Handing lucrative contracts to family members is apparently nothing new, but rarely has it led to such a public catastrophe as the 1876 Ashtabula Bridge disaster. As you learn the fascinating history of entrepreneur Amasa Stone—a story filled with ignorance and hubris, as he built an iron bridge using a structural concept specifically developed for wood—you’ll follow the series of mistakes that led to America’s worst rail accident and worst bridge failure up to that time.