You can do lots of things in 10 seconds. Update your Twitter status. Tie your shoes. Demolish an entire neighborhood.
Read More: Before and After Photos Show Construction Crew Demolish an Entire Neighborhood in Just 10 Seconds
History venerates the builders of great bridges, dams, and towers. But rare are commemorative plaques for the un-builders—those charged with the equally heroic task of dismantling those grand structures, once they become dowdy, obsolete, or downright dangerous. Herewith, five case studies in the art of mega-destruction—starting with the old, seismically shaky eastern span of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge. Also: remodeling NASA’s rocket assembly building, scrapping the world’s longest aircraft carrier, recycling a supercomputer, and moving a river to remove a dam.
[MORE: The Dangerous Art of Tearing Down Bridges, Dams, and Aircraft Carriers]