Timeline
Timeline of Forgotten Disasters
Ten real events. Some of them you have heard of. Most of them you have not, or you have heard of the wrong one.
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17 October 1814
The London Beer Flood
St Giles, London, England
A 22-foot wooden vat of porter at the Meux brewery burst and set off more. The wave of beer broke through a wall into the slums behind it and killed eight people. The inquest ruled the deaths accidental.
Sources: Wikipedia · Smithsonian · London Museum
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8 October 1871
The Peshtigo Fire
Peshtigo, Wisconsin, USA
A firestorm burned roughly 1.2 to 1.5 million acres in one night, the same night as the Chicago fire. At least 1,200 people died, and estimates run as high as 2,500. Chicago got the headlines.
Sources: NWS Green Bay · Wikipedia
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28 December 1879
The Tay Bridge Disaster
Firth of Tay, Dundee, Scotland
A new railway bridge collapsed in a gale with a train on it. There were no survivors. The accepted toll is 59, though an older figure of 75 is still repeated. The inquiry blamed the design, construction and maintenance, and the engineer’s career did not recover.
Sources: BBC News · ScotlandsPeople · Wikipedia
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24 July 1915
The Eastland Disaster
Chicago River, Illinois, USA
A passenger ship carrying people to a company picnic rolled over while still tied to the dock. 844 people died. The ship was top-heavy, and the lifeboats added after the Titanic reportedly made that worse.
Sources: Encyclopedia of Chicago · Eastland Disaster Historical Society · Wikipedia
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6 December 1917
The Halifax Explosion
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Two ships collided at low speed in the harbor. One was loaded with munitions, caught fire, and blew up about 20 minutes later at 9:04 a.m. At least 1,782 people died, estimates run closer to 2,000, and around 9,000 were injured.
Sources: The Canadian Encyclopedia · Nova Scotia Archives · Wikipedia
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15 January 1919
The Great Molasses Flood
North End, Boston, USA
A tank burst and sent about 2.3 million gallons of molasses through the streets at an estimated 35 mph. Twenty-one people died. Full essay.
Sources: Smithsonian · HISTORY
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17 July 1944
The Port Chicago Disaster
Port Chicago, California, USA
An ammunition ship exploded during loading and killed 320 people, most of them Black sailors. Afterward hundreds of sailors refused to keep loading, and 50 of them were convicted of mutiny. The Navy exonerated all 256 men convicted in the case in 2024.
Sources: National Park Service · U.S. Navy · Wikipedia
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20 October 1944
The Cleveland Gas Explosion
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
A liquefied natural gas tank failed and the gas ran into the storm sewers, where it ignited. Explosions came up through the drains and across the east side. About 130 people died. The count is 128 in one report, 130 in another and 131 in a third.
Sources: Encyclopedia of Cleveland History · U.S. Bureau of Mines report · Wikipedia
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16 April 1947
The Texas City Disaster
Texas City, Texas, USA
A fire on a ship carrying ammonium nitrate ended in an explosion that set off more across the port. The death toll is about 576 to 581, depending on the source, and nearly all of the town’s volunteer firefighters were among them. A second ship exploded about 16 hours later.
Sources: Texas State Historical Association · Wikipedia
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20 November 1980
Lake Peigneur
Louisiana, USA
An oil rig drilled into a salt mine beneath a lake. The lake drained into the mine and took the rig, barges and part of the shoreline with it. Everyone got out. Three dogs were reported killed.
Sources: UPI archive · 64 Parishes · Wikipedia