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Disasters

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Great Yarmouth, England

Suspension Bridge Disaster Memorial

On May 2, 1845, crowds gathered to watch a clown and four geese sail upstream in a bathtub. Then disaster struck.
disasters

Make the Jellied Delicacy Served Aboard the Titanic

For their last meal, first-class passengers dined on 11 courses, including Chartreuse jelly and peaches.
Diana Hubbell April 27, 2023
disasters

The Ni-Vanuatu Way To Prepare for a Storm

In Vanuatu, traditional knowledge provides resilience as tropical cyclones grow more intense.
Monica Evans April 3, 2023
Dailly, Scotland

John Brown Memorial

The grave of a man who spent 23 days trapped underground after a mine collapse.
disasters

The Earthshaking History of San Francisco's Quake Shacks

You can still spot these tiny reminders of the 1906 earthquake in the city today.
Laura Kiniry February 23, 2023
disasters

The Curse of the Viking Sally, the Baltic’s Most Ill-Starred Ship

The one-time floating pleasure palace left a legacy of murder and maritime disaster in its wake.
Michael Hunt October 6, 2022
disasters

When Disaster Strikes in Brazil, This Pioneering Veterinarian Jumps Into Action

Carla Sassi is helping to develop new ways to save the country's animals from peril.
João Velozo July 7, 2022
disasters

Podcast: National Corvette Museum Sinkhole

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
The Podcast Team June 22, 2022
disasters

The Invisible Threat Beneath Cameroon's Deadly Lake Nyos

Thousands died in 1986 when the crater lake unleashed a cloud of toxic gas. Could it happen again?
John Richard Saylor June 9, 2022
disasters

In 1980, an Earthquake Destroyed an Italian Town—and Revealed Another

In Conza today, millennia of history seem to exist all at the same time.
Federico Formica April 6, 2022
disasters

Chernobyl's Strange Black Fungi Have a Superpower

The organisms, growing at the Ukrainian site amid invasion and occupation, may one day help keep space travelers safe.
Eden Arielle Gordon April 1, 2022
disasters

How Volcanologists Tracked a Violent, Months-Long Eruption

Though the damage on La Palma in the Canary Islands is extensive, no lives were lost.
Robin George Andrews January 14, 2022
Nashville, Tennessee

8th Avenue Reservoir

In 1912, a broken section of the reservoir wall released millions of gallons of water and destroyed many homes downhill.
disasters

Podcast: The Deadliest Lake

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
The Podcast Team December 6, 2021
disasters

Is an Asteroid to Blame for the Biblical Story of Sodom?

A massive space rock impact event may have inspired the tale of godly wrath.
Christopher R. Moore November 1, 2021
disasters

Podcast: Arecibo Observatory

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
The Podcast Team September 1, 2021
disasters

Podcast: National Corvette Museum Sinkhole

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
The Podcast Team May 31, 2021
disasters

Why Congo’s Nyiragongo Volcano Has Scientists on Edge

Fast lava and suspicious earthquakes mean people are still at risk.
Robin George Andrews May 28, 2021