The Backfire Awards, for outstanding achievement in unintended consequences. The Midgley goes to backfires at world scale, the Murphy to everyday ones. Vote on whether each one deserves it. About the awards

5 1955 Be Berners-Lee ▲? ▼?
Tim Berners-LeeBorn 1955 · Tech and AI
5 1955 Be Berners-Lee ▲? ▼?

Tim Berners-Lee
Born 1955
Tech and AI

The World Wide Web

An open system that made information universally linkable and accessible, arguably the greatest democratization of knowledge in history.

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How to read the tile

5 1955 Be Berners-Lee ▲? ▼?
5Group

Tech and AI. The color matches.

1955Born

Berners-Lee was born in 1955.

BeSymbol

The first two letters of the name.

Berners-LeeName

The surname, or the short name of a program.

▲?Helped

People it helped: not yet researched.

▼?Harmed

People it harmed: not yet researched.

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01

What went right

An open system that made information universally linkable and accessible, arguably the greatest democratization of knowledge in history.

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02

What went oops

An information environment that also holds surveillance, spam, fraud, algorithmic manipulation and industrial-scale misinformation.

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03 Could anyone have seen it coming?

Unforeseeable at the time

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The verdict so far

Oops Score?Judges still scoring
Herd Score?Not enough votes yet

Is Tim Berners-Lee Midgley-worthy?

Vote and argue at backfireawards.com/n/berners-lee

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Midgley-worthy?

Oops ? · Herd ? (1 vote so far) · scores

The World Wide Web An information environment that also holds surveillance, spam, fraud, algorithmic manipulation and industrial-scale misinformation.

More backfires

2 1888 Mo Moses ▲? ▼?
Robert Moses1888 to 1981 · Cities and Transport
2 1888 Mo Moses ▲? ▼?

Robert Moses
1888 to 1981
Cities and Transport

Automobile-oriented urbanism

Highways moved people longer distances extremely well and built infrastructure at unprecedented scale.

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How to read the tile

2 1888 Mo Moses ▲? ▼?
2Group

Cities and Transport. The color matches.

1888Born

Moses was born in 1888.

MoSymbol

The first two letters of the name.

MosesName

The surname, or the short name of a program.

▲?Helped

People it helped: not yet researched.

▼?Harmed

People it harmed: not yet researched.

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01

What went right

Highways moved people longer distances extremely well and built infrastructure at unprecedented scale.

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02

What went oops

Demolished neighborhoods, induced more driving, and left metropolitan forms that are enormously hard to retrofit.

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03 Could anyone have seen it coming?

Knowable at the time

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The verdict so far

Oops Score?Judges still scoring
Herd Score?Not enough votes yet

Is Robert Moses Midgley-worthy?

Vote and argue at backfireawards.com/n/moses

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Midgley-worthy?

Oops ? · Herd ? (1 vote so far) · scores

Automobile-oriented urbanism Demolished neighborhoods, induced more driving, and left metropolitan forms that are enormously hard to retrofit.

Anonymous Seemed like a good idea at the time! 22m ago ·

4 1868 Ha Haber ▲1B ▼100M
Fritz Haber1868 to 1934 · Ecology and Agriculture
Etched profile portrait of Fritz Haber, bald, with round glasses
4 1868 Ha Haber ▲1B ▼100M

Fritz Haber
1868 to 1934
Ecology and Agriculture

Bread from air

In 1909 a chemist pulled nitrogen out of the sky and turned it into fertilizer. It worked. Then it kept working.

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How to read the tile

4 1868 Ha Haber ▲1B ▼100M
4Group

Ecology and Agriculture. The color matches.

1868Born

Haber was born in 1868.

HaSymbol

The first two letters of the name.

HaberName

The surname, or the short name of a program.

▲1BHelped

People it helped: a billion or more.

▼100MHarmed

People it harmed: 100 million or more.

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Workers loading guano into a rail cart at the foot of a huge pale heap, Chincha Islands, Peru, 1865
Guano mining, Chincha Islands, Peru, 1865. Henry de Witt Moulton. Public domain.

01 What it was meant to do

Fix a coming food shortage

Crops need nitrogen. Around 1900 most fertilizer nitrogen came from bird droppings dug off islands near Peru and from saltpeter mined in Chile. Both were running out. In 1898 the chemist William Crookes warned that the world would soon not grow enough wheat.

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A combine harvesting a vast golden wheat field on rolling hills
Wheat harvest on the Palouse. USDA. Public domain.

02 What went right

Half the world eats because of it

Fritz Haber found a way to make ammonia from the nitrogen in air. Carl Bosch scaled it up, and the first plant opened in 1913. Roughly half the people alive today eat food grown with it.

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Satellite view of brown and green water spreading from the Louisiana coast into the deep blue Gulf of Mexico
Sediment and phytoplankton in the Gulf of Mexico, 2023. NASA. Public domain.

03 What went oops

The extra nitrogen goes somewhere

Crops use only part of the fertilizer. The rest runs into rivers and the sea, feeds algae, and uses up the oxygen. Each summer the Gulf of Mexico grows a dead zone thousands of square miles wide.

  • Nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas 270 times stronger than CO2
  • Explosives for World War I
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04 What they got right

The chemistry still holds

More than a century later the world still makes ammonia the way Haber and Bosch did. The fixes being tried now leave the process alone and use less of it: fertilizer applied at the right time, in the right amount, in the right place.

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05 Could anyone have seen it coming?

Partly

The use in explosives was obvious by 1914. The damage to rivers, coasts and the climate was understood much later, once fertilizer use had grown many times over.

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Pattern #1

Solve a shortage, create a surplus

  1. → #1Solve a shortage, create a surplus Too little becomes too much, and the extra goes somewhere.
  2. #2Too stable to go away Built to last, so it lasts where it shouldn't.
  3. #3The problem moves Fixed in one place, it lands in another.
  4. #4Great for one, bad for all Each user wins. When everyone uses it, everyone loses.
  5. #5Chasing the wrong number It hit its target. The target was the wrong one.
  6. #6The cure breeds resistance Kill most of the problem and the survivors take over.
  7. #7The reward gets gamed People chase the incentive instead of the goal.
  8. #8Cheap now, paid later The bill arrives decades after the benefit.
  9. #9The lesson flipped Built to teach one lesson, it taught the opposite.
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The verdict so far

Oops Score?Judges still scoring
Herd Score?Not enough votes yet

Is Fritz Haber Midgley-worthy?

Vote and argue at backfireawards.com/n/haber

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Midgley-worthy?

Oops ? · Herd ? · scores

Synthetic ammonia (Haber-Bosch) Industrial explosives, fertilizer runoff, nitrous oxide emissions and a disrupted global nitrogen cycle.

1 1833 No Nobel ▲? ▼?
Alfred Nobel1833 to 1896 · Chemistry and Materials
1 1833 No Nobel ▲? ▼?

Alfred Nobel
1833 to 1896
Chemistry and Materials

Dynamite

A far safer, controllable way to use nitroglycerin, transforming mining, tunneling and construction.

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How to read the tile

1 1833 No Nobel ▲? ▼?
1Group

Chemistry and Materials. The color matches.

1833Born

Nobel was born in 1833.

NoSymbol

The first two letters of the name.

NobelName

The surname, or the short name of a program.

▲?Helped

People it helped: not yet researched.

▼?Harmed

People it harmed: not yet researched.

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01

What went right

A far safer, controllable way to use nitroglycerin, transforming mining, tunneling and construction.

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02 What went oops

A much more practical explosive for warfare.

His discomfort with that legacy gave us the Nobel Prizes.

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03 Could anyone have seen it coming?

Knowable at the time

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The verdict so far

Oops Score?Judges still scoring
Herd Score?Not enough votes yet

Is Alfred Nobel Midgley-worthy?

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Midgley-worthy?

Oops ? · Herd ? · scores

Dynamite A much more practical explosive for warfare. His discomfort with that legacy gave us the Nobel Prizes.

4 1929 Fr Franz ▲? ▼?
John FranzBorn 1929 · Ecology and Agriculture
4 1929 Fr Franz ▲? ▼?

John Franz
Born 1929
Ecology and Agriculture

Glyphosate

An extraordinarily effective herbicide that simplified weed control and helped enable no-till agriculture.

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How to read the tile

4 1929 Fr Franz ▲? ▼?
4Group

Ecology and Agriculture. The color matches.

1929Born

Franz was born in 1929.

FrSymbol

The first two letters of the name.

FranzName

The surname, or the short name of a program.

▲?Helped

People it helped: not yet researched.

▼?Harmed

People it harmed: not yet researched.

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01

What went right

An extraordinarily effective herbicide that simplified weed control and helped enable no-till agriculture.

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02

What went oops

Adoption at enormous scale bred herbicide-resistant weeds and ecological concerns. The human-health debate remains contested.

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03 Could anyone have seen it coming?

Still contested

Still contested
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The verdict so far

Oops Score?Judges still scoring
Herd Score?Not enough votes yet

Is John Franz Midgley-worthy?

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Midgley-worthy?

Oops ? · Herd ? · scores

Glyphosate (Roundup) Adoption at enormous scale bred herbicide-resistant weeds and ecological concerns. The human-health debate remains contested.

8 1899 Mü Müller ▲? ▼?
Paul Müller1899 to 1965 · Health and Medicine
8 1899 Mü Müller ▲? ▼?

Paul Müller
1899 to 1965
Health and Medicine

DDT as an insecticide

Astonishingly effective against disease-carrying insects; helped control malaria and typhus.

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How to read the tile

8 1899 Mü Müller ▲? ▼?
8Group

Health and Medicine. The color matches.

1899Born

Müller was born in 1899.

MüSymbol

The first two letters of the name.

MüllerName

The surname, or the short name of a program.

▲?Helped

People it helped: not yet researched.

▼?Harmed

People it harmed: not yet researched.

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01

What went right

Astonishingly effective against disease-carrying insects; helped control malaria and typhus. Nobel Prize, 1948.

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02

What went oops

Persistent bioaccumulation and ecological harm, famously eggshell thinning in birds.

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03 Could anyone have seen it coming?

Unforeseeable at the time

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The verdict so far

Oops Score?Judges still scoring
Herd Score?Not enough votes yet

Is Paul Müller Midgley-worthy?

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Midgley-worthy?

Oops ? · Herd ? · scores

DDT as an insecticide Persistent bioaccumulation and ecological harm, famously eggshell thinning in birds.

1 1863 Ba Baekeland ▲? ▼?
Leo Baekeland1863 to 1944 · Chemistry and Materials
1 1863 Ba Baekeland ▲? ▼?

Leo Baekeland
1863 to 1944
Chemistry and Materials

Bakelite and the plastics age

Synthetic polymers made modern medicine, electronics, transportation, food preservation and manufacturing possible.

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How to read the tile

1 1863 Ba Baekeland ▲? ▼?
1Group

Chemistry and Materials. The color matches.

1863Born

Baekeland was born in 1863.

BaSymbol

The first two letters of the name.

BaekelandName

The surname, or the short name of a program.

▲?Helped

People it helped: not yet researched.

▼?Harmed

People it harmed: not yet researched.

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01

What went right

Synthetic polymers made modern medicine, electronics, transportation, food preservation and manufacturing possible.

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02

What went oops

A century later: persistent plastic waste and microplastics distributed across the planet.

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03 Could anyone have seen it coming?

Unforeseeable at the time

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The verdict so far

Oops Score?Judges still scoring
Herd Score?Not enough votes yet

Is Leo Baekeland Midgley-worthy?

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Midgley-worthy?

Oops ? · Herd ? · scores

Bakelite and the plastics age A century later: persistent plastic waste and microplastics distributed across the planet.

4 1914 Bo Borlaug ▲? ▼?
Norman Borlaug1914 to 2009 · Ecology and Agriculture
4 1914 Bo Borlaug ▲? ▼?

Norman Borlaug
1914 to 2009
Ecology and Agriculture

The Green Revolution

High-yield crops with fertilizer, irrigation and pesticides averted famine on a tremendous scale.

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How to read the tile

4 1914 Bo Borlaug ▲? ▼?
4Group

Ecology and Agriculture. The color matches.

1914Born

Borlaug was born in 1914.

BoSymbol

The first two letters of the name.

BorlaugName

The surname, or the short name of a program.

▲?Helped

People it helped: not yet researched.

▼?Harmed

People it harmed: not yet researched.

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01

What went right

High-yield crops with fertilizer, irrigation and pesticides averted famine on a tremendous scale.

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02

What went oops

Monocultures, groundwater depletion, fertilizer pollution and heavy dependence on industrial inputs.

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03 Could anyone have seen it coming?

Partly knowable

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The verdict so far

Oops Score?Judges still scoring
Herd Score?Not enough votes yet

Is Norman Borlaug Midgley-worthy?

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Midgley-worthy?

Oops ? · Herd ? · scores

The Green Revolution Monocultures, groundwater depletion, fertilizer pollution and heavy dependence on industrial inputs.

5 1984 Zu Zuckerberg ▲? ▼?
Mark ZuckerbergBorn 1984 · Tech and AI
5 1984 Zu Zuckerberg ▲? ▼?

Mark Zuckerberg
Born 1984
Tech and AI

Algorithmic social media

Connected people at global scale and made publishing essentially frictionless.

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How to read the tile

5 1984 Zu Zuckerberg ▲? ▼?
5Group

Tech and AI. The color matches.

1984Born

Zuckerberg was born in 1984.

ZuSymbol

The first two letters of the name.

ZuckerbergName

The surname, or the short name of a program.

▲?Helped

People it helped: not yet researched.

▼?Harmed

People it harmed: not yet researched.

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01

What went right

Connected people at global scale and made publishing essentially frictionless.

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02

What went oops

Misinformation, polarization, privacy loss, addictive engagement and algorithmic amplification. Causality is heavily researched but still debated.

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03 Could anyone have seen it coming?

Still contested

Still contested
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The verdict so far

Oops Score?Judges still scoring
Herd Score?Not enough votes yet

Is Mark Zuckerberg Midgley-worthy?

Vote and argue at backfireawards.com/n/zuckerberg

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Midgley-worthy?

Oops ? · Herd ? · scores

Algorithmic social media Misinformation, polarization, privacy loss, addictive engagement and algorithmic amplification. Causality is heavily researched but still debated.

2 ? Ba Bassett ▲? ▼?
Edward M. Bassett1863 to 1948 · Cities and Transport
2 ? Ba Bassett ▲? ▼?

Edward M. Bassett
1863 to 1948
Cities and Transport

Single-use zoning

Factories, tenements and towers were crowding together, cutting off light and air and putting noxious industry next to homes.

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How to read the tile

2 ? Ba Bassett ▲? ▼?
2Group

Cities and Transport. The color matches.

?Born

Year born, or founded.

BaSymbol

The first two letters of the name.

BassettName

The surname, or the short name of a program.

▲?Helped

People it helped: not yet researched.

▼?Harmed

People it harmed: not yet researched.

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01

What went right

Factories, tenements and towers were crowding together, cutting off light and air and putting noxious industry next to homes. Bassett led the drafting of America's first comprehensive zoning code. Separating uses protected public health and property values so well that cities across the country copied it.

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02

What went oops

Once separating uses became the default everywhere, homes, jobs and shops ended up miles apart. The result was car dependence, sprawl, exclusionary single-family districts and a housing shortage that is now hard to legislate away. Mixed-use neighborhoods became illegal to build.

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03 Could anyone have seen it coming?

Partly knowable

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The verdict so far

Oops Score?Judges still scoring
Herd Score?Not enough votes yet

Is Edward M. Bassett Midgley-worthy?

Vote and argue at backfireawards.com/n/edward-m-bassett

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Midgley-worthy?

Oops ? · Herd ? · scores

Single-use zoning (New York's 1916 Zoning Resolution) Once separating uses became the default everywhere, homes, jobs and shops ended up miles apart. The result was car dependence, sprawl, exclusionary single-family districts and a housing shortage that is now hard to legislate away. Mixed-use neighborhoods became illegal to build.

7 1866 Ma Magie ▲1B ▼?
Lizzie Magie1866 to 1948 · Business and Marketing
7 1866 Ma Magie ▲1B ▼?

Lizzie Magie
1866 to 1948
Business and Marketing

The Landlord's Game

It worked as a game.

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How to read the tile

7 1866 Ma Magie ▲1B ▼?
7Group

Business and Marketing. The color matches.

1866Born

Magie was born in 1866.

MaSymbol

The first two letters of the name.

MagieName

The surname, or the short name of a program.

▲1BHelped

People it helped: a billion or more.

▼?Harmed

People it harmed: not yet researched.

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01

What it was meant to do

Teach people the economist Henry George's argument: when a few own the land and collect the rent, they get rich and everyone else gets poorer.

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02 What went right

It worked as a game.

She patented it in 1904, and people copied it by hand for decades, playing it in colleges and in homes from Atlantic City to Pennsylvania.

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03

What went oops

In 1935 Parker Brothers sold a version as Monopoly, where you win by bankrupting everyone else. It became one of the best-selling board games of all time, and it taught the opposite lesson.

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04

What they got right

Her board, with properties around the edge and a jail in the corner, is still the one people play.

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05 Could anyone have seen it coming?

Unforeseeable at the time

She could not have seen a game built to criticize monopoly becoming the way millions learn to enjoy one.

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Pattern #9

The lesson flipped

  1. #1Solve a shortage, create a surplus Too little becomes too much, and the extra goes somewhere.
  2. #2Too stable to go away Built to last, so it lasts where it shouldn't.
  3. #3The problem moves Fixed in one place, it lands in another.
  4. #4Great for one, bad for all Each user wins. When everyone uses it, everyone loses.
  5. #5Chasing the wrong number It hit its target. The target was the wrong one.
  6. #6The cure breeds resistance Kill most of the problem and the survivors take over.
  7. #7The reward gets gamed People chase the incentive instead of the goal.
  8. #8Cheap now, paid later The bill arrives decades after the benefit.
  9. → #9The lesson flipped Built to teach one lesson, it taught the opposite.
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The verdict so far

Oops Score?Judges still scoring
Herd Score?Not enough votes yet

Is Lizzie Magie Midgley-worthy?

Vote and argue at backfireawards.com/n/magie

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Midgley-worthy?

Oops ? · Herd ? · scores

The Landlord's Game (which became Monopoly) In 1935 Parker Brothers sold a version as Monopoly, where you win by bankrupting everyone else. It became one of the best-selling board games of all time, and it taught the opposite lesson.