We, humans, have experienced an uncountable number of deadly disasters, both natural and man-made, that led to massive loss of life and property since time immemorial. Many such disasters also caught those affected unaware, even though they certainly didn’t just come out of the blue. There were warnings, which were clearly ignored.
10. The Eruption Of Mount Vesuvius.
The eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August 24, 79 AD, killed a number of people and totally destroyed the ancient Roman city of Pompeii. All of the victims of the eruption were caught unaware, though that shouldn’t have been the case, as the mountain had given several warnings, all of which went completely ignored. Pompeii was not the first town to be destroyed by the eruption of mountain Vesuvius. There had been at least two previous towns, both of which were completely destroyed. Leading up to the day of the eruption, Pompeii experienced a series of tremors caused by an increase in the molten rock below Mount Vesuvius. The Romans didn’t know the relationship between such quakes and an impending eruption, so they can’t be blamed for that. On the more superstitious side, Romans believed that sighting giants roaming around a town was an early warning of an impending disaster. Many people living in Pompeii reportedly sighted giants, but no one bothered to find out why. As the date of the eruption drew closer, the mountain, which had been dormant, began to make groaning sounds, and the sea around the Bay of Naples became so hot that it boiled and produced bubbles. Animals, including rats, left the town in droves, while wells and streams, especially those close to the mountain, mysteriously dried up. The people of Pompeii ignored these obvious warnings. (They blamed the hot weather for the dried wells.)
The eruption had the tragic consequences also due to the adverse wind direction. Usually, the wind blew in a direction, which would have blown most of the ash and pumice away but on that fateful day, the wind was blowing in an unusual northwesterly direction straight over Pompeii.
The estimates of how many people died in the tragedy vary greatly but it might have been as many as up to 25,000 people.
People died so much in Pompeii because they were trapped. The only route to escape is through the port/harbor, but the congestion at Port where people were trying to get on boats or ship was much.
9. Titanic.
April 10th, 1912. The largest ship the world had ever known set sail on it's maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City. People thought it was the safest ship in the world. It had a double hull, with 16 watertight compartments and men thought it was unsinkable. The Titanic had received at least FIVE warnings about icebergs ahead and yet no one took the warnings seriously. The Titanic didn't change its course, nor did it slow its speed. Then it happened, just before midnight. ICEBERG DEAD AHEAD! The crew panicked, but it was too little, too late, and the ship went down at 2:20 a.m. into the icy Atlantic ocean to a frigid grave. Warning after warning after the warning was received by the Titanic, but they didn't listen.
By David J. Stewart.
8. The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami And Earthquake.
More than 230,000 people were killed, 500,000 were injured, and 1.7 million were left homeless on December 26, 2004, after 9.2-magnitude earthquake caused a tsunami that affected 14 countries in Asia and eastern and southern Africa. The incident remains one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded human history. The death toll could have been less had warnings been heeded. Seven years before the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, a top government official in Thailand warned that the country would soon be hit by a tsunami. His calls were ignored, and he was termed “crazy.” He was also banned from entering some parts of Thailand, where he was considered a threat to tourism. The Pacific Ocean Tsunami Warning System also called the embassies and government officials of several Asian countries after the earthquake and warned that they were at risk of a possible tsunami. Many countries ignored the warning, and even those that listened didn’t take any tangible action. Many countries still ignored the threat when it hit their outlying coasts and even refused to warn people living in the inlying coasts. In Indonesia, the sea receded several hundred meters after the earthquake. That was a clear warning of an incoming tsunami, but many didn’t know this, and some even ran into the retreated ocean to catch stranded fish, while others simply looked on and wondered what was happening.
7. The Challenger Disaster.
On January 28, 1986, the Challenger space shuttle exploded over the skies of Florida while being watched by millions of people on the ground and on live television. The explosion was caused by the formation of ice around the space shuttle’s O-rings, which were used to separate the rocket boosters from the shuttle. Of course, there were warnings. This time, they came from Bob Ebeling, an engineer who worked for the company that produced the booster. He had warned that the extremely cold weather would prevent the O-rings from sealing properly and would cause an explosion. He and another engineer then requested that the shuttle’s launch be delayed until the weather was favorable. The delay was initially granted but was later dismissed by executives, who were under pressure to get the shuttle into space, as the launch had already been delayed six days. When Bob complained, one of the executives told him that the Challenger was “not his burden to bear.” The shuttle took off against Bob’s insistence only to explode in midair 73 seconds after takeoff. Seven astronauts, one of whom was a teacher who had won a seat on a NASA educational program, were killed in the accident.
6. Rwandan Genocide.
The Rwandan genocide was the well-planned ethnic cleansing and massacre of 800,000 Tutsis and “moderate” Hutus in Rwanda. The genocide, which began on April 6, 1994, was orchestrated by Hutu tribesmen, who not only attacked the Tutsis, but also any of their own tribesmen who protected them. The genocide had been in the works since at least 1992 when the Belgian ambassador to Rwanda warned that the Hutus were preparing for ethnic cleansing. Another Belgian, Professor Filip Reyntjens, also appeared before the Belgian senate and warned that the Hutus were operating death squads. He even mentioned one of their leaders as Rwandan Army Colonel Theoneste Bagasora, who would later command the genocide. In January 1994, the commander of UN troops in Rwanda, General Romeo Dallaire from Belgium, also sent a fax, now known as the “genocide fax,” to the UN, warning that the Hutus had plans to wipe out the Tutsis. He requested more troops and permission to attack a Hutu arms cache. The UN turned down his requests and instead told him to inform the Rwandan government, which was filled with the same people planning the genocide. That same month, Dallaire seized an arms cache, which was placed in the custody of the United Nations and Rwandan troops the same Rwandan troops who were training the rebels who perpetrated the genocide.
5. The Haiti Earthquake.
The 2010 Haiti earthquake caused a lot of devastation in the country. Thousands were killed and whole villages were annihilated. A lot of people are still homeless and suffering because of the destruction caused by the earthquake. Since 1998 Claude Prepetit had been warning about an impending earthquake and asking the authorities to make arrangements to ensure people’s safety. But nothing was done and his warnings were totally ignored. If the buildings had been made safer and stronger, the destruction could have been much less.
Another source, the 7.0 earthquake killed almost 200,000.
4. The Great Depression.
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 that led to the Great Depression was predicted by economist Roger Babson for many years before it happened. He kept warning everybody and everybody kept ignoring him. Till the crash finally happened and then Roger Babson had the chance to say, “I told you so” but I don’t think that he did. More than $5 billion evaporated and disappeared from the market leading to a decade of hardships for the whole nation.
3. Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan.
The 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan caused a lot of damage and still, the Fukushima nuclear plant is in the danger of collapsing and leaking radioactive material into the ocean. Japan is prone to earthquakes but Koji Minoura had warned of an exceptionally devastating earthquake that hits the Fukushima area about every 1000 years. He published his warnings in his study and in many magazines but it was ignored completely and nothing was done to protect the area and especially the nuclear powerplant. It led to 15,894 deaths, 6,152 injured, 2,562 people missing and US$14.5 to $34.6 billion
2. World's Deadliest Avalanche(Glacier 511).
In 1970 the world’s deadliest avalanche occurred in Peru when Glacier 511 came down into the valley after an earthquake and buried about 25,000 people alive. The sad thing is that in 1962, two students, David Bernays, and Charles Sawyer, had warned the people of the valley below that the glacier was highly unstable. They were thrown in jail for two weeks for causing panic. They were released when they recanted their statements.
1. Tobacco and Cancer link.
Back in 1930, the German researchers had found a link between tobacco and cancer and by the late 1940’s it was conclusive. However, to reject such findings and links, the Big Tobacco Company funded a phony scientific council who were to counter such claims against Tobacco. This group rejected the range of health problems in 1989 put forward to them by a Surgeon General. Even though, people are well aware, how Tobacco is harmful to them, yet Imperial Tobacco still continues to claim that smoking and cancer has no link. Over 100 million people have died from cancer due to the consumption of tobacco in the 20th century.
10. The Eruption Of Mount Vesuvius.
The eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August 24, 79 AD, killed a number of people and totally destroyed the ancient Roman city of Pompeii. All of the victims of the eruption were caught unaware, though that shouldn’t have been the case, as the mountain had given several warnings, all of which went completely ignored. Pompeii was not the first town to be destroyed by the eruption of mountain Vesuvius. There had been at least two previous towns, both of which were completely destroyed. Leading up to the day of the eruption, Pompeii experienced a series of tremors caused by an increase in the molten rock below Mount Vesuvius. The Romans didn’t know the relationship between such quakes and an impending eruption, so they can’t be blamed for that. On the more superstitious side, Romans believed that sighting giants roaming around a town was an early warning of an impending disaster. Many people living in Pompeii reportedly sighted giants, but no one bothered to find out why. As the date of the eruption drew closer, the mountain, which had been dormant, began to make groaning sounds, and the sea around the Bay of Naples became so hot that it boiled and produced bubbles. Animals, including rats, left the town in droves, while wells and streams, especially those close to the mountain, mysteriously dried up. The people of Pompeii ignored these obvious warnings. (They blamed the hot weather for the dried wells.)
The eruption had the tragic consequences also due to the adverse wind direction. Usually, the wind blew in a direction, which would have blown most of the ash and pumice away but on that fateful day, the wind was blowing in an unusual northwesterly direction straight over Pompeii.
The estimates of how many people died in the tragedy vary greatly but it might have been as many as up to 25,000 people.
People died so much in Pompeii because they were trapped. The only route to escape is through the port/harbor, but the congestion at Port where people were trying to get on boats or ship was much.
9. Titanic.
April 10th, 1912. The largest ship the world had ever known set sail on it's maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City. People thought it was the safest ship in the world. It had a double hull, with 16 watertight compartments and men thought it was unsinkable. The Titanic had received at least FIVE warnings about icebergs ahead and yet no one took the warnings seriously. The Titanic didn't change its course, nor did it slow its speed. Then it happened, just before midnight. ICEBERG DEAD AHEAD! The crew panicked, but it was too little, too late, and the ship went down at 2:20 a.m. into the icy Atlantic ocean to a frigid grave. Warning after warning after the warning was received by the Titanic, but they didn't listen.
By David J. Stewart.
8. The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami And Earthquake.
More than 230,000 people were killed, 500,000 were injured, and 1.7 million were left homeless on December 26, 2004, after 9.2-magnitude earthquake caused a tsunami that affected 14 countries in Asia and eastern and southern Africa. The incident remains one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded human history. The death toll could have been less had warnings been heeded. Seven years before the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, a top government official in Thailand warned that the country would soon be hit by a tsunami. His calls were ignored, and he was termed “crazy.” He was also banned from entering some parts of Thailand, where he was considered a threat to tourism. The Pacific Ocean Tsunami Warning System also called the embassies and government officials of several Asian countries after the earthquake and warned that they were at risk of a possible tsunami. Many countries ignored the warning, and even those that listened didn’t take any tangible action. Many countries still ignored the threat when it hit their outlying coasts and even refused to warn people living in the inlying coasts. In Indonesia, the sea receded several hundred meters after the earthquake. That was a clear warning of an incoming tsunami, but many didn’t know this, and some even ran into the retreated ocean to catch stranded fish, while others simply looked on and wondered what was happening.
7. The Challenger Disaster.
On January 28, 1986, the Challenger space shuttle exploded over the skies of Florida while being watched by millions of people on the ground and on live television. The explosion was caused by the formation of ice around the space shuttle’s O-rings, which were used to separate the rocket boosters from the shuttle. Of course, there were warnings. This time, they came from Bob Ebeling, an engineer who worked for the company that produced the booster. He had warned that the extremely cold weather would prevent the O-rings from sealing properly and would cause an explosion. He and another engineer then requested that the shuttle’s launch be delayed until the weather was favorable. The delay was initially granted but was later dismissed by executives, who were under pressure to get the shuttle into space, as the launch had already been delayed six days. When Bob complained, one of the executives told him that the Challenger was “not his burden to bear.” The shuttle took off against Bob’s insistence only to explode in midair 73 seconds after takeoff. Seven astronauts, one of whom was a teacher who had won a seat on a NASA educational program, were killed in the accident.
6. Rwandan Genocide.
The Rwandan genocide was the well-planned ethnic cleansing and massacre of 800,000 Tutsis and “moderate” Hutus in Rwanda. The genocide, which began on April 6, 1994, was orchestrated by Hutu tribesmen, who not only attacked the Tutsis, but also any of their own tribesmen who protected them. The genocide had been in the works since at least 1992 when the Belgian ambassador to Rwanda warned that the Hutus were preparing for ethnic cleansing. Another Belgian, Professor Filip Reyntjens, also appeared before the Belgian senate and warned that the Hutus were operating death squads. He even mentioned one of their leaders as Rwandan Army Colonel Theoneste Bagasora, who would later command the genocide. In January 1994, the commander of UN troops in Rwanda, General Romeo Dallaire from Belgium, also sent a fax, now known as the “genocide fax,” to the UN, warning that the Hutus had plans to wipe out the Tutsis. He requested more troops and permission to attack a Hutu arms cache. The UN turned down his requests and instead told him to inform the Rwandan government, which was filled with the same people planning the genocide. That same month, Dallaire seized an arms cache, which was placed in the custody of the United Nations and Rwandan troops the same Rwandan troops who were training the rebels who perpetrated the genocide.
5. The Haiti Earthquake.
The 2010 Haiti earthquake caused a lot of devastation in the country. Thousands were killed and whole villages were annihilated. A lot of people are still homeless and suffering because of the destruction caused by the earthquake. Since 1998 Claude Prepetit had been warning about an impending earthquake and asking the authorities to make arrangements to ensure people’s safety. But nothing was done and his warnings were totally ignored. If the buildings had been made safer and stronger, the destruction could have been much less.
Another source, the 7.0 earthquake killed almost 200,000.
4. The Great Depression.
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 that led to the Great Depression was predicted by economist Roger Babson for many years before it happened. He kept warning everybody and everybody kept ignoring him. Till the crash finally happened and then Roger Babson had the chance to say, “I told you so” but I don’t think that he did. More than $5 billion evaporated and disappeared from the market leading to a decade of hardships for the whole nation.
3. Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan.
The 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan caused a lot of damage and still, the Fukushima nuclear plant is in the danger of collapsing and leaking radioactive material into the ocean. Japan is prone to earthquakes but Koji Minoura had warned of an exceptionally devastating earthquake that hits the Fukushima area about every 1000 years. He published his warnings in his study and in many magazines but it was ignored completely and nothing was done to protect the area and especially the nuclear powerplant. It led to 15,894 deaths, 6,152 injured, 2,562 people missing and US$14.5 to $34.6 billion
2. World's Deadliest Avalanche(Glacier 511).
In 1970 the world’s deadliest avalanche occurred in Peru when Glacier 511 came down into the valley after an earthquake and buried about 25,000 people alive. The sad thing is that in 1962, two students, David Bernays, and Charles Sawyer, had warned the people of the valley below that the glacier was highly unstable. They were thrown in jail for two weeks for causing panic. They were released when they recanted their statements.
1. Tobacco and Cancer link.
Back in 1930, the German researchers had found a link between tobacco and cancer and by the late 1940’s it was conclusive. However, to reject such findings and links, the Big Tobacco Company funded a phony scientific council who were to counter such claims against Tobacco. This group rejected the range of health problems in 1989 put forward to them by a Surgeon General. Even though, people are well aware, how Tobacco is harmful to them, yet Imperial Tobacco still continues to claim that smoking and cancer has no link. Over 100 million people have died from cancer due to the consumption of tobacco in the 20th century.
Trending