Author: Nigel Blundell
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 152674869X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 259

Get Book

Book Description
A pictorial history of the major man-made calamities that shocked the world throughout the twentieth century. It was a period during which the power and scale of industrialization changed the planet—an unforeseen consequence being the creation of more human-created catastrophes than ever before experienced. The events recorded here include the needless carnage of history’s worst air disaster when two jumbo jets collided on the island of Tenerife. We recall the horrors of Aberfan, the Welsh village in which schoolchildren were buried alive. The story of the explosion aboard the Challenger space shuttle reveals how warnings that were ignored led to the deaths of seven astronauts. And we report on the failings that caused the nuclear nightmare at Chernobyl, a poisonous blot on the face of the globe. These and the other tragedies in this book were all man-made and, it seems, just waiting to happen. A further link between these horrific events is that they were all caused by either folly or greed—or both. But despite the tales of monstrous misfortune, many also produced heart-lifting stories of heroism, selflessness, sacrifice, and human resilience.

Author: Brenda Z. Guiberson
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 0805081704
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 239

Get Book

Book Description
"Natural and man-made disasters have the power to destroy thousands of lives very quickly. Both as they unfold and in the aftermath, these forces of nature astonish the rest of the world with their incredible devastation and magnitude. In this collection of ten well-known catastrophes ... Brenda Guiberson explores the causes and effects, as well as the local and global reverberations of these calamitous events."--Barnesandnoble.com.

Author: Barry A. Turner
Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann
ISBN:
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 276

Get Book

Book Description
Originally published in 1978, and with the working sub-title 'The Failure of Foresight', this was the first book to suggest the possibility of systematically looking at the causes of a wide range of disasters. It still provides a theoretical basis for studying the administrative and organizational origins of disasters, bringing together relevant work based on a study of inquiries into accidents and disasters in Britain over an eleven year period. This second edition has been fully updated, with the inclusion of a final chapter covering more recent events, a task that Barry Turner had undertaken shortly before his sudden death and which has been ably completed by Nick Pidgeon, Associate Editor of the journal Risk Decision and Policy. It is certain that the book will prove to be not only a seminal reminder of the original thinking behind the concepts examined here but also a fitting memorial to Barry Turner's life and work. One of the original works on Disaster Analysis Widely acclaimed in its first edition Endorsed by leading experts in the US and Europe

Author: Jerry Borrowman
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781629727394
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book

Book Description
"Eight stories of man-made disasters and the heroes who arose to rescue others as well as institute reforms that would avoid similar disasters later"--

Author: Michael I. Greenberg
Publisher: Jones & Bartlett Learning
ISBN: 9780763739898
Category : Disasters
Languages : en
Pages : 324

Get Book

Book Description
Prepare yourself for disasterstart with Michael I. Greenbergs new reference, Disaster! A Compendium of Terrorist, Natural, and Man-Made Catastrophesthe most current information on historically destructive events available! This single resource offers a comprehensive overview of significant historical man-made and environmental toxicological incidents. Written by an expert in the field, Disaster! A Compendium of Terrorist, Natural, and Man-Made Catastrophes teaches readers about the numerous man-made incidents resulting from occupational or industrial accidents that have led to environmental contamination, illness, and death.

Author: Henrik Svensen
Publisher: Reaktion Books
ISBN: 1861896832
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 224

Get Book

Book Description
The Lisbon Earthquake of 1755. The South Asian Tsunami of 2004. The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. Hurricane Katrina in 2005. All of these are natural disasters that not only caused massive devastation but actually changed the course of history, and have influenced our reactions to and perspectives on disasters ever since. Spanning two millennia, The End is Nigh provides a detailed history of natural disasters around the world and how they have shaped our cultural beliefs and our practical planning. Henrik Svensen draws from many eyewitness accounts to reveal the personal stories of the victims of natural disasters. Through them, we are reminded that while the disasters are natural phenomena, victims often react in similar ways seeking to explain the disaster within the context of an omen or a divine warning. A geologist, Svensen also explores the science behind the occurrence of specific disasters, and he examines whether climate change is creating an environment where natural disasters are more frequent and more deadly. The End is Nigh is as instructive as it is insightful and will appeal to fans of history and science, as well as policy makers and all those seeking to better prepare for future calamities. “The End is Nigh is a great example of storytelling across scientific disciplines, and in gripping prose it spans geology, geography and history, anthropology, sociology, and the history of religion.”—Apollon

Author: Mitchell Newton-Matza
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 1389

Get Book

Book Description
From the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 to the Sandy Hook school massacre of 2012, this two-volume encyclopedia surveys tragic events—natural and man-made, famous and forgotten—that helped shape American history. Tragedies and disasters have always been part of the fabric of American history. Some gave rise to reactions that profoundly influenced the nation. Others dominated public consciousness for a moment, then disappeared from collective memory. Organized chronologically, Disasters and Tragic Events examines these moments, covering both the familiar and the obscure and probing their immediate and long-term effects. Unlike other works that concentrate on a particular type of disaster, for example, weather- or medicine-related tragedies, this two-volume encyclopedia has no such limits. Its entries range from natural disasters, such as hurricanes and tornadoes, to civic disturbances, environmental disasters, epidemics and medical errors, transportation accidents, and more. The work is a perfect supplement for history classes and will also prove of great interest to the general reader.

Author: Jon Wilkman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1620409178
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 337

Get Book

Book Description
"Floodpath attempts to rescue the disaster from obscurity . . . The author captures many heartbreaking stories of survivors . . . The effect is powerful." --The Wall Street Journal Just before midnight on March 12, 1928, the St. Francis Dam, a twenty-story-high concrete structure just fifty miles north of Los Angeles, suddenly collapsed, releasing a devastating flood that roared fifty-four miles to the Pacific Ocean, destroying everything in its path. It was a horrific catastrophe, yet one which today is virtually forgotten. With research gathered over more than two decades, award-winning writer and filmmaker Jon Wilkman revisits the deluge that claimed nearly five hundred lives. A key figure is William Mulholland, the self-taught engineer who created an unprecedented water system, allowing Los Angeles to become America's second largest city, and who was also responsible for the design and construction of the St. Francis Dam. Driven by eyewitness accounts and combining urban history with a life-and-death drama and a technological detective story, Floodpath grippingly reanimates the reality behind L.A. noir fictions like the classic film Chinatown. In an era of climate change, increasing demand on water resources, and a neglected American infrastructure, the tragedy of the St. Francis Dam has never been more relevant.

Author: Bas van Bavel
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108752381
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 243

Get Book

Book Description
Disasters and History offers the first comprehensive historical overview of hazards and disasters. Drawing on a range of case studies, including the Black Death, the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 and the Fukushima disaster, the authors examine how societies dealt with shocks and hazards and their potentially disastrous outcomes. They reveal the ways in which the consequences and outcomes of these disasters varied widely not only between societies but also within the same societies according to social groups, ethnicity and gender. They also demonstrate how studying past disasters, including earthquakes, droughts, floods and epidemics, can provide a lens through which to understand the social, economic and political functioning of past societies and reveal features of a society which may otherwise remain hidden from view. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Author: William G. Ramroth
Publisher: Kaplan Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 312

Get Book

Book Description
Disasters, throughout the ages, have shaped the built environment. The way city planners, architects, engineers and politicians plan and design cities, buildings, highways, tunnels and bridges have all been fashioned to some degree by the mischievous hands of disasters. Planning for Disaster will trace the impact of natural and manmade disasters on urban planning, building design and the design of large-scale engineering projects such as bridges, tunnels and levees. The book will reference recent disasters such as the Loma Prieta Earthquake (1989), the Oklahoma City Bombing (1995), the 9/11 Terrorist Attack (2001), Hurricane Katrina (2005), as well as catastrophic events from history such as the burning of Rome in AD 64, the London fire of 1666, the New York fire of 1835, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire. Planning for Disaster will include approximately 25 illustrations (photographs and figures) in support of the text.