t-minus 10... 9... 8...

I just finished re-watching Alien, and the end of it made me start thinking...

Why do all the engineers in the future assume that it would be a good idea to put a self destruct in a space ship? I don't have one in my car. They don't have them on boats, or planes.

I'd like to know the root of this sci-fi disease, this god in the machine throwaway ending. I've read a lot of 1950's sci fi, and I don't recall seeing any self-destruct ships. I think it was started in the movies.

Alien is from 1979. Has anyone seen any self-destruct sequences from before 1979?