The Carlos De Luna execution

An interview with the former Death House chaplain at The Walls -- the man who ministered to Carlos De Luna in the hours before he was executed by the State of Texas on December 7, 1989. Rev. Carroll Pickett says that the execution of Carlos De Luna was the most difficult one in which he was involved -- and he ministered to 95 men on the day they died. Failure magazine also covered the Carlos De Luna story in 2008 as part of a feature on At the Death House Door -- a feature that addressed whether or not Americans are educated enough about capital punishment to make a well-reasoned decision about the issue.

75th Anniversary of the Hindenburg Disaster (and other airship accidents)

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the Hindenburg airship disaster, which abruptly put an end to the Zeppelin era. It was the first time a major aviation accident took place with reporters present, captured on film for all the world to see. Unbeknownst to many today, the airship already had a long history of spectacular mishaps before the Hindenburg went up in flames.

Failure magazine feature on 'Glock' makes the front page of Reddit

If you haven't had a chance to read it already, Failure magazine's feature on Glock: The Rise of America's Gun

(Crown), has been immensely popular, making the front page of Reddit this past Tuesday. Thanks Redditors!

The Woman Who Wasn't There

Tomorrow morning Failure publishes an interview with Angelo J. Guglielmo Jr., co-author of "The Woman Who Wasn't There" (Touchstone), a new book that chronicles the remarkable 9/11 survival story of Tania Head, a woman who inspired countless 9/11 survivors ... until she was revealed to be a fraud.



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Chandler Harnish: Mr. Irrelevant 2012

With the 253rd pick of the 2012 NFL draft the Indianapolis Colts selected Chandler Harnish, a QB from Northern Illinois. He becomes the 37th Mr. Irrelevant. Chandler Harnish take heart. Many last-in-the-draft picks have gone on to successful NFL careers. Case in point: Ryan Succop, Mr. Irrelevant 2009, who signed a five-year $14 million contract extension with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2011. Failure magazine talked to Succop after he was drafted in 2009, part of a feature on the history of Irrelevant Week.

America's Deadliest Train Wreck

Failure recently learned that the deadliest train wreck in U.S. history happened in Nashville, Tennessee, not far from the magazine's current home base. The accident (referred to as the Dutchman's Curve wreck) occurred on July 9, 1918, when a pair of Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis passenger trains collided head-on, resulting in the loss of at least 101 lives. At right is the historical marker that was erected in July 2008, not far from the crash site.

Mark Titus on 'Don't Put Me In, Coach'

“I didn’t dream about this,” admits Mark Titus about the popular and critical acclaim for ‘Don’t Put Me In, Coach,’ his memoir about his four years as a walk-on basketball player at THE Ohio State University. “I didn’t know it was possible for a bench-warmer to write a successful book,” he says. Mark Titus interview with Failure magazine.

Dirk Hayhurst interview

New in Failure: Dirk Hayhurst, author of “Out of My League” (Citadel Press), on life as a struggling major league baseball player.

Sealab: The Book

In the 1960s, Americans were focused on space and the idea of sending a man to the moon. In the meantime, a scrappy group of sea-dwelling divers were looking down — to the bottom of the ocean — and opening a vast undersea world to human exploration. So why have they been forgotten? Ben Hellwarth on Sealab, America’s Forgotten Quest to Live and Work on the Ocean Floor.

Fox News Vermont-New Hampshire map fail

As seen on Fox News, December 2011.

Fox News Nevada-Utah map fail

Documerica photos

George Washington Bridge, New York (May 1973)


Trash and tires litter Baltimore Harbor (January 1973)


Drums containing hazarous industrial waste, Ville Platte, Louisiana (June 1973)



Snohomish River at Everett, Washington (May 1973)

Titanic 100th anniversary cruises

First, there was the Titanic Memorial Cruise. Now available: cabins on the Titanic Anniversary Cruise (roundtrip to and from New York) on the Azamara Journey [pictured above], and the Titanic Mini Cruise (roundtrip to and from Southampton on the MS Balmoral).

Failure's Berkeley Pit feature highlighted in Denver Post

Sarah Gilman's Christmas Day column in the Denver Post highlighted Failure magazine's feature The Berkeley Pit. Unfortunately, the Post's editors failed to link to the article.

Fed Up With Lunch

The inspiring story of Sarah Wu (also known as Mrs. Q), who has become an unlikely part of the school lunch reform movement. The cover of her book, "Fed Up With Lunch" (Chronicle), is pictured at right.

"A Thousand Lives"

In the new book “A Thousand Lives” (Free Press), author Julia Scheeres makes it clear that Jim Jones never intended for Jonestown to succeed. In fact, he explored many different means of killing his followers, including loading them onto a jet plane and crashing it, and driving buses off the Golden Gate Bridge. Our feature on the book includes a link to the video advertorial that Jones used to entice followers to come down to Guyana, as well as photos, documents, movies, and audio clips that the FBI rescued from Jonestown.

The Berkeley Pit

Butte, Montana toxic waste site (and State Office of Tourism recommended "place to visit") yielding compounds that may be medically, environmentally useful. Photo courtesy of Donald Stierle.

Berkeley Pit Viewing Stand

To go out onto Berkeley Pit Lake you have to complete a 40-hour Hazmat course. But for just two dollars, a member of the public can look out over the Pit from the Berkeley Pit Viewing Stand (which is accessed by walking through a long tunnel) - and take in this strangely-compelling view. Photo by Failure magazine.

Empire, Nevada became a ghost town in 2011

In January 2011, Empire was home to ninety-nine U.S. Gypsum Company employees and their families. Today, all the inhabitants of the company town are gone and the desert is reclaiming the land. Above: The view from outside Empire's locked gates. (Photo by Leigh Ann Lipscomb, late November 2011).



Above: The now-vacant drywall plant.
(Photo by Leigh Ann Lipscomb, late November 2011).

Idaho Beef & Dairy CAFOs

Today Failure magazine published a feature on the work of watchdog group ICARE (Idaho Concerned Area Residents for the Environment), which aims to educate the public about the environmental impact of Concentrated Animals Feeding Operations (CAFOs), and also acts as a champion of small family farmers. The above photo depicts a feeding pen at a dairy CAFO on Bob Barton Highway in Jerome County, Idaho. Notice the single cow standing atop the manure pile.