The Origins, Founding, and Early Years of the American Society of Civil Engineers: A Case Study in Successful Failure Analysis

摘要

The story of the founding of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is widely known. Still it bears retelling on the occasion of the sesquicentennial of the Society, for it is a story of emulation, of slow and difficult beginnings, of halting early progress, of overcoming adversity, of learning from failures, and, ultimately, of monumental achievement. In short, the story of the founding of the ASCE mirrors the story of a great engineering project.