Disasters timeline
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Huge Dust Storm from the Great Plains Sweeps across Eastern States
May 11, 1934 saw the culmination of a two day dust storm which removed massive amounts of Great Plains topsoil and reached cities as far away as... Read more
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Burning of the SS Morro Castle
The SS Morro Castle was a luxury cruise ship of the 1930s that was built for the Ward Line for runs between New York City and Havana, Cuba. The... Read more
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Gresford Disaster
On Saturday, 22 September 1934, an explosion occurred at the Gresford colliery, near Wrexham. Rescue workers worked tirelessly to reach the men... Read more
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Balochistan Earthquake of 1935
The town of Quetta saw most of the fatalities, and this earthquake has since been known as the Quetta Earthquake. The civil lines was completely... Read more
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Labor Day Hurricane of 1935
On September 1, 1935, storm warnings were posted for all of south Florida, including the Keys. This was on Sunday, the day before Labor Day.... Read more
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United Airlines Trip 4 Crashes, Killing 12
United Airlines Trip 4, a Boeing 247D, was a scheduled flight departing from Salt Lake City, Utah to Cheyenne, Wyoming on October 7, 1935. The... Read more
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North American Heat Wave of 1936
The "Dust Bowl" years of 1930-36 brought some of the hottest summers on record to the United States, especially across the Plains, Upper Midwest... Read more
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Chicago Elevated Train Wreck
Twenty persons were killed and more than 60 injured here late this afternoon when a North Shore elevated electric train crashed into a wooden... Read more
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Western Air Express Flight 7 Crashes, Killing 5
On January 12, 1937, shortly after 11 a.m. in adverse weather, Western Air Express Flight 7 crashed into a ridge below Los Pinetos Peak near the... Read more
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Ohio River Flood of 1937
For 19 days -- from Jan. 18 until Feb. 5 -- the swirling, muddy waters of the Ohio leapt riverbanks and blanketed one-sixth of a city paralyzed by... Read more
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New London School Explosion
On March 18 students prepared for the next day's Inter-scholastic meet in Henderson. At the gymnasium, the PTA met. At 3:05 P.M. Lemmie R. Butler,... Read more
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Hindenburg Airship Explodes
The Hindenburg disaster took place on May 6, 1937 as the German rigid airship Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed within one minute while... Read more
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Sabena OO-AUB Ostend Crash, Killing 12
A Junkers Ju 52 aircraft owned and operated by Belgian air operator Sabena crashed near Ostend, Belgium on November 16, 1937. The flight from... Read more
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Castlecary Rail Accident
On December 10, disaster struck the railway station at Castlecary, between Falkirk and Glasgow. Heavy snow that day had led to big delays, and by... Read more
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Northwest Airlines Flight 2 Crashes into the Bridger Mountains, Killing 10
Northwest Airlines Flight 2, registration NC17388, was a Lockheed 14H Super Electra aircraft which crashed into the Bridger Mountains about 12... Read more
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Los Angeles Flood of 1938
The 1938 flood event resulted in the deaths of 115 people. It destroyed 5,601 homes and damaged 1,500 homes making them uninhabitable. For many... Read more
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New England Hurricane of 1938
In the days following the cyclone southern Rhode Islanders were in a state of grief-stricken shock. The first days after the storm were a somber... Read more
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Kyeema Crash
The 1938 Kyeema crash occurred on the western face of Mount Corhanwarrabul, just south of Mount Dandenong, Victoria, Australia. On 25 October 1938,... Read more
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Jersey Airport Disaster of 1938
In the late 1930s Islanders were becoming increasingly familiar with civilian air travel, but a terrible accident in 1938 served as a harsh... Read more
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Chillán Earthquake of 1939
The 1939 Chillán earthquake was a major earthquake in south-central Chile. It is currently the single earthquake that has caused the most deaths in... Read more
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U.S.S. Sailfish Sinks
On 12 May, following a yard overhaul, Squalus began a series of test dives off Portsmouth, New Hampshire. After successfully completing 18 dives,... Read more
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The Natchez Fire
The Rhythm Club fire aka The Natchez Dance Hall Holocaust was a conflagration resulting in the death or serious injury of hundreds of people... Read more
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Kaleva Shot Down by Two Soviet Bombers
Kaleva, registered OH-ALL, was a civilian Junkers Ju 52 passenger and transport plane, belonging to the Finnish carrier Aero O/Y. The aircraft was... Read more
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Sinking of the RMS Lancastria
A fresh air raid began before 4 pm. She was bombed at 15:48 by Junkers 88 aircraft from II. Gruppe/Kampfgeschwader 30. Three direct hits caused the... Read more
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Lovettsville Air Disaster
The DC-3 had hit the ground with such speed and force that many of the passengers had been cut in two by their safety belts. Jerome Lederer,... Read more