Aircraft Crashes (part 2 of 2): 1976 Sept. 10, Zagreb, Yugoslavia:midair collision between British Airways Trident and Yugoslav charter DC-9 fatal to all 176 people aboard. Sept. 19, Karatepe, Turkey:Turkish Airlines 727 crashes into mountainous terrain killing 154 people. 1977 March 27, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands:Pan American and KLM Boeing 747s collided on runway. All 249 on KLM plane and 333 of 394 aboard Pan Am jet killed. Total of 582 is highest for any type of aviation disaster. 1978 Jan. 1, Bombay:Air India 747 with 213 aboard exploded and plunged into sea minutes after takeoff. Sept. 25, San Diego, Calif.:Pacific Southwest plane collided in midair with Cessna. All 135 on airliner, 2 in Cessna, and 7 on ground killed for total of 144. Nov. 15, Colombo, Sri Lanka:chartered Icelandic Airlines DC-8, carrying 249 Muslim pilgrims from Mecca, crashed in thunderstorm during landing approach; 183 killed. 1979 May 25, Chicago:American Airlines DC-10 lost left engine upon takeoff and crashed seconds later, killing all 272 people aboard and 3 on the ground in worst U.S. air disaster. Nov. 26, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia:Pakistan International Airlines 707 carrying pilgrims returning from Mecca crashed on takeoff; all 156 aboard killed. Nov. 28, Mt. Erebus, Antarctica:Air New Zealand DC-10 crashed on sightseeing flight; 257 killed. 1980 Aug. 19, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:all 301 aboard Saudi Arabian jet killed when burning plane made safe landing but passengers were unable to escape. 1981 Dec. 1, Ajaccio, Corsica:Yugoslav DC-9 Super 80 carrying tourists crashed into mountain on landing approach, killing all 178 aboard. 1983 June 28, near Cuenca, Ecuador:Ecuadorian jetliner crashed in mountains, killing 119. Aug. 30, nr. island of Sakhalin off Siberia:Korean Air Lines Boeing 747 shot down by Soviet fighter after it strayed off course into Soviet airspace. All 269 aboard killed. Secret Soviet documents released in Oct. 1992 reveal that the plane was flying a straight course for two hours with its navigational lights on and did not take evasive action. Crew was unaware of its location and never saw the Soviet fighter that downed them. The Soviet fighter did not give a warning by firing tracer bullets as originally claimed. Nov. 27, Madrid:Colombian Avianca Boeing 747 crashed near Mejorada del Campó Airport, killing 181 people aboard. Eleven people survived. 1985 June 23, Atlantic Ocean:Air India 747 exploded over the ocean killing 329. The probable cause was a Sikh terrorist bomb. Aug. 12, Japan:Japan Air Lines Boeing 747 crashed into a mountain, killing 520 of the 524 aboard. Highest death toll in a single-plane crash in aviation history. Dec. 12, Gander, Newfoundland:a chartered Arrow Air DC-8 bringing American soldiers home for Christmas crashed on takeoff. All 256 aboard died. 1987 May 9, Poland:Polish airliner Ilyushin 62M, on charter flight to N.Y., crashed after takeoff from Warsaw, killing 183. Aug. 16, Romulus, Mich.:Northwest Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-80 crashed into a highway shortly after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, killing 156 (including 2 on the ground). Girl, 4, only survivor. Nov. 26, south of Mauritius:South African Airways Boeing 747 went down in rough seas; 160 died. Nov. 29, Burma:Korean Air Boeing 747 jetliner exploded from bomb planted by North Korean agents and crashed into sea, killing all 115 aboard. 1988 July 3, Persian Gulf:U.S. Navy cruiserVincennesshot down Iran Air Airbus A-300 after mistaking it for an attacking jet fighter; 290 killed. Aug. 28, Ramstein Air Force Base, West Germany:3 jets from Italian Air Force acrobatic team collided in midair during air show and crashed, killing 70 people, including the pilots and spectators on the ground. Dec. 21, Lockerbie, Scotland:N.Y.-bound Pan-Am Boeing 747 exploded in flight from a terrorist bomb and crashed into Scottish village, killing all 259 aboard and 11 on the ground.See Terrorist Attacks. 1989 June 7, Paramaribo, Suriname:a Surinam Airways DC-8 carrying 174 passengers crashed into the jungle while making a third attempt to land in a thick fog, killing 168 aboard. July 19, Sioux City, Iowa:United Airlines DC-10 crashed during an emergency landing. Out of a total of 296 aboard, 111 were killed, 172 were injured, and 13 escaped unharmed. 1991 May 26, nr. Bangkok, Thailand:Austrian Lauda Air Boeing 767, en route to Vienna, crashed into jungle hilltop shortly after takeoff from Bangkok airport, killing all 223 aboard. Thailand's worst air disaster. July 11, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia:Canadian-chartered DC-8 carrying pilgrims returning to Nigeria crashed after takeoff, killing 261 people. 1994 Jan. 3, Irkutsk, Russia:Russian Tupolev-154 crashes after taking off, killing all 124 people. April 14, northern Iraq:two American F-15C fighter aircraft mistook two U.S. Army blackhawk helicopters for Russian-made Iraqi MI-24 helicopters and shot them down over no-fly zone, killing all 26 on board.

Aircraft Crashes (part 1 of 2): Find a list of the worst aircraft crashes in the world, including theHindenburgdisaster and the Sept 11, 2001, attacks. (See also Terrorist Attacks.) 1921 Aug. 24, England:British dirigibleAR-2broke in two on trial trip near Hull; 62 died. 1925 Sept. 3, Caldwell, Ohio:U.S. dirigibleShenandoahbroke apart; 14 dead. 1930 Oct. 5, Beauvais, France:British dirigibleR 101crashed, killing 47. 1933 April 4, N.J.:U.S. dirigibleAkroncrashed; 73 died. 1937 May 6, Lakehurst, N.J.:German zeppelin Hindenburgdestroyed by fire at tower mooring; 36 killed. 1945 July 28, New York City:U.S. Army bomber B-25 crashed into Empire State Building; 13 dead. 1953 June 18, near Tokyo:Crash of U.S. Air Force C-124 Globemaster killed 129 servicemen. 1956 June 30, Grand Canyon, Ariz.:TWA Super Constellation and United Airlines DC-7 collided over the Painted Desert, killing a total of 128 passengers and crew from both aircraft. 1960 Dec. 16, New York City:United DC-8 and Trans World Super Constellation collided and crashed, killing 134 in air and on ground. 1961 Feb. 15, nr. Brussels, Belgium:72 on board and farmer on ground killed in crash of Sabena plane; U.S. figure skating team wiped out. 1962 March 4, Douala, Cameroon:Trans-African DC-7 crashed on takeoff, killing all 111 people aboard. June 3, Paris:Chartered Air France Boeing 707 crashed after takeoff at Orly Airport, killing 130. June 22, Grande-Teree Island, Guadeloupe:Air France Boeing 707 crashed, killing all 113 aboard. 1963 Nov. 29, Montreal:Trans-Canada Airlines DC-8F crashed after taking off. All 118 aboard died. 1965 May 20, Cairo:Pakistan International Airways 707 crashed on landing at airport; 124 killed. 1966 Jan. 24, Mont Blanc:Air India Boeing 707 crashed into a mountain in a fog; 117 dead. Feb. 4, Tokyo:All-Nippon 727 jet crashed into Tokyo Bay as it approached airport, killing all 133 aboard. March 5, near Gotemba City, Japan:BOAC Boeing 707 broke apart in flight and crashed into Mount Fuji; 124 dead. Dec. 24, Binh Thai, South Vietnam:crash of military-chartered CL-44 into village killed 129. 1967 April 20, Nicosia, Cyprus:Chartered Swiss Globe Britannia Turboprop crashed while landing, killing 126. 1970 Feb. 15, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic:Dominican DC-9 plunged into Caribbean on takeoff; 102 dead. July 3, near Barcelona, Spain:British charter Dan-Air Comet jet crashed into the sea while coming in for a landing at Barcelona; 112 dead. July 5, Toronto:Air Canada DC-8 crashed on landing approach; 109 dead. Nov. 14, Huntington, W.Va.:Chartered Southern Airways DC-9 crashed and burned on approach to Tri-State Airport; 75 dead, including entire Marshall University football team. 1971 July 30, Morioka, Japan:Japanese Boeing 727 and F-86 fighter collided in midair; 162 died. Sept. 4, near Juneau, Alaska:Alaskan Airlines Boeing 727 crashed into Chilkoot Mountains; 109 killed. 1972 May 5, Palermo, Sicily:Alitalia DC-8 hit mountain, killing 115. June 18, London:BEA Trident jetliner crashed after takeoff from Heathrow Airport. All 118 aboard were killed. Aug. 14, East Berlin, East Germany:Soviet-built East German Ilyushin Il-62 plane crashed, killing 156. Oct. 13, Moscow, Russia:Aeroflot Ilyushin IL-14 crashed during landing due to pilot fatigue and 176 people perish. Dec. 3, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands:Spanish charter jet Convair 990-A jet carrying West German tourists crashed on takeoff; all 155 aboard killed. Dec. 30, Miami, Fla.:Eastern Airlines Lockheed 1011 TriStar jumbo jet, Flight 401, crashed into Everglades; 101 killed, 75 survived. 1973 Jan. 22, Kano, Nigeria:171 Nigerian Muslims returning from Mecca and 5 crewmen died in crash. Feb. 21, Sinai:civilian Libyan Arab Airlines Boeing 727 shot down by Israeli fighters after it had strayed off course; 108 died, 5 survived. Officials claimed that the pilot had ignored fighters' warnings to land. April 10, Hochwald, Switzerland:British airliner carrying tourists to Swiss fair crashed in blizzard; 106 dead. July 11, Paris:Boeing 707 of Varig Airlines, en route to Rio de Janeiro, crashed near airport, killing 122 of 134 passengers. 1974 March 3, Paris:Turkish DC-10 jumbo jet crashed in forest shortly after takeoff; all 346 killed. Dec. 4, Colombo, Sri Lanka:Dutch DC-8 carrying Muslims to Meccakilled all 191 when it crashed on landing approach. 1975 April 4, nr. Saigon, Vietnam:Air Force Galaxy C-5A crashed after takeoff, killing 172, mostly Vietnamese children. Aug. 3, Agadir, Morocco:chartered Boeing 707, returning Moroccan workers home after vacation in France, plunged into mountainside; all 188 killed.

Fires and Explosions Worst U.S. Forest Fires Whether you're talking about forest fires or kitchen fires, factory explosions or arson, when fires get out of control, the damage can be devastating. 1666 Sept. 2, England:“Great Fire of London” destroyed much of the city, including St. Paul's Cathedral. Damage £10 million. 1835 Dec. 16, New York City:530 buildings destroyed by fire. 1871 Oct. 8, Chicago:the “Chicago Fire” burned 17,450 buildings and killed 250 people; $196 million in damage. 1872 Nov. 9, Boston:fire destroyed 800 buildings; $75 million in damage. 1876 Dec. 5, New York City:fire in Brooklyn Theater killed more than 300. 1881 Dec. 8, Vienna:at least 620 died in fire at Ring Theatre. 1900 May 1, Scofield, Utah:explosion of blasting powder in coal mine killed 200. 1900 June 30, Hoboken, N.J.:piers of North German Lloyd Steamship line burned; 326 dead. 1903 Dec. 30, Chicago:Iroquois Theatre fire killed 602. 1904 Feb. 7, Baltimore, Md.:blaze spread through downtown Baltimore. More than 1,500 buildings were destroyed. Damages $150 million, but no lives lost June 15, New York City, NY:the steamship ferryGeneral Slocumignited on a voyage to Long Island; over 1,000 dead. 1906 March 10, France:explosion in coal mine in Courrières killed 1,060. 1907 Dec. 6, Monongah, W. Va.:coal mine explosion killed 362. Dec. 19, Jacobs Creek, Pa.:explosion in coal mine left 239 dead. 1908 Jan. 13, Boyertown, Pa.:fire in Rhoads Opera House killed 170 people who were attending church-sponsored stage performance. March 4, Collinwood, Ohio:fire in Collinwood school killed 176. Led to revision of fire codes for schools. 1909 Nov. 13, Cherry, Ill.:explosion in coal mine killed 259. 1911 March 25, New York City:fire in Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fatal to 145. 1913 Oct. 22, Dawson, N.M.:coal mine explosion left 263 dead. 1917 April 10, Eddystone, Pa.:explosion in munitions plant killed 133. 1917 Dec. 6, Halifax Harbor, Nova Scotia:Belgian steamer collided with ammunition shipMont Blanc, which was carrying over 2,500 tons of explosives. Explosion leveled part of Halifaxand left about 1,600 people dead. 1921 Sept. 21, Oppau, Germany:ammonium nitrate exploded destroying the BASF plant and nearby houses, killing 430 people. 1923 May 17, Beulah, S.C.:fire started by a candle during a Cleveland school play killed 77. 1928 May 19, Mather, Pa.:coal mine explosion left 195 dead. 1930 April 21, Columbus, Ohio:fire in Ohio State Penitentiary killed 320 convicts. 1937 March 18, New London, Tex.:explosion de-stroyed schoolhouse; 294 killed. 1940 April 23, Natchez, Mississippi:209 die when a packed dance hall erupts in flames during a performance by Walter Barnes and His Royal Creolians Orchestra. The blaze is fueled by decorative Spanish moss covering the building's rafters, which generated flammable methane gas once burned. Among those to perish were Barnes and nine members of his band. 1942 April 26, Manchuria:explosion in Honkeiko Colliery killed 1,549. Nov. 28, Boston, Mass.:Coconut Grove nightclub fire killed 491. 1944 July 6, Hartford, Conn.:fire and ensuing stampede in main tent of Ringling Brothers Circus killed 168 and injured 487. July 17, Port Chicago, Calif.:322 killed when ammunition ships exploded. Oct. 20, Cleveland:spilled liquid natural gas exploded, killing 130. 1946 Dec. 7, Atlanta:fire in Winecoff Hotel killed 119. 1947 April 16–18, Texas City, Tex.:most of the city destroyed by a fire and subsequent explosion on the French freighterGrandcamp, which was carrying a cargo of ammonium nitrate. At least 516 were killed and over 3,000 injured. 1949 Sept. 2, China:fire on Chongqing(Chungking) waterfront killed 1,700. 1954 May 26, off Quonset Point, R.I.:explosion and fire on aircraft carrierBenningtonkilled 103. 1956 Aug. 7, Colombia:seven army ammunition trucks exploded at Cali, killing about 1,100. Aug. 8, Belgium:262 died in coal mine fire at Marcinelle. 1958 Dec. 1, Chicago:fire at Our Lady of Angels, a Roman Catholic grade school, resulted in deaths of 90 students and 3 nuns. 1960 Jan. 21, Coalbrook, South Africa:coal mine explosion killed 437. Nov. 13, Syria:152 children killed in moviehouse fire. 1961 Dec. 17, Niteroi, Brazil:circus fire fatal to 323. 1962 Feb. 7, Saarland, West Germany:coal mine gas explosion killed 298. 1963 Nov. 9, Japan:explosion in coal mine at Omuta killed 447. 1965 May 28, India:coal mine fire in state of Biharkilled 375. June 1, nr. Fukuoka, Japan:coal mine explosion killed 236. 1967 May 22, Brussels, Belgium:fire in L'Innovation department store left 322 dead. July 29, off North Vietnam:fire on U.S. carrierForrestalkilled 134. 1969 Jan. 14, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii:nuclear aircraft carrierEnterpriseripped by explosions; 27 dead, 82 injured. 1970 Nov. 1, Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, France:fire in dance hall killed 146 young people. 1972 May 13, Osaka, Japan:118 people died in fire in nightclub on top floor of Sennichi department store.

Nuclear and Chemical Accidents Though nuclear power is a good source of energy and is generally not a threat, there have been instances when security measures have failed. Nuclear meltdowns can cause dangerous radiation to escape into the surrounding environment. 1952 Dec. 12, Chalk River, nr. Ottawa, Canada:a partial meltdown of the reactor's uranium fuel core resulted after the accidental removal of four control rods. Although millions of gallons of radioactive water accumulated inside the reactor, there were no injuries. 1953 Love Canal, nr. Niagara Falls, N.Y.:was destroyed by waste from chemical plants. By the 1990s, the town had been cleaned up enough for families to begin moving back to the area. 1957 Oct. 7, Windscale Pile No. 1, north of Liverpool, England:fire in a graphite-cooled reactor spewed radiation over the countryside, contaminating a 200-square-mile area. South Ural Mountains:explosion of radioactive wastes at Soviet nuclear weapons factory 12 mi from city of Kyshtym forced the evacuation of over 10,000 people from a contaminated area. No casualties were reported by Soviet officials. 1976 nr. Greifswald, East Germany:radioactive core of reactor in the Lubmin nuclear power plant nearly melted down due to the failure of safety systems during a fire. 1979 March 28, Three Mile Island, nr. Harrisburg, Pa.:one of two reactors lost its coolant, which caused overheating and partial meltdown of its uranium core. Some radioactive water and gases were released. This was the worst accident in U.S. nuclear-reactor history. 1984 Dec. 3, Bhopal, India:toxic gas, methyl isocyanate, seeped from Union Carbide insecticide plant, killing more than 2,000 and injuring about 150,000. 1986 April 26, Chernobyl, nr. Kiev, Ukraine:explosion and fire in the graphite core of one of four reactors released radioactive material that spread over part of the Soviet Union, eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and later western Europe. 31 claimed dead. Total casualties are unknown. Worst such accident to date. 1987 Sept. 18, Goiânia, Brazil:244 people contaminated with cesium-137 from a cancer-therapy machine that had been sold as scrap. Four people died in worst radiation disaster in Western Hemisphere. 1999 Sept. 30, Tokaimura, Japan:uncontrolled chain reaction in a uranium-processing nuclear fuel plant spewed high levels of radioactive gas into the air, killing two workers and seriously injuring one other. 2004 Aug. 9, Mihama, Japan:nonradioactive steam leaked from a nuclear power plant, killing four workers and severely burning seven others. 2007 July 17, Kashiwazaki, Japan:radiation leaks, burst pipes, and fires at a major nuclear power plant followed a 6.8 magnitude earthquake near Niigata. Japanese officials, frustrated at the plant operators' delay in reporting the damage, closed the plant a week later until its safety could be confirmed. Further investigation revealed that the plant had unknowingly been built directly on top of an active seismic fault. 2008 February 7, Port Wentworth, Georgia:an explosion fueled by combustible sugar dust killed 13 people and injured several others at the Imperial Sugar plant near Savannah. 2011 March 12, Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, Japan:an explosion in reactor No. 1 caused one of the buildings to crumble to the ground. The cooling system at the reactor failed shortly after the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan. By Tuesday, March 15, two more explosions and a fire had officials and workers at the plant struggling to regain control of four reactors. The fire, which happened at reactor No. 4, was contained by noon on Tuesday, but not before the incident released radioactivity directly into the atmosphere.

Droughts and Heat Waves 1930s Many states:longest drought of the 20th century. Peak periods were 1930, 1934, 1936, 1939, and 1940. During 1934, dry regions stretched solidly from N.Y. and Pa. across the Great Plains to the Calif. coast. A great “dust bowl” covered some 50 million acres in the south-central plains during the winter of 1935–1936. 1955 Aug. 31–Sept. 7, Los Angeles:8-day run of 100°-plus heat left 946 people dead. 1972 July 14–26, New York City:891 people died in 14-day heat wave. 1980 June–Sept., central and eastern U.S.:an estimated 10,000 people were killed during the summer in a long heat wave and drought. Damages totaled about $20 billion. 1982–1983 worldwide:El Niño caused wildly unusual weather in the U.S. and elsewhere throughout 1983. Drought in the western Pacific region led to disastrous forest fires in Indonesia and Australia. Overall loss to world economy was over $8 billion. Similar event in 1997–1998 resulted in estimated loss of $25–$33 billion. 1988 Summer, central and eastern U.S.:a severe drought and heat wave killed an estimated 5,000–10,000 people, including heat stress-related deaths. Damages reached $40 billion. 1995 July 12–17, Chicago:739 people died in record heat wave. 1996 Fall 1995–summer 1996, Tex. and Okla.:severe drought in southern plains region caused $4 billion in agricultural losses; no deaths. 1998 Summer, southern U.S.:severe heat and drought spread across Tex. and Okla., all the way to N.C. and S.C, killing at least 200. Estimated damages of $6–$9 billion. 1999 Summer, eastern U.S.:rainfall shortages resulted in worst drought on record for Md., Del., N.J., and R.I. The state of W.Va. was declared a disaster area. 3.81 million acres were consumed by fire as of mid-Aug. Record heat throughout the country resulted in 502 deaths nationwide. 2000 Spring–summer, southern U.S.:severe drought and heat killed an estimated 140 people. Damages were estimated at $4 billion. 2003 May–June, southern India:a monthlong intense heat wave claimed more than 1,500 lives. Aug., Europe:drought conditions and a heat wave, one of the worst in 150 years, broke temperature records from London to Portugal, fueled forest fires, ruined crops, and caused thousands of deaths. (French fatalities estimated at more than 14,000.) 2006 July 16–25, California:a two-week heat wave killed at least 140 people. 2007 August, southeastern U.S.:more than 50 deaths and innumerable cases of heat-related illneses have been attributed to the excessive heat. Drinking water sources, such as Atlanta's Lake Lanier, have also been severely depleted. 2008 June 4, California:With reservoir levels well below average and the state experiencing its driest spring in 88 years, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger officially declares that California is in a drought and warns of potential rationing. It is the first such declaration in 17 years. 2012 Spring, several states:A national drought begins in the spring of 2012 due to the lack of snow the U.S. received during the previous winter. The drought causes 123 deaths and over $40 billion in damages.