On March 11, 2011, one of the most powerful earthquakes in modern history struck off Japan’s northeast coast. The 9.0-magnitude quake shook the Tōhoku region for nearly six minutes, buckling highways, splitting open the ground, and shifting the entire island of Honshu eight feet to the east. But it wasn’t just the shaking that changed everything—it was what came next. Roughly an hour later, the ocean pulled back and then came roaring in. Towering tsunami waves, some reaching

On the morning of December 26, 2004, the world woke to a disaster unlike anything seen in modern times. A 9.1–9.3 magnitude earthquake—one of the largest ever recorded—struck beneath the Indian Ocean off the coast of Sumatra. Within minutes, the seafloor ripped open and lifted, displacing billions of tons of water. That surge became a wall of destruction that would race across the ocean at jetliner speeds, reshaping coastlines and lives forever. In just hours, the Indian Ocea

On the night of December 3, 1984, the people of Bhopal, India went to bed as they had countless nights before—windows cracked open to catch a bit of breeze, families gathered close on the floor to escape the heat. But just after midnight, a hiss began at the Union Carbide pesticide plant. What leaked from that factory wasn’t steam or smoke—it was methyl isocyanate gas, one of the most toxic chemicals on Earth. Within minutes, that invisible cloud rolled across the sleeping ci

In late August 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast and became one of the most devastating natural disasters in American...

On March 18, 1925, the deadliest tornado in U.S. history carved a scar across Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. For more than three hours,...