The Carrington Event
In 1859, a spectacular auroral display astonished people all around the world - it was visible far beyond the usual latitudes for such a sight. At the same time, the nascent telegraph system went hayw...
6 Sep 201930min
The Sampoong Department Store Collapse
In the glamorous Gangnam area of Seoul, South Korea, hundreds of shoppers browsed through luxury goods or stopped to grab a couple of things on their way home from work. Then, with a loud bang, the st...
21 Jun 201931min
The Great Hunger, Ireland 1845-50
Also known as "an Gorta Mór" in Irish, or the Irish Potato Famine to those outside the Emerald Isle, the Great Hunger created a dividing line in Irish history. It was triggered by the potato blight, b...
7 Jun 201943min
The Princess Alice Disaster
The Princess Alice was a popular pleasure steamer plying the waters of the River Thames. The Bywell Castle was a collier ship from Newcastle, making its way out to sea after repainting. When the two m...
24 Mai 201939min
Chernobyl Part Two
The people of Pripyat knew something had happened at the nearby power plant - but they only realised how serious it was two days later, when they were ordered to evacuate the city. Drawing on account...
10 Mai 201946min
Chernobyl Part One
In April 1986, power plant operators prepared to carry out a planned test which would take less than a minute. Instead, they triggered a disaster with consequences that would last for thousands of yea...
26 Apr 201939min
Galveston Hurricane 1900
People gathered on the beaches to watch the awesome waves, but this was no mere squall coming in from the Gulf. It was a hurricane, and by the following day there would not be a single building in Gal...
12 Apr 201936min
The Bradford City Stadium Fire
It started as a wisp of smoke, but within a few short minutes it turned into a deadly inferno from which fifty six football fans were unable to escape.Drawing on eyewitness accounts, official reports ...
29 Mar 201937min
