Complete List of Contents Volume 1 Publisher’s Note ............................................................................................... vii Introduction .................................................................................................... xi Contributors .................................................................................................. xiii Complete List of Contents .......................................................................... xvii ■ Overviews Avalanches ......................................................................................................... 1 Blizzards, Freezes, Ice Storms, and Hail ........................................................ 12 Droughts .......................................................................................................... 26 Dust Storms and Sandstorms ......................................................................... 34 Earthquakes ..................................................................................................... 40 El Niño ............................................................................................................. 57 Epidemics ........................................................................................................ 63 Explosions ....................................................................................................... 79 Famines ............................................................................................................ 87 Fires .................................................................................................................. 95 Floods ............................................................................................................ 110 Fog ................................................................................................................. 126 Heat Waves .................................................................................................... 133 Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones ........................................................... 141 Icebergs and Glaciers .................................................................................... 157 Landslides, Mudslides, and Rockslides ........................................................ 162 Lightning Strikes ........................................................................................... 176 Meteorites and Comets ................................................................................. 185 Smog .............................................................................................................. 195 Tornadoes ...................................................................................................... 203 Tsunamis ........................................................................................................ 216 Volcanic Eruptions ........................................................................................ 230 Wind Gusts .................................................................................................... 249 xvii Disasters_Vol 1_FM.indd 17 5/3/17 1:20 PM Notable Natural Disasters ■ Appendixes Glossary ........................................................................................................ 255 Time Line ...................................................................................................... 271 Bibliography .................................................................................................. 292 Volume 2 Complete List of Contents ..............................................................................ix ■ Events to 1970 c. 65,000,000 b.c.e.: Yucatán Crater ............................................................. 311 c. 1470 b.c.e.: Thera Eruption ...................................................................... 314 430 b.c.e.: The Plague of Athens ................................................................. 318 64 c.e.: The Great Fire of Rome ................................................................... 323 79 c.e.: Vesuvius Eruption ............................................................................ 326 365 c.e.: Crete Earthquake ............................................................................ 336 526: The Antioch Earthquake ...................................................................... 338 1200: Egypt Famine ....................................................................................... 341 1287: St. Lucia’s Flood .................................................................................. 344 1290: Chihli Earthquake ................................................................................ 345 1320: The Black Death ................................................................................. 346 1520: Aztec Empire Smallpox Epidemic ..................................................... 356 1556: Shaanxi Earthquake ............................................................................. 359 1657: The Meireki Fire ................................................................................. 362 1665: The Great Plague of London ............................................................. 366 1666: The Great Fire of London .................................................................. 372 1669: Etna Eruption ..................................................................................... 381 1692: The Port Royal Earthquake ................................................................ 386 1737: Great Bengal Cyclone ......................................................................... 389 1755: The Lisbon Earthquake ...................................................................... 391 1780: Tabriz Earthquake................................................................................ 397 1783: Laki Eruption ...................................................................................... 400 1792: Unzen Earthquake and Tsunami ........................................................ 406 1811: New Madrid Earthquakes ................................................................... 409 xviii Disasters_Vol 1_FM.indd 18 5/3/17 1:20 PM Complete List of Contents 1815: Tambora Eruption .............................................................................. 414 1835: Concepción Earthquake ...................................................................... 418 1839: Coringa Cyclone................................................................................... 421 1845: The Great Irish Famine ...................................................................... 423 1871: The Great Peshtigo Fire ..................................................................... 434 1871: The Great Chicago Fire ...................................................................... 441 1872: The Great Boston Fire ........................................................................ 451 1878: The Great Yellow Fever Epidemic ...................................................... 455 1880: The Seaham Colliery Disaster ............................................................ 462 1883: Krakatau Eruption ............................................................................... 466 1887: Yellow River Flood ................................................................................ 476 1888: The Great Blizzard of 1888 ................................................................. 478 1889: The Johnstown Flood ......................................................................... 485 1892: Cholera Pandemic ............................................................................... 495 1896: The Great Cyclone of 1896 ................................................................. 498 1896: Sanriku Tsunami .................................................................................. 502 1900: The Galveston Hurricane ................................................................... 505 1900: Typhoid Mary ...................................................................................... 515 1902: Pelée Eruption ..................................................................................... 519 1906: The Great San Francisco Earthquake ................................................ 525 1908: The Tunguska Event ........................................................................... 536 1908: The Messina Earthquake .................................................................... 538 1909: The Cherry Mine Disaster .................................................................. 544 1912: Sinking of RMS Titanic ........................................................................ 550 1914: The Eccles Mine Disaster .................................................................... 553 1914: Empress of Ireland Sinking ................................................................ 555 1915: Eastland Disaster .................................................................................. 559 1916: The Great Polio Epidemic .................................................................. 562 1916: WWI Alpine Avalanches....................................................................... 567 1918: The Great Flu Pandemic .................................................................... 569 1920: Gansu Province Earthquake ................................................................ 579 1923: The Great Kwanto Earthquake ..........................................................