8. Safety

Our world isn't always a safe place but it's safer today than it was in the “good old days” thanks to the efforts of the many engineers whose inventions purified dirty water, tamed traffic, and reduced the incidence of catastrophic accidents. Anyone who fights fires or crime, builds buildings or boilers, or simply drives a car or drinks water has had the probability of death or injury by a catastrophic accident dramatically diminished. The ingenuity of engineers in their efforts to minimize the dangers in our lives make for intriguing, inspiring and sometimes surprising stories.