5 Sinister Disasters That Have Happened Throughout History

Our planet, as you know, has been the scene of terrible disasters throughout its history, events that have had frightening consequences for humans. Here, we at Mega Curioso list five of these events for you to check out:

1 - The Mount Tambora Eruption

When Tambora - a volcano on Indonesia's Sumbawa Island - erupted in 1815, thousands died in the disaster and as a result of it. This is because, in addition to causing immediate damage, the explosion also caused climate change that affected the rest of the world and caused no “summer” to occur that year.

The eruption caused a huge cloud of dust and ash to form that blocked the sun's rays for several days, not to mention that incandescent fragments of lava were thrown into the sea, generating explosions and steam release. All of this material in the atmosphere caused temperatures around the planet to fall, affecting food production, and approximately 80, 000 people died of disease and starvation.

2 - The Great Fog of 1952

Do not you think that it is only the Chinese who suffer from absurd amounts of pollution in their cities - nor that this phenomenon is something that has only begun to affect the population now.

In 1952, London was the scene of what became known as the "Great Fog, " and an estimated 12, 000 people died as a result of the event. The episode took place between December 5 and 9 and was triggered by the unbridled increase in fossil fuel burning by industry and automobiles. As a result, the English capital has created a series of restrictions to control air quality in the city.

3 - Basra mass poisoning

In the early 1970s, a shipment of grain - mainly US barley and Mexican wheat - was shipped to the port of Basra, Iraq. The filler was treated with methylmercury-containing fungicide to prevent it from rotting and then “dyed” with a shock-pink spray to indicate that the material had received potentially lethal compounds.

The bags that packed the beans still contained warning messages - in English and Spanish - printed all over the surface, but none of these precautions served to prevent thousands of people from being poisoned. That's because Iraqi rebels, in the best intentions, stole the cargo and distributed it to the starving population, and more than 6, 500 individuals were poisoned with mercury.

4 - The 6th Century Mini Ice Age

In the middle of the 6th century, the Northern Hemisphere was severely affected by one of the longest and most intense atmospheric colds of the last 2, 000 years, resulting in the destruction of plantations. As a result, entire populations suffered from famine, which in turn gave rise to invasions, conflicts, wars, the emergence of plagues, collapses of large cities and even whole cultures, as well as large migrations around the planet.

No one can say for sure what caused the mini ice age, but historical records indicate that the earth was covered by a thin layer of dust, possibly released into the atmosphere during a gigantic volcanic eruption or perhaps due to the impact of a comet or meteorite against our planet - although volcano theory is the most likely.

5 - The eruption of Mount Pelée

As we began our list with an eruption, we found it interesting to end with another such event - in this case, one that took place in Martinique in 1902. It all started in January of that year, when Mount Pelée showed signs of activity. First, the population of St. Pierre, a town at the foot of the volcano, noted an increase in smoke release at the top of the mount.

Then the citizens witnessed small explosions, noticed earthquakes, and even St. Pierre was hit by rains of ash and clouds of gases. What is worse is that the population did not give much attention to all these signs, and no one moved even when the city was invaded by insects, and more than 50 people died from snake bites that came down from the mountain due to environmental conditions. !

Then, one fine day, Mount Pelée erupted, and the event collapsed on one side of the volcano's crater, causing the scorching water that had accumulated at the site to descend down the mountain. The liquid mixed with debris and pyroclastic material generated the formation of a flood that descended the mountain and buried everything in its path and caused a tsunami when it reached the sea.

The disaster culminated in an explosion of the volcano that generated an ash cloud with temperatures of around 300 ° C, followed by a lava flow of 1000 ° C - which reached St. Pierre and caused the complete destruction of the city, as well as the destruction of the city. death of somewhere around 30, 000 to 40, 000 people. Only two individuals survived the eruption: a shoemaker residing on the outskirts, and a criminal who was trapped in a solitary confinement.

Do you remember other ominous disasters that have happened around the world? Comment on the Mega Curious Forum