Henry Petroski (February 6, 1942 – June 14, 2023) was an American engineer specializing infailure analysis. A professor both ofcivil engineering and history atDuke University, he was also a prolific author. Petroski wrote over a dozen books – beginning withTo Engineer is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design (1985) and including a number of titles detailing theindustrial design history of common, everyday objects, such aspencils,paper clips,toothpicks, andsilverware. His first book was made into the filmWhen Engineering Fails.[1] He was a frequent lecturer and a columnist for the magazinesAmerican Scientist andPrism.
Before beginning his work at Duke in 1980, Petroski worked at theUniversity of Texas at Austin from 1968–74 and for theArgonne National Laboratory from 1975–80.[3] Petroski was the Aleksandar S. Vesic Professor of Civil Engineering and a professor of history at Duke University.
In 2004, Petroski was appointed to the United States Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board[4] and was reappointed in 2008.
The House with Sixteen Handmade Doors: A Tale of Architectural Choice and Craftsmanship. (2014),ISBN978-0-393-24204-1
The Road Taken: The History and Future of America's Infrastructure. (2016),ISBN978-1-63286-360-7
Force: What It Means to Push and Pull, Slip and Grip, Start and Stop. (2022),ISBN978-0-300-26079-3
Articles
"Engineering: Scientific Status," in Modern Scientific Evidence, 2002, vol. 3, part 3, pp. 14–54.
"The Origins, Founding, and Early Years of the American Society of Civil Engineers: A Case Study in Successful Failure Analysis," in American Civil Engineering History: The Pioneering Years, B. G. Dennis, Jr., et al., editors, Proceedings of the Fourth National Congress on Civil Engineering History and Heritage, ASCE Annual Meeting, November 2–6, 2002, pp. 57–66.
"The Importance of Engineering History," International Engineering History and Heritage: Improving Bridges to ASCE's 150th Anniversary, Jerry R. Rogers and Augustine J. Fredrich, editors. History Congress proceedings, American Society of Civil Engineers, Houston, Texas, October 2001, pp. 1–7.
"Reference Guide on Engineering Practice and Methods," in Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence, 2nd edition, Washington, D.C.: Federal Judicial Center, 2000. pp. 577–24.
"The Britannia Tubular Bridge: A Paradigm of Failure-Driven Design," reprinted in Structural and Civil Engineering Design, William Addis, ed. Aldershot, Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 1999, pp. 313–24.
"Infrastructure," American Scientist, September–October 2009, pp. 370–74.
"Bridging the Gap," New York Times Magazine, June 14, 2009, pp. 11–12.
"Want to Engineer Real Change? Don’t Ask a Scientist," Washington Post, Outlook Section, January 25, 2009, p. B4.
"Calder as Artist-Engineer: Vectors, Velocities," in Alexander Calder: The Paris Years, 1926–1933, ed. Joan Simon and Brigitte Leal (New York, Paris, and New Haven: Whitney Museum of American Art, Centre Pompidou, and Yale University Press, 2008), pp. 178–83.
"The Importance of Civil Engineering History," Proceedings, International Civil Engineering History Symposium, Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, Toronto, June 2–4, 2005, pp. 3–8.
"The Evolution of Useful Things: Success through Failure," Proceedings of the Design History Society Conference on Design and Evolution, Delft, The Netherlands, August 3-September 2, 2006. In CD format.
"An American Perspective on Telford," The 250th Anniversary of the Birth of Thomas Telford: Collected Papers from a Commemorative Conference Held on 2 July 2007, Royal Society of Edinburgh, pp. 44–46.
"Foot in Mouth: The Toothpick’s Surprising Debt to the Shoe," Huntington Frontiers, Spring/Summer 2007, pp. 22–24.
"What’s in a Nametag?" American Scientist, July–August 2007, pp. 304–08.
"The Paradox of Failure," Los Angeles Times, August 4, 2007, p. A17.
"Success and Failure: Two Faces of Design," The Bent ofTau Beta Pi, Fall 2007, pp. 27–30.
"Picky, Picky, Picky," Los Angeles Times, October 30, 2007, p. A23.
"The Glorious Toothpick," The American, November/December 2007, pp. 76–80.
American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Fellow (2003)
Honorary Doctor of Pedagogy Degree, Manhattan College (2003)
Honorary Member, The Moles (2002)
Fellow, The Institution of Engineers of Ireland (2000)
Honorary Doctor of Science degree, Valparaiso University (1999)
Eminent Speaker, Institution of Engineers, Australia, Structural College (1998)
Tetelman Fellow, Jonathan Edwards College, Yale University (1998)
Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, Trinity College (Hartford, Conn.) (1997)
Elected a member of theNational Academy of Engineering in 1997 for books, articles, and lectures on engineering and the profession that have reached and influenced a wide range of audiences. (inducted 1997)
Orthogonal Medal, Graphic Communications Faculty, North Carolina State University (1996)
Fellow, American Society of Civil Engineers (1996)
Alumni Honor Award for Distinguished Service in Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1994)
Civil Engineering History and Heritage Award, American Society of Civil Engineers (1993)
Outstanding Graduate, School of Engineering Centennial Award, Manhattan College (1992)
