The Great Columbus Experiment of 1908: Water Works That Changed the World

After Senator Marcus Hanna--a presidential hopeful at the turn of the twentieth century--contracted typhoid from Columbus tap water and died soon after, the embarrassed city rushed into action. The Columbus Experiment was born. Scientists and a group of nationally renowned men who were taught the science of sanitary engineering at MIT by a forgotten and uncredited female chemist devised a plan and mobilized an army of workers into action, in spite of the ceaseless internal strife of city politicians. The result was a water-treatment system that virtually eliminated the scourge of typhoid, cholera and many other waterborne diseases from the civilized world, saving millions of lives. Join Conrade C. Hinds and the Columbus Landmarks Foundation in exploring the waterworks that changed the world.