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The mass grave.
Flagstaff, Arizona

TWA-United Grand Canyon Collision Mass Grave

A mass grave for victims of an airline disaster that led to much-needed safety improvements for commercial flights.
One side of the base of the Ashtabula Bridge Disaster Monument.
Ashtabula, Ohio

Ashtabula Bridge Disaster Monument

A monument to the “unrecognized dead” of the tragic 1876 train crash.
The Chernobyl Spirits Company has produced one lone bottle of the non-radioactive spirit.
disasters

Scientists Distilled Moonshine With Rye Grown in Chernobyl's Dead Zone

The local grain tested positive for radioactivity.
Luke Fater August 12, 2019
Restored tunnel entrance.
Wallace, Idaho

Pulaski Tunnel Trail

This trail leads to a mine that was used as a sanctuary during the Great Fire of 1910.
The site today.
Maricopa, California

Lakeview Gusher

Remnants of the United States's largest accidental oil spill still mar a California valley.
Chornobyl, Ukraine

'Monument of the Third Angel'

The biblical sculpture honors those who lost their lives, homes and communities to the Chernobyl disaster.
The "5 pm chime" can include music, civic announcements, and more.
disasters

Every Day at 5:00, Japan Tests Its Disaster Warning System With Folk Tunes

The "5 pm chime" has taken on many meanings over the years.
Allan Richarz June 13, 2019
The city of Pripyat was an atomgrad—atomic city—built to house the technicians and workers at plant and their families. By April 1986, the town had a population of almost 50,000, but was small enough that it could be crossed on foot in 15 minutes.
disasters

Life in Pripyat Before, And the Morning After, the Chernobyl Disaster

When the scale of a tragedy dawned.
Adam Higginbotham April 22, 2019
Puente Nuevo.
Ronda, Spain

Puente Nuevo

One of the most spectacular bridges in Spain spans a narrow chasm that divides the city of Ronda.
The fire that swallowed Rio de Janeiro's Brazilian National Museum on September 2, 2018.
disasters

Air Conditioning Caused the Fire That Claimed Brazil's National Museum

And budget cuts allowed it to spread.
Evan Nicole Brown April 9, 2019
The Hinkley Fire Museum.
Hinckley, Minnesota

Hinckley Fire Museum

Its collection contains relics from the devastating disaster that set the town ablaze.
If humans go extinct, mushrooms may rule the world.
disasters

This Engineer Is Preparing to Feed a World Without Sunlight

How do you feed eight billion people during a nuclear winter?
Reina Gattuso February 19, 2019
Daraga, Philippines

Cagsawa Ruins

This belfry is all that remains of the town that was buried by a violent volcano eruption.
Some ruins of Portage.
Whittier, Alaska

Portage Ghost Town

The ruins of a town wiped out by the second-largest earthquake in recorded history.
The stone marker, with replicas of the company's original jars.
Somerville, Massachusetts

Emerson’s Pickle Factory Plaque

This unassuming stone commemorates a condiment factory gone up in smoke.
The charcoal scribbles survived.
disasters

When, Exactly, Did Vesuvius Destroy Pompeii?

And does it matter if we had the date a little wrong for thousands of years?
Jessica Leigh Hester October 18, 2018
Carmen Tower.
Tlalpujahua, Mexico

Carmen Tower

This lonely tower survived the landslide that devastated much of a Mexican mining town.
The aftermath of the crash, 1978.
San Diego, California

PSA Flight 182 Crash Site

An inconspicuous suburban street corner is the site of San Diego's worst air disaster.