247 Items Tagged

Disasters

Grasshopper Chapel and grounds.

How the Rocky Mountain Locust Plague Spawned Federal Disaster Relief

When a cloud of locusts twice the size of Colorado descended upon the American Midwest, the federal government realized that some problems require a nationwide response.

The Podcast Team June 9, 2025

Middletown, Pennsylvania

Three Mile Island Historical Marker

On the outskirts of Pennsylvania’s capital city, a reminder of the worst accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant history.

A White Star Line postcard promoting two new steamships: <em>Olympic</em> and <em>Titanic</em>.

Titanic's Legacy: Our Favorite Reads

The world's fastest glacier, Chartreuse jelly, and other stories connected to the doomed ocean liner.

Michelle Cassidy April 11, 2025

Forest Park, Illinois

Showmen’s Rest

A section in the cemetery mostly for circus performers, including victims of the famous 1918 Hammond Circus train wreck.

A satellite image shows smoke from the Palisades Fire spreading across Los Angeles and out into the Pacific Ocean on January 7, 2025.

The Unusually Strong Force Driving Apocalyptic Los Angeles Wildfires

Powerful seasonal winds combined with drought-starved vegetation have made the Palisades Fire one of the worst in California history.

Umair Irfan January 9, 2025

Christchurch, New Zealand

Cardboard Cathedral

This semi-permanent cathedral was built of cardboard, wood, and steel after Christchurch's 2011 earthquake.

Sunshine Valley, British Columbia

Hope Slide

The morning of January 9, 1965, over 46 million cubic meters of earth, rock, and snow broke free, obliterating a section of the highway below.

Vulcan, West Virginia

Vulcan Bridge

This rural bridge gave the government of West Virginia a red scare.

People visit the beach in in Fort Myers, Florida, as storm clouds gather ahead of Hurricane Milton's arrival.

As Hurricane Milton Approaches, Communities Repair and Prepare

In the wake of one hurricane and the looming shadow of another, millions find creative ways to face a crisis.

Atlas Obscura October 8, 2024

London, England

Stairway to Heaven Memorial

An inverted staircase above the entrance to the Bethnal Green Underground Station functions as a memorial for people who lost their lives during the worst civilian disaster in the U.K. during World War II.

Brooklyn, New York

Urban Post-Disaster Housing Prototype

An interim housing alternative to FEMA trailers that is designed for densely populated areas during recovery and rebuilding following a natural disaster.

Podcast: The Ludlow Massacre Site

The scene of one of the darkest moments in American labor history has been left essentially untouched since the tragedy.

The Podcast Team May 20, 2024

Today the giant Pacific octopus, or <em>Enteroctopus dofleini</em>, is a beloved cephalopod, but in the early 20th century, some mistook these friendly giants as terrifying man-eaters.

How the World’s Largest Octopus Went From Cryptid to Protected

Turns out some monsters are real—and pretty cute.

Sam Fletcher May 1, 2024

Is your state in danger of an earthquake? Well, yes.

Not Even Minnesota Is Safe From Earthquakes

Was the recent New York quake really all that uncommon? Here's a state-by-state map.

Frank Jacobs April 12, 2024

Christchurch, New Zealand

Flora and Otto

A mosaic armchair and ottoman built from china broken in the Christchurch earthquakes.

Eyemouth, Scotland

Cholera Monument

A watchhouse constructed from tombstones, to make way for a burial pit, for the victims succumbing to a deadly disease.

Tallinn, Estonia

'Broken Line' Memorial

A monument commemorating the 852 lives lost in the sinking of the MS Estonia.

Oarfish sport red spine-like fins on their head and a long dorsal fin running the length of their body, as well as two oar-like pelvic fins, giving them their name.

The Legend of Japan's 'Earthquake Fish'

The serpent-like oarfish has long been considered an omen of natural disaster. Scientists are shaking up that old superstition.

Roxanne Hoorn October 3, 2023