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In a new article for Wired News, Simson Garfinkel describes what he deems to be the ten worst software bugs in history (so far).

It is a grim tale of lost spacecraft, explosions, and some unfortunate fatalaties. He also makes a passing reference to the first software bug ever recorded, pictured to the right.

From the article:

1982 ⁠— Soviet gas pipeline. Operatives working for the Central Intelligence Agency allegedly (.pdf) plant a bug in a Canadian computer system purchased to control the trans-Siberian gas pipeline. The Soviets had obtained the system as part of a wide-ranging effort to covertly purchase or steal sensitive U.S. technology. The CIA reportedly found out about the program and decided to make it backfire with equipment that would pass Soviet inspection and then fail once in operation. The resulting event is reportedly the largest non-nuclear explosion in the planet’s history.

Wired article

Found on BoingBoing.net