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They Were Warned

25 American disasters someone saw coming, from the Sultana in 1865 to Deepwater Horizon in 2010. The memo, the person who wrote it, the decision that followed, and what changed after.

$14$19 launch priceCode WARNED · until Dec 15

Instant download · PDF + animated web edition · one payment, no subscription. The code WARNED is already applied; from Dec 16, 2026 the price is $19.

They Were Warned
Every disaster had two dates

The day it happened, and the day someone wrote it down

9 years
between John Fulton's 1880 report on the South Fork Dam and the 1889 Johnstown Flood
Johnstown Flood
53 min
between the Opana radar sighting and the first bombs at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
6 months
between Roger Boisjoly's O-ring memo and the Challenger launch
Challenger
25
disasters, each with the written warning that came first
They Were Warned
What's inside

5 eras · 25 disasters · 61 large-print pages

Each disaster gets two pages: the warning itself (in the original words when the record allows, clearly marked when it is a summary), who decided what, an hour-by-hour timeline, the cost, the rule that changed afterward, and the lesson.

Steam & Iron · 1865–1919Boilers, dams and theaters built fast, with rules that came only after the funerals.
Dams, Dust & War · 1920–1949A dam that cracked, a prairie that blew away, and a radar blip at Pearl Harbor.
Atoms & Rockets · 1950–1979New machines, old habits: a capsule fire, a coal-waste dam, a nuclear valve.
Big Systems · 1980–1999A mountain that bulged, a shuttle seal in the cold, a freeway built on mud.
The New Century · 2000–2010Warnings in briefings, e-mails and inspection reports, and the price of ignoring them.
Look inside

Big type. Archive photos. The original documents.

Included

An animated web edition, made for easy reading

Read it on a phone, a tablet or the browser on your TV. Big buttons, one page at a time, and an A+ button for bigger text. It remembers where you stopped.

Free download

The 7 Warnings That Were Ignored

Johnstown, the Triangle fire, Pearl Harbor, Teton Dam, Three Mile Island, Challenger and Columbia: the warning, the people who wrote it and what happened next. 9 pages, free. Just enter your email.

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FAQ

Questions

What do I get?

A 61-page PDF in large print and a link to the animated web edition. Both arrive by email right after checkout and stay in your Gumroad library.

Is every quote real?

Quotes marked In their words were checked against the original record or an official report. Where the exact wording is not in a public record we could check, the warning is marked In summary.

Is it a subscription?

No. One payment. Checkout and sales tax are handled by Gumroad. Card, PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay are accepted.

Will it work on my device?

Yes. The PDF opens on any computer, tablet or phone, and you can print it.

What if I don't like it?

Reply to your receipt within 30 days and you get a full refund.

Read the warnings history forgot

25 disasters. 25 people who saw them coming. One book.

Get the book

Instant download · PDF + animated web edition · one payment, no subscription. The code WARNED is already applied; from Dec 16, 2026 the price is $19.

$14 · They Were WarnedGet it