Disasters
Minute-by-minute reconstructions of history's catastrophes
The Indian Ocean Tsunami: The Morning the Sea Vanished First
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami killed an estimated 230,000 people across 14 countries. No warning system existed to tell them the wave was coming.
The Galveston Hurricane of 1900: America's Deadliest Natural Disaster
On September 8, 1900, a Category 4 hurricane overwhelmed Galveston, Texas, killing thousands in America's deadliest natural disaster.
Challenger: 73 Seconds Over Florida
On January 28, 1986, Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after launch. Engineers had warned against the cold the night before. Here is what happened, minute by minute.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire: 18 Minutes That Changed Labor Law
The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire killed 146 New York garment workers in 18 minutes, trapped behind locked doors. What the inquiry found rewrote US workplace safety law.
The Johnstown Flood of 1889: When a Rich Men's Dam Broke
The Johnstown Flood of 1889 killed 2,209 people when a hunting club's dam collapsed above Johnstown, Pennsylvania. No one was held legally liable.
Bhopal: The Night the Gas Leaked
A cost-cutting shutdown caused the Bhopal gas leak, releasing dozens of tons of toxic gas over a sleeping Indian city in the deadliest industrial disaster ever recorded.
The Boston Molasses Flood: When a Tank of Syrup Killed 21 People
The Boston Molasses Flood began when a steel tank burst in the North End on January 15, 1919, sending a 15-foot wave of syrup at 35 mph, killing 21.
The Chernobyl Disaster: The Night Reactor 4 Exploded
The Chernobyl disaster began when a flawed safety test met a reactor design flaw operators were never told about, causing the worst nuclear accident in history.
The Halifax Explosion: The Blast That Flattened a City
The Halifax Explosion in 1917 unleashed the largest man-made blast before the atomic bomb, killing nearly 2,000 people after two ships collided in the harbour.
The Hindenburg Disaster: Minute by Minute
The Hindenburg disaster killed 36 people in 34 seconds when the airship burned at Lakehurst, New Jersey, on May 6, 1937. Its exact cause is still argued over.
Tenerife: How Two 747s Collided on a Foggy Runway
A bomb threat, thick fog, and one ambiguous radio call: how two Boeing 747s collided at Tenerife in aviation's deadliest disaster.