Disasters timeline

  • Minoan Eruption of Thera

    The eruption of Santorini in Greece in 1,650 B.C. was one of the largest (VEI=6) in the last 10,000 years. About 7 cubic miles (30 cubic km) of... Read more

  • Rhodes Earthquake

    The Colossus only stood for 56 years before it was levelled by an earthquake in 226 BC. The force of the earthquake was such the statue snapped off... Read more

  • Eruption of Mount Vesuvius

    Mount Vesuvius is best known for its eruption in AD 79 that led to the destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. They were never... Read more

  • Crete Earthquake of 365 AD

    The 365 AD Crete earthquake was an undersea earthquake that occurred at about sunrise on 21 July 365 AD in the Eastern Mediterranean, with an... Read more

  • Damghan Earthquake

    The Damghan Earthquake was an earthquake of magnitude 8.0, that struck a 200-mile (320 km) stretch of Iran on 22 December, 856 A.D. The... Read more

  • Syria Earthquake of 1202

    The 1202 Syria earthquake struck at about dawn on 20 May 1202 (598 AH) with an epicenter in southwestern Syria. Up to 1,100,000 deaths have been... Read more

  • St. Lucia's Flood

    St. Lucia's flood (Sint-Luciavloed) was a storm tide that affected the Netherlands and Northern Germany on December 14, 1287 (the day after St.... Read more

  • The Black Death First Appears in Europe

    Coming out of the East, the Black Death reached the shores of Italy in the spring of 1348 unleashing a rampage of death across Europe unprecedented... Read more

  • Black Monday Hail Storm

    On so-called "Black Monday" in 1360, a hail storm kills an estimated 1,000 English soldiers in Chartres, France. The storm and the devastation it... Read more

  • Grote Mandrenke Storm

    The storm Grote Mandrenke (Great Drowning of Men) strikes the Netherlands in January 1362. Hurricane-force winds with enormous waves and a... Read more

  • St. Elizabeth's Flood of 1421

    The St. Elizabeth's flood of 1421 was a flooding of an area in what is now the Netherlands. It takes its name from the feast day of Saint Elisabeth... Read more

  • Wreck of the Mary Rose

    The Mary Rose was one of the earliest ships to carry heavy guns. She was a favourite of King Henry VIII and sank off Portsmouth in 1545 during an... Read more

  • Shaanxi Earthquake

    The 1556 Shaanxi earthquake or Jiajing earthquake was a catastrophic earthquake and is also the deadliest earthquake on record, killing... Read more

  • Delft Explosion

    The catastrophe is know as "The Delft Thunderclap" from the town where it happened, and took place at 11 in the forenoon of 12th October, 1654. At... Read more

  • The Great Plague of London

    Plague was not a new disease for London in 1665. In that year it just happened that conditions meant that all was in place for an epidemic: a mild... Read more

  • Great Fire of London

    The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to... Read more

  • Eruption of Mount Etna

    When Etna began to rumble and belch gas on March 8, the residents nearby ignored the warning signs of a larger eruption. Three days later, the... Read more

  • The Great Copper Mountain of Falun, Sweden caves in on Midsummer's Eve.

  • Sicily Earthquake of 1693

    On the 11th of January 1693 a huge earthquake destroyed at least 45 cities, affecting an area of 5600 square kilometres and causing the death of... Read more

  • Great Storm of 1703

    The Great Storm of 1703 was the most severe storm or natural disaster ever recorded in the southern part of Great Britain. It affected southern... Read more

  • Scilly Naval Disaster of 1707

    On the 22nd October 1707 the Isles of Scilly bore witness to the second worst disaster in the history of the Royal Navy. The British naval... Read more

  • Great Lisbon Earthquake

    On November 1st 1755, at about 9:40 a.m., an enormous earthquake, followed by a tidal wave and a succession of fires, devastated the city of... Read more

  • Newfoundland Hurricane of 1775

    A storm struck the eastern coast of Newfoundland on September 9, 1775. It is uncertain if this storm was the remnants of the hurricane that had... Read more

  • Great Hurricane of 1780

    The Great Hurricane of 1780, also known as the Hurricane San Calixto II, is the deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record. Over 27,500 people died... Read more

  • Sinking of HMS Royal George

    The first-rate ship HMS Royal George was laid down as the Royal Anne but renamed in honour of the reigning monarch George II before her launch in... Read more