4 of the Strangest Disasters in History
Most of us live a fairly mundane, uneventful life, don’t we? Sure, we might occasionally push the boat out and throw a wild party or travel somewhere exciting, but we don’t expect weird things to ever happen to us.
It’s true that you probably won’t ever suffer anything drastically weird in your lifetime. Still, some of the strangest disasters have occurred throughout history, which proves that you can never take anything for granted.
The London Beer Flood
You have probably heard about the Great Fire of London, but what about the same city’s Great Beer Flood? This unusual accident happened in 1814 and left the streets of the English capital covered in beer. Almost four million pints were released when one massive vat burst open, causing others to rupture.
It sounds funny and possibly even enjoyable, but there was also a serious side to it. A couple of homes and a pub were severely damaged, and it is believed that seven people drowned in the tidal wave of beer. An attempt to sue the brewery failed when the incident was classified as an Act of God.
The Boston Molasses Disaster
It is bad enough to walk along the street minding your business only to become engulfed by a tsunami of beer. Finding yourself face-to-face with a wall of molasses is probably even worse. This weird accident happened in 1919, a little over a century after London was covered in runaway beer.
In this case, the action took place in Boston in the US. On a hot day, an explosion in a giant molasses tank sent bits of metal spinning through the air and rocking neighboring houses.
That wasn’t the weird bit either, nor the worst bit. That came when the 50-foot high tank started to empty its contents: 2.3 million gallons of the stuff. It is said that the wave of molasses reached a height of somewhere between 15 and 30 ft. and traveled at around 35 mph.
As in the beer disaster in London, there were casualties, with 21 dead and 150 injured. Buildings and cars were also ruined due to the sticky disaster.
The Empire State Building Crash
We have all seen images of King Kong standing on top of the Empire State Building while swatting away planes, but the building had an even scarier incident happen to it in 1945, which most people don’t seem to know about.
This was right at the end of World War II when a US B-25 plane was arriving in New York. The pilot was trying to navigate through heavy fog, significantly reducing visibility. Air control staff told him to wait before trying to land, but he wanted to do it anyway, using the city’s skyscrapers to guide himself.
He got lost at some point, eventually slamming the plane into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building. The pilot, two passengers, and eleven workers from the building died. Of course, the event was cruelly repeated in 2001 with the 9-11 disaster at the World Trade Centre. Modern security measures mean you shouldn’t be in danger of a molasses flood, but good health coverage through HSAForAmerica.com is still a great idea.
The Royal Ball of Fire
The previous strange accidents were all things that happened to people who were minding their own business when they got a very nasty surprise. However, there are also cases in which someone causes their downfall by being irresponsible. In 1393, King Charles VI of France was preparing a vent, later known as the Ball of the Burning Men.
At some point, someone suggested that the king and four other nobles dress up as savages to dance about the place. It probably seemed like a good idea at the time. They soaked themselves in flammable resin or wax to stick straggly hair to their bodies. Of course, the people holding the torches were advised to avoid
Them. Sadly, a latecomer to the party wandered over with a lit torch to get a better look. His torch set one of the men on fire, and while the king was saved, the other four revelers all died.
