Explore 252 Disasters Collections - Atlas Obscura
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The entrance to Couch Place today.
Chicago, Illinois

Couch Place (The Alley of Death)

This alley in downtown Chicago held the bodies of over 600 people after the fateful Iroquois Theatre fire.
Vajont Dam.
Erto e Casso, Italy

Vajont Dam

When a massive landslide hit one of the world's tallest dams it created a tragic environmental disaster.
Stephen King at a book signing, c 1976.
disasters

A Burst Pipe Ruined Original Stephen King Manuscripts

Gerald Winters's bookstore in Bangor, Maine, specializes in rare editions and type-written drafts.
Sarah Laskow January 18, 2018
Families picked their way through the flooded streets of San Juan after Hurricane Maria.
disasters

2017 Brought Disasters, and Brought Out the Best in People

When wildfires, earthquakes, floods, and other crises delivered one wallop after another, bravery, kindness, and creativity fought back.
Jessica Leigh Hester December 18, 2017
Grave of the unidentified S.S. Valencia victims.
Seattle, Washington

Mount Pleasant Cemetery

This graveyard contains markers and monuments dedicated to some of the darkest chapters in Washington's history.
The ROV that captured footage of the wreck of <em>SS Itata</em>, 650 feet down.
disasters

Found: The Wreck of Chile's 'Titanic'

After decades of searching, the site where 400 lost their lives has been identified.
Vittoria Traverso November 13, 2017
Old railroad tunnel on upper part of Iron Goat Trail.
Leavenworth, Washington

Iron Goat Trail

The site of the Wellington avalanche, one of the America's worst railroad disasters.
The cranium of the unknown victim.
disasters

This Skull May Have Belonged to the Earliest Known Tsunami Victim

Sediments tell of a disaster in Papua New Guinea 6,000 years ago.
Natasha Frost October 26, 2017
Fourth Avenue in Anchorage, Alaska, after a magnitude-9.2 earthquake in 1964. The earthquake was caused by the Aleutian Megathrust, a subduction zone.
disasters

Simulating What Could Happen When the 'Really Big One' Hits the Pacific Northwest

When the Cascadia subduction zone slips, the effects will vary based on where and how.
Kelsey Kennedy October 23, 2017
Northern Puerto Rico on September 26, 2017.
disasters

Help Puerto Rico Recover by Mapping Damaged Areas

Response workers need the best possible information to direct aid.
Sarah Laskow October 9, 2017
An engraving of the 1755 earthquake.
disasters

A 1755 Earthquake in Portugal Left Behind a Scar on a Caribbean Island

Researchers recently discovered evidence of a historic tsunami's true extent.
Sarah Laskow September 19, 2017
Union Station.
Washington, D.C.

Site of the Union Station Train Crash

A 1,100-ton train fell through the floor in 1953. Workers got it patched up in just 72 hours.
disasters

Watch Lightning Burst Around Hurricane Irma's Eye

NASA's lightning-mapping satellite might help predict the behavior of massive storms.
Kelsey Kennedy September 11, 2017
Divers exploring the lost city.
disasters

Found: Underwater Ruins Hidden off the Coast of Tunisia

The city of Neapolis was destroyed by a tsunami in 365 A.D.
Sarah Laskow September 1, 2017
disasters

A 1,000-Year-Old Texas Oak Tree Stands Firm

A natural treasure is weathering the calamitous storm.
Natasha Frost August 28, 2017
The Corpus Christi seawall, just after completion in 1940.
disasters

How a Devastating 1919 Hurricane Inspired Corpus Christi to Build a Seawall

One early design, by the man who built Mount Rushmore, included a giant statue of Christ.
Sarah Laskow August 25, 2017
Duckmanton, England

Walking Together

A poignant memorial to the 106 coal miners killed in three major accidents in Derbyshire.
It's faster to can beer than to can water.
disasters

Why a New Orleans Museum Displays a Can of Water

It's a memory from the days after Hurricane Katrina.
Sarah Laskow July 26, 2017