Most engineering projects are successful and, while we sometimes celebrate them, more often we take them for granted.  When they fail, however, we take notice.  Sometimes we take notice because people are killed or injured; sometimes because they are not; and sometimes because of the sheer spectacle of seeing a large structure collapse, explode, or otherwise fail. (Remember when you were a child, how you liked to build towers of blocks and knock them down?)  Engineering failures deserve notice because engineers have an ethical responsibility to avoid them and because we can learn from them.

Engineering triumphs also deserve notice, but usually don't receive it.  Had the Convention Center been completed without incident, we might be impressed with its size and (perhaps) with its esthetic values, but we would probably not pay much attention to the engineering skills that went into its design and construction.  This is unfortunate, because engineering is fundamental to our technological society.  Its practice deserves more recognition than society generally gives it.  The National Academy of Engineering and several professional engineering societies are making efforts to remedy this situation.  The links below showcase some of these efforts, as well as some sites that describe engineering failures and disasters.

Links (updated):
= highly recommended

Greatest Engineering Achievements of the Twentieth Century, from the National Academy of Engineering.  Includes broad areas, such as the automobile, the Internet, and the telephone, rather than specific projects.  There's a history and a timeline for each one.

A Sightseer's Guide to Engineering, brought to you by the National Society of Professional Engineers and National Engineers Week.  Searchable by U.S. state, by keyword, engineering discipline, or category.

20th Century Achievements in Mechanical Engineering, from "agricultural mechanization" to "xerography," with short articles about each.

Civil Engineering Failures and Disasters (Not Designed by U. of T. Grads. . .), from the University of Toronto Civil Engineering Department.  Links to a number of famous disasters as well as a bibliography on the subject.  Check out the Boston molasses tank spill of 1919.

Engineering Component Failure Museum from the Department of Materials Engineering of the Open University (UK).

Selected Famous Engineering Disasters, by Prof. William James of the School of Engineering, University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada).  A lengthy set of links, apparently based on student projects.

"Engineering Disasters:  Learning from Failure," from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, State University of New York at Stony Brook.  Lots of links as well as a short bibliography.

iCivilEngineer.com's Failure Watch.  An up-to-date list of civil engineering failures, with links to further information, part of a portal site for civil engineers.

"Taming Nature:  Environmental Engineering Disasters in Early Modern Italy," by John Broich and Beth Condie of Stanford University's History Department.

List of engineering successes and failures (for possible use by students in an engineering course), by Jill Powell of Cornell University.

Engineering Achievements of China Jingye Construction Engineering Contract Company (Singapore).

"Top Ten Engineering Achievements of the [20th] Century," from About.com.

The Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame at the Canada Science & Technology Museum in Ottawa. 

The National Engineering Hall of Fame.  There ought to be one, but this site is mostly a shell.  A good case study of why you should never go live with your site until it's got some content.