This book introduces important human factors issues using a series of real cases and incidents from health care and a variety of other industries. The title refers to the disastrous death of a patient due to a design flaw in the radiotherapy accelerator, Therac-25. A plausible but unanticipated series of keystrokes by the operator resulted in the delivery of more than 100 times the intended dose of radiation. Other chapters discuss events as diverse as the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal, India, an incorrect stock trade that nearly caused a market collapse, a variety of military and industrial examples, as well other cases from health care. The book provides numerous real-world examples of misadventures in human–system interactions.