Before you could tell what a cable and port could do by it's shape and connector. The wrong cable just wouldn't fit.
With USB-C it's a toss up as to whether this will work or release the magic smoke.
I am aware that some faulty cables killed devices, but never ran across or even feared running across them.
With the benefit of hindsight, I'm certain a better standard could be made today, at least to some degree, but I think anything trying to be as 'universal' as USB is is probably doomed to a similar fate eventually.
i am not for sure why i am downvoted so much, but i suppose it's because most here don't interact with hardware at all. usb, and the associated ecosystem, is a nightmare for anyone who has dealt with it on the job outside of charging their phone.