Re: xkcd: Good and Bad Ideas

On Tue, 7 May 2024 17:21:52 -0500, Lynn McGuire
<lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:

xkcd: Good and Bad Ideas
   https://xkcd.com/2929/
>
We would have lost WWII without leaded gasoline.  The bombers and
fighters both required 100+ octane gasoline which was only achievable
using massive quantities of tetra-ethyl lead in those days.

That is important to know.

But the use of tetraethyl lead for private automobiles, when adequate,
but more expensive, alternatives were available, was a bad idea, since
it stunted the minds of many children in the United States.

Had the technology only been used where it was appropriate, then
indeed it would be easier for its good side to be more generally
recognized.

John Savard