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This giant model stopped a terrible plan

Tom Scott · explainer · Watch on YouTube

Civil engineering & constructionWorld history

What it is

Tom Scott tells how John Reber's plan to dam San Francisco Bay was disproved by the Army Corps of Engineers' giant hydraulic Bay Model in Sausalito. The model showed the plan would have been dangerously wrong.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN recommends it as a short, fascinating story of a scale model preventing a terrible engineering decision.

  • 5 people recommended it
  • 4 different months
  • 0 strong recommendations
  • first 2018, last 2026

What HN commenters said

  1. “Tom Scott has a great video[0] about a similar attempt to dam the San Francisco Bay”

    Plan to dam SF Bay tested with a giant scale model.

    jedimastert, 2019-07 · Recommendation · in “Atlantropa”

  2. “is a good video to watch”

    Covers John Reber's plan to turn the Bay into a freshwater lake.

    CaliforniaKarl, 2019-07 · Recommendation · in “Harrison Ford: “Stop Giving Power to People Who Don't Believe in Science””

  3. “I learned of this plan via this short Tom Scott video. Fascinating.”

    Short fascinating video on the plan to dam SF Bay.

    scrollaway, 2020-11 · Recommendation · in “The New Europe With Lasting Peace (100 year old map)”

  4. “they used it to figure out that damming the SF Bay was a very, very bad idea”

    Scale model showed damming the SF Bay was a bad idea.

    pmiller2, 2020-12 · Recommendation · in “Atlantropa”

  5. “he has done a great video 4mn vide on the model where you can see it in action”

    Short video showing the Bay Model in action.

    LucasLanglois, 2026-06 · Recommendation · in “U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Bay Model”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: san francisco bay, hydraulic model, army corps of engineers, john reber, tom scott

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