Tag: disaster
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In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for In the Kingdom of Ice: Nobody wants to be king of this kingdom. Quick synopsis: An account of the U.S Arctic Expedition of 1879-1881. It…. didn’t go great. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: As late as this expedition, people still believed there was an open polar sea. Yes, in the…
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The Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Wide Wide Sea: Retire before the job kills you. Quick synopsis: The final voyage of legendary explorer Captain James Cook. Fact for Non-History People: Cook’s second circumnavigation of the globe took 1,100 days and about 100,000 nautical miles. Fact for History Nerds: Cook never had a sailor die of scurvy…
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Paradise Falls by Keith O’Brien
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Paradise Falls: An entirely different kind of sightseeing. Quick synopsis: The story of the environmental disaster at Love Canal, NY. Fact for Non-History People: The chemical company at the center of this story sold contaminated land to board of education for $1… so the board could build a school on top…
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Too Much Sea for Their Decks by Michael Schumacher
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Too Much Sea for Their Decks: Never go on a Great Lake in November. Quick synopsis: A look at shipwrecks on Lake Superior. Fact for Non-History People: Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world with 31,700 square miles of surface area. Fact for History Nerds: November shipwrecks on…
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Buried: The 1982 Alpine Meadows Avalanche (Netflix)
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Buried: This is why I never leave the lodge. Quick synopsis: The story of the Lake Tahoe Alpine Meadows avalanche in 1982. Fact for Non-History People: Avalanches can reach 80 mph within about 5 seconds. Fact for History Nerds: Avalanches kill about 150 people worldwide each year. My Take on Buried:…
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The Burning of the World by Scott Berg
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Burning of the World: Politics may have done more damage than the fire. Quick synopsis: The story of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Fact for Non-History People: In today’s dollars, we can estimate the fire caused about $5-7 billion dollars in damage. Fact for History Nerds: Chicago was only…
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The Longest Minute by Matthew Davenport
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Longest Minute: Real estate prices aren’t the only reason not to move to San Fran. Quick synopsis: The story of the earthquake and fire which destroyed San Francisco in 1906. Fact for Non-History People: When it was all said and done, the earthquake and fire destroyed nearly 5 square miles.…
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Walk Through Fire by Yasmine Ali
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Walk Through Fire: Don’t go look at train derailments! Quick synopsis: The story of the Waverly Train Disaster of 1978. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The explosion was so powerful that a tank pipe was thrown over 400 yards. Fun Fact for History Nerds: The medical examiner for the disaster…
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Island on Fire by Alexandra Witze and Jeff Kanipe
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Island on Fire: Who would have thought little Iceland could cause so much trouble? Quick synopsis: The story of Laki, the volcano in Iceland which erupted in the 18th century and messed a lot of stuff up. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: When Krakatau erupted in 1883, it sent out…