The Johnstown Flood

TL;DR rich people play; everyone else pays, many with their lives.

This is likely not the first or last time that irresponsible negligence has led to calamity[citation needed]. In fact there's not that much remarkable about this story other than how well chronicled and researched it is. McCullough did a thorough job investigating and cross-referencing every available historical record, and wants to make sure the reader knows it: the book is twice the length it needed to be, with many mind-numbing paragraphs of details that are fascinating to someone. The other half, though, that's good. He writes with a kind voice, focusing more on the best of humanity than on the nastiness.