Disasters timeline

  • Wreck of the SS Bokhara

    The ship set off from Shanghai on 8 October, due to arrive at Hong Kong on the 11th and was then bound for Colombo and Bombay. On board were 148... Read more

  • Thirsk Rail Crash

    One of the saddest stories in all railway history is that of the Thirsk disaster of November 2, 1892, when through the mistake of a signalman the... Read more

  • Sinking of HMS Victoria

    The disaster occurred in clear sunny weather on June 22, 1893, during fleet maneuvers off the coast of Syria. The officer in command, Vice Admiral... Read more

  • Sea Island Hurricane of 1893

    On August 27, 1893 a major hurricane which came to be known as the Sea Islands Hurricane struck the United States near Savannah, Georgia. It was... Read more

  • Cheniere Caminada Hurricane of 1893

    Originating near the Yucatan Peninsula, a compact and fast-moving hurricane rode a low pressure trough across the river and bayou plains of extreme... Read more

  • Explosion of the Steamship Cabo Machichaco

    As we bave been informed by cable, a disaster unparalleled in modern times occurred at Santander (Old Castilo) on the afternoon of 3rd November. A... Read more

  • Great Hinckley Fire

    The Great Hinckley Fire was a major conflagration on September 1, 1894, which burned an area of 420 square miles (1,100 km2) centered on the town... Read more

  • Sinking of the SS Wairarapa

    The SS Wairarapa was a first class steamer owned by the Union Steam Ship Company that carried both passengers and cargo between Australia and New... Read more

  • Gare Montparnasse Station Derailment and Train Wreck

    Gare Montparnasse became famous for a derailment on 22 October 1895 of the Granville-Paris Express that overran the buffer stop. The engine... Read more

  • Khodynka Tragedy

    Nicholas II was crowned Tsar of Russia on May 14 , 1896. Four days later, a banquet was going to be held for the people at Khodynka Field. In the... Read more

  • Point Ellice Bridge Disaster

    On May 26, 1896 in Victoria, British Columbia, a streetcar crowded with 143 holidaymakers on their way to attend celebrations of Queen Victoria’s... Read more

  • St. Louis-East St. Louis Tornado of 1896

    This tornado, which was to be one of the deadliest in US history, touched down about 6 miles west of the Eads Bridge in St. Louis. From the... Read more

  • Meiji-Sanriku Earthquake

    Twenty-seven thousand people died in a huge tsunami that swept over the seaport of Kamaishi, Japan, on June 15, 1896. A local earthquake cause mild... Read more

  • The Crash at Crush

    Crush, Texas, was a temporary "city" established as a one-day publicity stunt in 1896. William George Crush, general passenger agent of the... Read more

  • Cahaba River Bridge Train Wreck

    A special to the Commercial Appeal from Birmingham, Ala., says: Fiends in human form wrecked the Birmingham Mineral branch passenger train No. 40... Read more

  • USS Maine Explodes off the Coast of Havana

    The Maine spent her active career operating along the East Coast of the United States and the Caribbean. In January 1898, the Maine was sent from... Read more

  • Empire Mine Explosion

    Seventy men were entombed Friday in the Empire Mine of Snowdon, Gould & Co., one fourth of a mile below town, as the result of an explosion of gas,... Read more

  • Wreck of the SS Mohegan

    The Atlantic Transport Company's steamer Mohegan, formerly the Cleopatra of the Wilson and Furness-Leyland Line, which left London for New York... Read more

  • The Portland Gale

    It is estimated that over 150 vessels were lost, both in the harbors and at sea. Many were never heard from after sailing. Miles of coastline from... Read more

  • Scofield Mine Disaster

    The Scofield mine disaster occurred on 1 May 1900 when an explosion ripped through the Winter Quarters Number Four mine located west of Scofield.... Read more

  • Tacoma Trolley Disaster

    Nearly a hundred people, passengers on a car bound for this city, were plunged into a gulch at Twenty-sixth and C Streets shortly after 8 o'clock... Read more

  • Prescott's Great Fire

    Prescott is home to the historical area known as "Whiskey Row", until 1956 a notorious red-light district. In 1900, a great fire destroyed most of... Read more

  • Galveston Hurricane of 1900

    The Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on the city of Galveston in the U.S. state of Texas, on September 8, 1900. It had estimated winds of 135 miles... Read more

  • Eruption of Mount Pellée

    Mount Pelée in Martinique, West Indies, and Lassen Peak and Mono domes in California are examples of lava domes. An extremely destructive eruption... Read more

  • Frank Rockslide

    30 million cubic metres of limestone broke free from the mountain and crashed down towards the sleeping populace of Frank. In a mere minute and a... Read more