who was trying to flee to save his life. , according to Mirror. Out of compassion, Tandey spared the young man. That was Hitler, and he was 29 at the time.

4. SNCF and its oversized trains

With only a few extra inches, the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français (SNCF), the French national railway company, and the Réseau Ferré de France (RFF) angered the French. In 2014, in order to accommodate more passengers and give them more space in trains, SNCF ordered 341 trains that were too wide to pass through certain French stations. As a result, the company was forced to build 1,300 docks at a cost of 50 million euros.

5. The hunter who started one of the largest forest fires in California

 In 2003, a 34-year-old Californian hunter got lost in a forest in San Diego and lit a fire to be found by authorities. Unfortunately, due to carelessness, the fire spread rapidly in the forest, and this mistake started one of the most devastating fires in California history. The loss was about $ 1.2 billion, and the fire destroyed more than 110,500 hectares, 2,820 buildings and killed 15 people.

The culprit was fined $ 9,000 and sentenced to 960 hours of community service.

6. $ 225 million lost due to a input error

A typo cost the Japanese company Mizuho Securities $ 225 million. On December 8, 2005, the brand issued an order mentioning the sale of 610,000 shares for one yen per share. In reality, they intended to sell a 610,000 yen (about 5,000 euros) share on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

7. Piper Alpha platform explosion due to a valve

The explosion of the Piper Alpha platform is listed as the worst oil disaster to occur offshore. The event took place on the night of July 6, 1988, as part of maintenance operations. The safety valves were replaced, but the technicians made a mistake and forgot to replace a single valve. Because of this, when an attempt was made to activate the liquid gas pumps, the 90-meter-high platform was engulfed in charcoal and exploded. As a result of this disaster, 167 workers lost their lives and the material damage was estimated at about $ 3.4 billion.

8. The 1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands

The war in the Falkland Islands (also called the Falkland Islands) - located about 500 km from the coast of Argentina and 13,000 kilometers from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, lost by Argentina, cost the country 850 million dollars . But in addition to the material losses, more than 700 young soldiers lost their lives.

9. The Chernobyl nuclear disaster

On April 26, 1986, the number four reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant suffered a catastrophic explosion of its steam-fired boilers, which triggered a fire, a series of additional explosions and radioactive leaks.

Radioactive material spread through the atmosphere has severely affected the health of millions of people. It is estimated that the radiation released into the atmosphere was 100 times stronger than that emitted by the atomic bombs in Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

10. Russia sold the territory of Alaska to the United States

In 1867, Russia sold Alaska to the United States for $ 7.2 million (currently about $ 132 million) - and this is listed as one of the most costly mistakes in history. Faced with major financial problems and the fear of losing the colonies without any compensation, Tsar Alexander II decided to get rid of his North American territories, which at the time did not bring him much benefits.

No one then imagined the protos that the Americans will get from this acquisition. Alaska is indeed rich in natural resources such as gold and oil. Oil and gas reserves are worth $ 200 billion, according to economists.

The French Brewers Association has announced that it will be forced to destroy 10 million liters of beer due to the closure of cafes, restaurants and pubs caused by the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, BFM reports.

The liquidation will be made, since the shelf life of the drink is running out and there is no point in storing beer further. Moreover, the destruction of products will cost significant amounts for the companies.

"The abrupt closure of cafes, restaurants, stopping tourist activities and the cancellation of all festivals and events have led to the fact that more than 10 million liters of beer are not in demand," the association announced.

It is noted that about 70% of breweries in France reported a reduction of at least half the turnover since mid-March.

The tough form of isolation regime in France is expected to end on May 11. Citizens will be able to move around without special permission from the authorities, which is currently necessary due to the isolation regime introduced in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, except for movements over distances of more than 100 km from the house, which will be possible only for family or professional reasons.

At the same time, citizens over 65 years of age are still being urged to respect the isolation regime due to higher risk of infection in this age group.

After May 11, a gradual resumption of companies will begin, although working from home will continue, where possible, for at least the next three weeks.

The trading network, except for restaurants and cafes, will open on May 11. For restaurants and cafes, a separate decision will be made at the end of May with the prospect of a possible opening after June 2.

At the same time, a recent pole by FranceInfo reported that –25% of breweries in France have been forced to close and 70% have declared a loss of up to 50% in revenue since March 15.

If we talk about dogs and cats, then the latter are much more naughty. Yes, as puppies, doggie often play pranks, but at least they are always ashamed of what they have done, which cannot be said about meowing creatures. Cats often do dirty tricks on the sly, and sometimes you may not even know that this harmful fluffiness has missed you in your absence until you open the cabinet door or decide to water the flowers. Bemorepanda collected some funny pictures.

"Rest in peace, my friend. So far I am talking about that friend who is now lying on the floor ..."

"My cat usually uses the toilet to pee. When I dare to use it, he jumps on the sink and pees there, looking at me like this. Yes, he has a clean litter box."

"Apparently, my cats are so hungry overnight that they have to eat packages."

"All the socks in the house belong to Pennywise. Every morning we have a fight."

"This morning he tried to climb up my curtains and ended up ripping them off completely. I'm starting to think he did it on purpose to look out the window."

"Why not get in a pot of herbs, yes, Tyson?"

"My wife baked a chocolate cake and left it on the table overnight (under a tea towel)"

Yeah, so much better

He seems quite pleased with himself.

"Finally caught him at the crime scene!"

I just fell

"This little demon is not even ashamed!"

Who are the pretzels with wool?

"What the hell, Kyle ?! You're not a plant!"

"Now we know for sure that the buns were not poisoned. The cat should be proud of himself for saving our lives."

A master admiring his work

There were a few more slices of pizza ...

"But he has a clean tray!"

At one fine (or not so) moment, it may happen that equipment, machines or any other device created by human hands may fail. In some cases, this is okay, because if the blender breaks, you can go to the store and buy a new one, but what if the plane breaks down or the train goes off the rails? Of course, in this case, trouble cannot be avoided. It is these stories of rebellious technology and other man-made things that await you next.

On April 28, 1988, a Boeing 737 tore off a part of the fuselage at an altitude of about 8 thousand meters in flight, but the pilot still managed to land successfully



Three days of searching led nowhere, she was never found.

There were reportedly problems obtaining readings from passengers close to the severed section, as almost all of them were instantly unconscious due to the sudden decompression.

On May 7, 2021, a tourist was stuck on a Chinese glass bridge on Piyan Mountain in Longjing City at an altitude of 100 m

The glass floor bridge partially collapsed due to a hurricane wind at 12:45, leaving one tourist trapped. The man was rescued thanks to the combined efforts of firefighters, police, foresters and tourist personnel at 1:20 pm after he crawled to safety. After this incident, the tourist needed psychological help.

The wind speed reportedly reached 150 km / h during the hurricane.

Photo of the bridge named "Galloping Gertie" at the time of its collapse

On November 7, 1940 with a wind speed of about 65 km / h, an accident occurred, which led to the destruction of the central span of the bridge, named "Galloping Gertie". This nickname was given to the bridge due to the fact that in windy weather its roadbed strongly swayed. Fortunately, at that moment the traffic was very weak and the only driver of the car, named Coatesworth, who was on the bridge at that moment, managed to escape. The driver managed to escape, because the collapse occurred gradually until it reached a critical point.

After an unsuccessful stop, the train ended up on top of a giant whale statue

In early November 2020, a Dutch subway train, for unknown reasons, drove through the stopping block at great speed.

One of the cars took off and ended up on top of the statue of a giant whale tail

The moment of the accident happened at night, so there was no one in the car except the driver. The subway driver was taken to the hospital, but nothing threatened his health.

On August 14, 2020, the Swiss city of Olten received "chocolate snow" due to a malfunction in the ventilation system of a local factory

An accident occurred at the Swiss chocolate factory Lindt & Spruengli, located in Olten, as a result of which the factory and its surroundings were covered with real chocolate chips. Due to improper ventilation coupled with a windy day, the chocolate chips were scattered around the factory and beyond.

Perhaps this is the most harmless story of all.

Gas pipeline explosions in the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung on July 31, 2014

Witnesses to the leak reported seeing fireballs soaring into the sky and flames reaching 15 stories high. The gas pipeline explosions caused damage to 6 km of the road and an accident on the electrical network. There were at least five explosions in the city. After them 23,600 houses were left without gas, 12,000 without electricity, 8,000 without water.

On December 7, 2019, a hexavalent chromium leak occurred in Detroit, leaking into the ground from a chemical storage facility in which it was improperly contained

This became known only when a yellow-green liquid began to leak onto a nearby highway. Chromium reportedly seeped into the ground for at least 3 years before spilling onto the road, as the leak was reported by the authorities back in 2016.

In this case, hexavalent chromium was used in the application of an electrolytic (galvanic) metal coating. Hexavalent chromium products are genotoxic carcinogens. Chronic inhalation of hexavalent chromium compounds increases the risk of diseases of the nasopharynx, the risk of lung cancer.

In 2019, cars transported on an open deck caught fire

Salt water caused a short circuit in the batteries, which caused a fire.

It remains only to imagine how they later explained this case to the car owners: "Your car caught fire because of the water." Imagine the rest of the swim. Just a ship full of burnt scrap metal.

In 2019, a Sicilian winery ruptured an 80,000-liter cistern with red wine

Reportedly, the remains of wine in the cistern were still saved. It is estimated that the equivalent of 2,000-2,600 bottles of wine was lost, and the exposure to alcohol and carbon dioxide caused headaches, dizziness and leg tremors among the plant employees for 24 hours.

March 11, 2021: the last seconds of the Ukrainian bulk carrier Volgo-Balt 179 before it sank near the Romanian Constanta

The crew consisted of 12 men and one woman, all of them citizens of Ukraine. Out of 13 sailors, 10 were rescued. According to preliminary data, the Volgo-Balt 179, flying the flag of the Comoros, fell on its side and subsequently turned over, the cause was a strong roughness at sea.

On December 19, 2019, London workers drilled a hole in the ground, but, unfortunately, there were lines of wires in this place, with the help of which access to the Internet was provided

A very costly mistake, but this is not the fault of technology, but of specific people, and not workers, but those who have allowed drilling in this place. Reportedly, about 80,000 people were left without the Internet. Fortunately, the company was able to quickly restore access, and by December 23, Internet access was restored.

The passenger Boeing 777 engine failed at an altitude of 4 km and caught fire. The pilot was able to land the plane, and 231 passengers and 10 crew members were not hurt

Fortunately, modern aircraft have engines powerful enough to keep flying. The very moment when you would be glad that you did not get a seat near the window.

When a video wall with monitors for a total of 300 thousand dollars (≈22.3 million rubles) just picks up and falls

Presumably, when installing the panels, a mounting cable of the wrong size was used, which broke off under the weight of the video wall. It is also reported that the amount of real damage is about 2 times higher.

Very costly technical disobedience.

In 2021, an explosion occurred at an Indonesian refinery located in the Indramayu region

Hundreds of residents of the nearby area were evacuated. Lightning reportedly struck the factory at night