- 64
| Jul 18 | Rome burned as, it was said, Nero fiddled (but probably didn't). (XDG, p 4A, 7/18/2003) | Ref: 83 |
- 1106
-
- 1253
| Apr 28 | Utrecht destroyed by fire. | Ref: 5 |
- 1393
| Jan 28 | Fire during Royal Ball at Paris (Ball of the Ardents)., 4 die, including the Earl of Joigny, French nobleman Aimery Poitiers and Yvain son of Earl of Foix.(Ball of the Ardents). | Ref: 5 |
- 1421
| Apr 17 | Dikes at Dort Holland breaks, 100,000 drown. | Ref: 5 |
- 1548
-
- 1554
| Jan 05 | Great fire in Eindhoven Netherlands. | Ref: 5 |
- 1568
| Jan 24 | Abdij Church in Middelburg destroyed by fire. | Ref: 5 |
- 1593
| Dec 24 | Storm hits Texel: 40 ships hit, 500 killed. | Ref: 5 |
- 1596
| Dec 22 | Ferryboat Meuniers crashes in Paris, 150 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1608
| Jan 07 | Fire destroys Jamestown, Virginia. | Ref: 5 |
- 1623
| Nov 01 | Fire at Plymouth, Massachusetts destroys several buildings. | Ref: 5 |
- 1651
| Mar 05 | South Sea dike in Amsterdam breaks after storm. | Ref: 5 |
- 1654
| Jan 07 | Fire after heavy storm destroys 2/3 of De Rijp Netherlands, 1 dies. | Ref: 5 |
- 1666
| Sep 02 | This was the first day of the Great Fire of London. More than 13,000 houses burned and six people died in a three-day fire that started in a wooden house on Pudding Lane near the Tower of London. The house belonged to a baker named Farryner. It was this fire that prompted the first fire insurance policy. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 05 | The Fire of London is extinguished after two days. | Ref: 2 |
| Sep 06 | Great fire of London ends-13,000 homes, 87 churches destroyed, 2/3 London in ashes. | Ref: 10 |
- 1668
| Feb 23 | Fire in Wiener Hofburg in Vienna, emperor Leopold I rescued. | Ref: 5 |
- 1672
| Feb 23 | Joan Blaeus publishers destroyed by fire in Amsterdam. | Ref: 5 |
- 1676
| Nov 27 | First major fire in America occurs in Boston. 46 houses demolished & other buildings too. | Ref: 10 |
- 1772
| May 11 | Amsterdam theater destroyed by fire, 18 killed. | Ref: 5 |
- 1782
| Aug 29 | HMS Royal George keels over, capsizes and sinks at Portsmouth with a loss of 900 lives. | Ref: 10 |
- 1788
| Mar 21 | Almost the entire city of New Orleans, Louisiana, is destroyed by fire. | Ref: 2 |
- 1798
| Feb 02 | Federal St Theater, Boston, becomes first in US destroyed by fire. | Ref: 5 |
- 1800
| Mar 17 | English warship Queen Charlotte catches fire; 700 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1803
| Feb 27 | Great fire in Bombay, India. | Ref: 5 |
- 1805
| Oct 23 | Sailing ship "Aeneus" sinks off Newfoundland killing 340. | Ref: 5 |
- 1807
| Jan 12 | Gunpowder-ship explodes in Leiden Netherlands, 150 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1810
| Dec 22 | British frigate Minotaur sinks killing 480. | Ref: 5 |
- 1816
| Feb 13 | Teatro San Carlo in Naples destroyed by fire. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 03 | French frigate "Medusa" runs aground off Cap Blanc. Gross incompetence kills 150 in calm seas. | Ref: 5 |
- 1817
| Jan 22 | English freighter Diana sinks off Malaysia. | Ref: 5 |
- 1821
| Jan 21 | Paramaribo Suriname catches fire, 4 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1823
| Jul 15 | In Rome, the church known as St Paul's Outside the Walls was destroyed by a fire. Its original edifice was erected in AD 324 by the Roman emperor Constantine. | Ref: 5 |
- 1824
| Nov 15 | Series of fires kills 10 (Edinburgh Scotland). | Ref: 5 |
- 1828
| Apr 14 | 18-gun sloop "Acorn" sinks off Halifax with 115 men aboard. | Ref: 5 |
- 1829
| Apr 09 | Danzig (Gdansk) dike break flood kills 1,200. | Ref: 5 |
- 1830
| Jan 13 | Great fire in New Orleans thought to be set by rebel slaves. | Ref: 5 |
- 1833
| May 11 | "Lady-of-the-Lake" strikes iceberg & sinks in N Atlantic; kills 215. | Ref: 5 |
- 1834
| Oct 16 | Houses of Parliament burn down in London. | Ref: 10 |
- 1836
| Dec 15 | Patent Office burns in Washington DC. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 30 | Lehman-theater in St Petersburg catches fire; 100s die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1837
| May 09 | "Sherrod" burns in Mississippi River below Natchez MS; 175 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 09 | Steamboat "Home" sinks off Okracoke NC killing 100. | Ref: 5 |
- 1838
| Apr 27 | Fire destroys half of Charleston. | Ref: 5 |
- 1841
| Sep 09 | Great Lakes steamer "Erie" sinks off Silver Creek NY, kills 300. | Ref: 5 |
-
- 1842
| May 05 | City-wide fire burns for over 100 hours (Hamburg Germany). | Ref: 5 |
- 1844
| Feb 28 | A 12-inch gun aboard the USS "Princeton" exploded, killing Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur, Navy Secretary Thomas W. Gilmer and several others. | Ref: 5 |
- 1845
| Apr 10 | More than 1,000 buildings damaged by fire in Pittsburgh Pa. | Ref: 5 |
| May 03 | Fire kills 1,600 in popular theater in Canton China. | Ref: 5 |
| May 28 | Fire in Québec Canada, 1,500 houses destroyed. | Ref: 5 |
- 1847
| Nov 21 | Steamer "Phoenix" is lost on Lake Michigan, kills 200. | Ref: 5 |
- 1849
| May 10 | 20 die in Astor Place Theatre riot caused by William Macready's (Macbeth) anti-U.S. statements. (TWA, 1958) | Ref: 95 |
| May 17 | Fire destroy Centrum in St Louis MO. | Ref: 5 |
- 1850
| Jun 17 | Paddle-wheeler "G P Griffith" burns off Mentor Ohio (206 die). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | Rangoon Burma destroyed by fire. | Ref: 5 |
- 1851
| Apr 16 | A lighthouse was swept away in a gale at Minot’s Ledge, . | Ref: 4 |
| May 03 | Most of San Fransisco is destroyed by fire; 30 die, 2500 buildings destroyed, $12M in damage. | Ref:77 |
| Jul 20 | A bridge near Moscow gives way under a procession of 200 Waldimar monks drowning 158. | Ref: 62 |
- 1852
| Feb 23 | "H M S Birkenhead" sinks off South Africa killing 420 troops. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 26 | British frigate Birkenhead sinks off South Africa-458 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 20 | Steamer "Atlantic" collided with fishing boat, sinks with 250 aboard. | Ref: 5 |
- 1853
| Sep 29 | Annie Jane: emigrant vessel off coast of Scotland; 348 died. | Ref: 85 |
- 1854
| Jan 05 | Steamship San Francisco wrecked-300 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 16 | Steamer "Long Beach" sinks off Long Beach NY, 311 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 27 | The first great disaster involving an ocean liner in the Atlantic occurred when the steamship Arctic sank with 300 people aboard. | Ref: 70 |
| Nov 13 | "New Era" sinks off NJ coast with loss of 300. | Ref: 5 |
- 1855
| Jan 09 | Clipper Guiding Star disappears in Atlantic, 480 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 09 | Clipper Guiding Star disappears in Atlantic, 480 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1856
-
| Feb 20 | John Rutledge, Liverpool-New York steamer, hits iceberg; many die. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 05 | Covent Garden Opera House destroyed in a fire. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 03 | Gunpowder in church explodes killing 4,000 in Rhodos. | Ref: 5 |
- 1857
| Sep 12 | 423 die when "Central America" sinks off Cape Romain SC. | Ref: 5 |
- 1859
| Apr 27 | "Pomona" sinks in North Atlantic drowning all 400 aboard. | Ref: 5 |
- 1860
| Sep 07 | Excursion steamer "Lady Elgin" drowns 340 in Lake Michigan. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 08 | Loss of steamer, "Lady Elgin". | Ref: 5 |
- 1861
| Feb 01 | Dike breaks in Gelderland Netherlands. | Ref: 5 |
- 1862
| May 07 | Much of Enschede Netherlands destroyed by fire. | Ref: 5 |
- 1863
| Dec 08 | Jesuit Church of La Compana in Santiago Chile catches fire, 2,500 die in panic. | Ref: 5 |
- 1864
| Feb 15 | Fire in Rotterdam Netherlands damages Museum Boymans. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 18 | Dale Dike on Humber River crumbles drowning some 240. | Ref: 5 |
- 1865
| Mar 25 | SS General Lyon at Cape Hatteras catches fire & sinks, killing 400. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 13 | PT Barnum's museum burns down. | Ref: 5 |
- 1866
| Jan 11 | Steamship London sinks in storm off Land's End England, kills 220. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 19 | Immigrant ship Monarch of the Seas sinks in Liverpool; 738 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 04 | Firecracker thrown in wood starts fire destroying ½ of Portland, Me. | Ref: 5 |
- 1867
| Oct 29 | Mail packets "Rhone" & "Wye" capsizes off St Thomas Virgin Islands. | Ref: 5 |
- 1869
| Sep 06 | Mine fire kills 179 at Avondale PA. | Ref: 5 |
- 1870
| Jan 20 | "City of Boston" vanishes at sea with all 177 aboard. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 30 | Staten Island ferry "Westfield" burns, killing 100. | Ref: 5 |
- 1871
| Oct 07 | 16-hour fire injures 30 of Chicago's 185 firefighters. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 08 | The Great Chicago Fire begins in southwest Chicago at around 9:00 PM, possibly in a barn owned by Patrick and Katherine O'Leary. Fanned by strong southwesterly winds, the flames raged for more than 24 hours, eventually leveling three and a half square miles and wiping out one-third of the city. Approximately 250 people were killed in the fire; 98,500 people were left homeless; 17,450 buildings were destroyed. | Ref: 2 |
| Oct 08 | In Wisconsin, one of the most disastrous forest fires ever destroyed the town of Peshtigo, burned across six counties and killed over 1100 people. | Ref: 4 |
- 1872
| Nov 09 | Fire in Boston destroys 800 buildings over next three days at a cost of over $875 million. | Ref: 5 |
- 1873
| Jan 22 | Britains SS Northfleet sinks at Dungeness England, 300 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 01 | British White Star steamship Atlantic sinks off Nova Scotia, 547 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1874
| Apr 19 | Barracks on Alcatraz Island destroyed in fire | Ref: 5 |
| May 16 | First recorded dam disaster in US (Williamsburg MA). | Ref: 5 |
- 1875
| May 07 | German SS Schiller sinks near Scilly Islands, 312 killed. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 04 | "Pacific" collides with "Orpheus" off Cape Flattery Wash, 236 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1876
| Dec 05 | Fire at Brooklyn Theater kills 295, trampled or burned to death. | Ref: 5 |
- 1878
| Mar 24 | British frigate Eurydice sunk; 300 lost. | Ref: 5 |
| May 31 | German battleship Grosser Kurfürst sinks, 284 killed. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 18 | French SS Byzantin sinks after collision in Dardanellen, 210 killed. | Ref: 5 |
- 1880
| Jul 21 | Compressed air accident kills 20 workers on Hudson River tunnel, NY. | Ref: 5 |
- 1881
| Mar 23 | Gas lamp sets fire to Nice France opera house; 70 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 08 | Vienna's Ring Theater destroyed by fire, kills between 640-850. | Ref: 5 |
- 1882
| Jan 31 | Great World Building fire on Park Row in New York City. | Ref: 10 |
- 1883
| Jan 10 | Fire at uninsured Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee WI kills 71; General Tom Thumb of P T Barnum fame, escapes unhurt. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 13 | Fire in circus Ferroni in Berditschoft Poland kills 430. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 10 | Fire at un-insured New Hall Hotel in Milwaukee WI, kills 71. | Ref: 5 |
| May 30 | 12 people were trampled to death when a rumor that the recently opened Brooklyn Bridge was in imminent danger of collapsing triggered a stampede. | Ref: 74 |
- 1885
| Jun 12 | Roof collapse kills 30 at murder trial in France. | Ref: 5 |
- 1886
| Jun 13 | Fire destroys nearly 1,000 buildings in Vancouver, BC. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 10 | Eruption of Tarawera volcano destroys famous pink & white calcium carbonate hot-spring terraces (North Island, New Zealand). | Ref: 5 |
- 1887
| Jan 16 | Cliff House damaged when schooner "Parallel"'s powder cargo explodes. | Ref: 5 |
| May 25 | Gas lamp at Paris Opera catches fire; 200 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1888
| Feb 28 | Ferry in San Pablo Bay explodes. | Ref: 5 |
- 1889
| Mar 15 | 6 US & German warships perish in harbor of Apia Samoa, 200 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 06 | Great Fire in Seattle destroys 25 downtown blocks. | Ref: 5 |
- 1890
| Feb 20 | Amsterdam Theater destroyed by fire. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 19 | Turkish frigate "Ertogrul" burns off of Japan, kills 540. | Ref: 5 |
- 1891
| Jan 27 | Mine explosion kills 109 at Mount Pleasant PA. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 17 | British Steamer "Utopia" sinks off Gibraltar killing 574. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 27 | Mine explosion kills 109 at Mount Pleasant PA. | Ref: 5 |
- 1892
| Jan 07 | Mine explosion kills 100, Krebs OK-blacks trying to help rescue white survivors, driven away with guns. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 08 | A coal mine explosion kills 100 in McAlister, Oklahoma. | Ref: 2 |
| Aug 27 | Fire seriously damaged New York City's original Metropolitan Opera House at Broadway and 39th Street. | Ref: 70 |
- 1893
| Dec 11 | 11 fishing ships wash up at Wadden Sea, 22 killed. | Ref: 5 |
- 1894
| Mar 04 | Great fire in Shanghai; over 1,000 buildings destroyed. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 24 | 37 miners killed at Franklin WA. | Ref: 5 |
- 1895
| Jan 30 | SS Elbe sinks after collision in North Sea, 332 killed. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 11 | Spanish cruiser Reina Regenta sinks at Gibraltar, 400 killed. | Ref: 5 |
- 1896
| Apr 25 | Fight in Central Dance Hall starts fire (Cripple Creek Colorado). | Ref: 5 |
| May 04 | Grease fire ignites ½ ton of dynamite at Cripple Creek CO. | Ref: 5 |
- 1897
| May 04 | Fire in Paris France bazaar at Rue Jean Goujon kills 200. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 19 | The Great "City Fire" in London. | Ref: 2 |
- 1898
| Jul 04 | "La Bourgogne" collides with "Cromartyshire", 560 drown. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 27 | Side-wheeler "Portland" sinks off Cape Cod, 190 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1899
| Mar 17 | Windsor luxury hotel in NYC catches fire, 92 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1900
| Apr 26 | Fire reduces Ottawa, Canada to ashes; 12,000 homeless, $15 million damage. | Ref: 10 |
| May 01 | Premature blast collapses mine tunnel killing 200 at Scofield UT. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 30 | 4 German liners burn at Hobokon Docks NJ, 326 die | Ref: 5 |
- 1901
| Jan 23 | A great fire ravages Montreal, resulting in $2.5 million in property lost. | Ref: 2 |
| May 03 | Fire destroyed 1,700 buildings in Jacksonville FL. | Ref: 5 |
- 1902
| Jan 27 | 5 workers killed on explosion during IRT subway construction (New York City NY). | Ref: 5 |
| May 06 | British SS Camorta sinks off Rangoon; 739 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 14 | 1,104 year-old Campanile in St. Marks' Square, Venice, collapses. | Ref: 10 |
| Nov 22 | A fire causes considerable damage to the unfinished Williamsburg bridge in NY. | Ref: 2 |
- 1903
| Dec 12 | Rhodes Opera House burns in Boyertown PA, killing 170. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | Electric lamp sets fire to Iroquois theater in Chicago; 602 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 30 | 602 die as flames swept through Iroquois Theater in Chicago IL. | Ref: 5 |
- 1904
| Jan 25 | 179 die in coal mine explosion at Cheswick PA. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 07 | A fire began in Baltimore that raged for about 30 hours and destroyed more than 1500 buildings. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 19 | Much of Toronto destroyed by fire. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 16 | More than a thousand people died when fire erupted aboard the steamboat "General Slocum" in NY's East River. | Ref:77 |
- 1905
| Nov 19 | 100 people drown in the English Channel as the steamer Hilda sinks. | Ref: 2 |
- 1906
| Mar 10 | Coal dust explosion kills 1,060 at Courrieres France. | Ref: 5 |
- 1907
| Feb 11 | Passenger ship Larchmont sinks by Block Island, 322 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 21 | SS Berlin sinks off Hoek van Holland Netherlands (142 dead). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 06 | Coal mine explosions in Monongah WV, kills 361. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 19 | A coal mine explosion in Jacobs Creek, PA., kills 239 workers. | Ref: 70 |
| Dec 20 | Explosion at Yolande AL, coal mine kills 91. | Ref: 5 |
- 1908
| Mar 04 | Collingwood OH primary school catches fire; 180 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 08 | Collingwood Elementary (Cleveland) burns, kills 173 kids & 2 teachers. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 12 | Fire makes 17,000 homeless in Chelsea MA. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 28 | 154 men die in coal mine explosion at Marianna Pa. | Ref: 5 |
- 1909
| Jun 10 | An SOS signal is transmitted for the first time in an emergency when the Cunard liner SS Slavonia is wrecked off the Azores. | Ref: 2 |
| Nov 13 | 259 miners die in a fire at St Paul Mine at Cherry Ill. | Ref: 5 |
- 1910
| Sep 10 | Great Idaho Fire destroys 3 million acres of timber | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 21 | Explosion in coal mine in Hulton England, 344 mine workers dies. | Ref: 5 |
- 1911
| Feb 06 | Great fire destroys downtown Constantinople/Istanbul Turkey. | Ref: 5 |
| May 09 | Fire breaks out at Empire Theater in Edinburgh Scotland. | Ref: 5 |
- 1912
| Mar 05 | Principe de Asturias: Spanish steamer struck rock off Sebastien Point (NE of Spain); 500 drowned. | Ref: 85 |
| Apr 02 | Titanic undergoes sea trials under its own power | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 08 | Steamers collide in the Nile, drowning 200. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 10 | The luxury liner Titanic set sail from Southampton, England, on its ill-fated maiden voyage. | Ref: 70 |
| Apr 14 | The Titanic, launched on 31 May 1911, on route from Southampton to New York with 2200 passengers, strikes an iceburg some 400 miles south of Newfoundland, sinks in the early morning hours on the next day.. (1500+ death toll). | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 15 | With her band playing on the deck, the ocean liner Titanic sinks at 2:27 a.m. in the North Atlantic. 1503 lives are lost. | Ref: 2 |
| Jun 04 | Fire in Constantinople;1,000 homes destroyed. | Ref: 10 |
| Sep 28 | "Kiche Maru" sinks off Japan, killing 1,000. | Ref: 5 |
- 1913
| Sep 22 | Coal mine explosion kills 263 at Dawson New Mexico. | Ref: 5 |
- 1914
| Apr 28 | 181 die in coal mine collapse at Eccles WV. | Ref: 5 |
| May 29 | Ship rams Canadian ship Empress of Ireland on St Lawrence R; 1024 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1915
| Jun 24 | 800 die as excursion steamer Eastland capsizes in Chicago. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 24 | More than 800 people die when the excursion steamer Eastland capsizes at Chicago's Clark Street dock on Lake Michigan. | Ref: 72 |
- 1916
| May 10 | Disastrous fire in Ellendale ND. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 29 | Steamer 'Hsin Iu' sinks off China coast, 1,000 drown. | Ref: 5 |
- 1917
| Jan 19 | Silvertown Essex's ammunition factory explodes; 300 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 20 | Ammunitions ship explodes in Archangelsk harbor, about 1,500 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 21 | British Mendi sinks off Isle of Wight, 627 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 21 | Train near Chirurcha Romania catches fire & explodes; 100s die. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 06 | Entire city of Halifax, Nova Scotia destroyed when the French ammunition ship Mont Blanc collides with the Belgian steamer Imo in Halifax Harbor. The subsequent explosion kills 1,654. (TWA, 1998) | Ref: 95 |
- 1918
| Feb 26 | Stands at Hong Kong Jockey Club collapse & burn, killing 604. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 13 | Electrical fire kills 38 mental patients at Oklahoma State Hospital. | Ref: 5 |
| May 18 | TNT explosion in chemical factory in Oakdale PA kills 200. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 25 | The Canadian steamship "Princess Sophia" founders off the coast of Alaska; nearly 400 people perish. | Ref: 5 |
- 1920
| Jan 11 | French passenger ship Afrique sinks near La Rochelle; 553 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1921
| Mar 18 | Steamer "Hong Kong" runs aground off Swatow China killing 1,000. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 21 | Gas generator explodes at Bradishe Aniline chemical works in Germany. | Ref: 5 |
- 1922
| May 20 | "Egypt" sinks off Ushant after colliding with "Seine" killing 90. | Ref: 5 |
- 1923
| Feb 08 | Coal mine explosion at Dawson NM kills 120. | Ref: 5 |
| May 17 | Fire during closing day ceremonies at Grover Cleveland School (South Carolina). | Ref: 5 |
- 1924
| Mar 08 | Coal mine explosion kills 171 at Castle Gate UT. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 28 | 119 die in Benwood WV coal mine disaster. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 24 | School in Babb's Switch OK catches fire, 36 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1925
| Jun 23 | Landslides create 3-mile long "Slide Lake" (Gros Ventre Wyoming). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 04 | 44 die when the Dreyfus Hotel in Boston collapses. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 26 | Italian sub "Sebastiano Veniero" lost off Sicily with 54 dead | Ref: 5 |
- 1926
| Jul 10 | Lake Denmark, NJ arsenal explodes, kills 21, $75m damage. | Ref: 5 |
- 1927
| Jan 09 | Fire in Laurier Palace cinema in Montréal, 78 children died. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 09 | Fire in Laurier Palace cinema in Montréal, 78 children died. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 17 | US sub 'S-4' sinks after collision kills all 34 aboard. | Ref: 5 |
- 1928
| Mar 13 | 450 die in St Franciso Valley Dam burst (California). | Ref: 5 |
| May 19 | "Firedamp" explodes in Mather PA coal mine killing 195 of 273 miners. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 03 | French sub "Ondine" sinks returning to Toulon, drowning 42. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 12 | The British ocean liner Vestris sinks off the Virginia cape with 328 aboard, killing 111. | Ref: 2 |
- 1929
| Apr 18 | Palace for People's industry in Amsterdam devastated by fire. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 04 | AM radio station WOWO, Indiana's transmitter burns down. | Ref: 5 |
- 1930
| Dec 03 | Air-borne chemicals combine with fog to kill 60 (Meuse Valley Belgium). | Ref: 5 |
- 1931
| Feb 08 | Gas explosion Fire in Fushun-coal mine, Manchuria kills 3,000. | Ref: 5 |
-
| Jun 14 | French "St Philbert" overturned off St Nazaire France, drowns 450. | Ref: 5 |
- 1932
| Jan 26 | British submarine M-2 sinks in Channel (60 dead). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 27 | Explosion in coal mine Boissevain, Virginia, USA (38 dead). | Ref: 5 |
- 1933
| Aug 14 | Forest fire in Tillamook, Oregon wipes out 270,000 acres ($200 million damage). | Ref: 10 |
| Sep 14 | 2 billion board feet of lumber destroyed in Tillamook Oregon fire. | Ref: 5 |
- 1934
| Mar 21 | Fire destroys Hakodate Japan, killing about 1,500. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 22 | Fire destroys Hakodate Japan (kills 1,500, injures 1,000). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 07 | Luxury liner "Morro Castle" burns off NJ, killing 134. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 08 | A fire aboard the liner Morro Castle off the New Jersey coast claimed 134 lives. | Ref: 70 |
- 1937
| Mar 18 | More than 400 people, mostly children, were killed in a gas explosion at a school in New London, TX. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
| Sep 22 | Forest fire kills 14 & injures 50 in Cody Wyoming. | Ref: 5 |
- 1938
| May 16 | 38 die in Terminal Hotel fire (Atlanta GA). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 17 | Utrecht Central Station destroyed by fire. | Ref: 5 |
- 1939
| Feb 27 | English Spook house Borley Rectory destroyed in a fire. | Ref: 5 |
| May 23 | Submarine Squalis sinks off Portsmouth NH, 26 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 01 | British sub "Thetis" sinks in Liverpool Bay with all 99 aboard. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 14 | Oil refinery fire kills 500 & destroys Lagunillas Venezuela. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 12 | Soviet prison ship Indigirka, carrying 2,500 prisoners capsizes in blizzard off Japanese coast; 2,470 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1940
| Apr 23 | About 200 people died in a dance hall fire in Natchez, Miss. | Ref: 70 |
| Sep 12 | 49 die & 200 injured when Hercules Powder Co plant explodes (NJ). | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 02 | British liner Empress loaded with refugees for Canada, sunk. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 07 | At approximately 11:00 a.m. the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsed due to wind-induced vibrations, only four months and seven days after dedication. The bridge had become a popular tourist attraction as people came from all around the area came to pay the toll and ride the roller-coaster that was named "Galloping Gertie". The design flaws that allowed that coaster effect were the same that caused its collapse. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 25 | Patria steamer sinks killing 200, outside of Haifa. | Ref: 5 |
- 1941
| May 18 | An Egyptian steamer sinks. | Ref: 5 |
- 1942
| Mar 26 | 20 tons of gelignite kills 21 in a stone quarry in Easton PA. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 26 | Colliery explosion kills 1,549 at Honkeiko Manchuria. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 21 | 8 die as coal waste heap slides in river valley near Oakwood, Va. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 02 | "Queen Mary" slices cruiser "Curacao" in half, killing 338. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 28 | A tragic fire at the famed Cocoanut Grove night club in Boston, MA killed nearly 500 people, including popular western actor Charles ‘Buck’ Jones. It is believed that the fire started in a corner of one of the lounges when a customer unscrewed a light bulbs to provide some privacy for himself and his date. The bartender ordered a busboy to replace the bulb, but the lounge was so dark that the busboy lit a match to find the socket. A short time later, flames appeared and spread to a nearby tinsel palm tree. When the ceiling (festooned in billows of blue satin fabric) exploded into flames, the entire crowd stampeded. The Cocoanut Grove fire prompted major efforts in fire prevention and control for U.S. nightclubs and other related places of assembly. | Ref: 4 |
- 1943
| Sep 07 | Fire in decrepit old Gulf Hotel kills 45 (Houston TX) | Ref: 5 |
- 1944
| Jul 06 | 169 people die in a fire that breaks out in the main tent of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Baily Circus in Hartford, CT. (XDG, p 4A, 7/6/2000) | Ref: 83 |
| Jul 09 | World's largest circus tent catches fire at Ringling Brother's Barnum & Bailey 2nd performance. 168 die. (Hartford Conn). | Ref: 5 |
- 1945
| May 27 | Lead ship in 76 vessel Atlantic convoy hits iceberg; 22 other ships run into each other. | Ref: 10 |
- 1946
| Jan 14 | 2 jetties collapse in Ganges-160 Hindu pilgrims are crushed. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 05 | Fire at LaSalle Hotel cocktail lounge kills 61 (Chicago Ill). | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 09 | 19 guests at Canfield Hotel die in fire. (Dubuque Iowa). | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 21 | 10 die in fire at Baker Hotel, Dallas Texas. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 07 | Fire broke out at the Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta; the blaze killed 119 people, including hotel founder W. Frank Winecoff. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
| Dec 12 | Ice plant collapses, shearing a tenement building & burying 38. | Ref: 5 |
- 1947
| Jan 17 | Muiden Netherlands ammunition factory explodes, 16 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 18 | Small river steamer sank on Yangtze River, kills 400. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 19 | SS Himera runs aground at Athens, kills 392. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 20 | Chemical mixing error causes explosion that destroys 42 blocks in Los Angeles CA. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 25 | A coal mine explosion in Centralia IL, claiming 111 lives. | Ref: 70 |
| Apr 16 | America's worst harbor explosion occurred in Texas City, Texas, when the French ship Grandcamp, carrying ammonium nitrate fertilizer, caught fire and blew up, devastating the town. Another ship, the Highflyer, exploded the following day. The explosions and resulting fires killed more than 500 people and left 200 others missing. | Ref: 70 |
| May 25 | Coal dust explosion rocks Centralia Coal Company's Mine #5 killing 111. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 29 | Gas leak explodes in a beauty parlor, 10 women die in Harrisonburg Va. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 18 | Naval torpedo & mine factory explodes at Cadiz, Spain killing 300. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 24 | Series of forest fires burn $30 million of timber (New England States). | Ref: 5 |
- 1948
| Jul 28 | I.G. Farben chemical plant explodes in Ludwigshafen, Germany, 182 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 03 | Chinese refugee ship "Kiangya" explodes in E China Sea, killing 1,100. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 04 | SS Kiangya hits mine in Whangpoo River China, sinks killing 2,750 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1949
| Jan 27 | Chinese liner "Taiping" collides with a collier off south China. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 05 | 60 year old St Anthony's Hospital burns, kills 77 (Effingham Ill). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 02 | Fire in riverfront area kills 1,700 (Chungking China). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 17 | Steamer "Noronic" burns at pier killing 128 (Toronto Canada). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 27 | Chinese liner "Taiping" collides with a collier off south China. | Ref: 5 |
- 1950
| Jan 07 | Mental health wing of Mercy Hospital burns, kills 41 (Davenport IA). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 12 | Swedish tanker rams British submarine Truculent in Thames, 64 die. | Ref: 5 |
| May 11 | Belgium mine disaster at Borinage, 39 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1951
| Apr 16 | British submarine Affray sank in English Channel, killing 75. | Ref: 5 |
- 1952
| Jan 24 | Fire in main building of French Port Martin Antarctic base. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 26 | US minesweeper "Hobson" rams aircraft carrier "Wasp," kills 176. | Ref: 5 |
- 1953
| Jan 05 | Passenger ships Willem Ruys & Orange collide in the Red Sea. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 09 | Chang Tyong-Ho: South Korean ferry foundered off Pusan; 249 reported dead. | Ref: 85 |
| Jan 13 | Gas explosion in Belgium coal mine kills 14. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 31 | The channel ferry Princess Victoria with 174 passengers and crew members on board capsized and sank near Mew Island, off Belfast, Ireland, in the late afternoon. | |
| Feb 09 | Korean ferryboat "Chang Tyong-Ho" sank off Pusan killing 249. | Ref: 5 |
- 1954
| Feb 01 | Scapino Ballet Studio in Amsterdam destroyed by fire. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 26 | Toya Maru: more than 1,000 killed when commercial ferry sank in Tsugaru Strait, Japan. | Ref: 85 |
- 1955
| Apr 03 | Fire in cinema to Sclessin Belgium, kills 39. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 21 | Minas Gerais Argentina tunnel caves in; 30 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1956
| Feb 08 | Mine disaster in Quaregnon Belgium, 8 die. | Ref: 5 |
| May 26 | Aircraft carrier "Bennington" burns off Rhode Island, killing 103. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 07 | 7 Army trucks loaded with dynamite explode in the middle of Cali, Columbia killing 1100-1200, destroyimg 2,000 buildings. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 25 | 52 of the 1,662 passengers and crew on board the Andrea Doria died in a collision with the Swedish-American liner Stockholm near Cape Cod. Launched on June 16, 1951 and named after a famous Italian admiral, the Andrea Doria was Italy’s most luxurious liner. For three years the Andrea Doria reigned supreme on the Atlantic cruise routes while gaining the moniker ‘Grand Dame of the Sea’. At 11:10 p.m., sixty miles from Nantucket Island, the heavily reinforced bow of the Stockholm tore through the starboard side of the Andrea Doria. Thanks to the ship’s S.O.S. signals, a group of ships soon arrived and provided much-needed lifeboats to complete the abandonment of the Andrea Doria. Newsmen and cameras caught her eventual fate and the entire world listened on the radio as she slid beneath the waves to settle in 225 feet of water at 10:09 a.m. All of the 52 who were lost died as a direct result of the initial collision. | Ref: 4 |
| Aug 08 | Fire & explosion kill 263 miners at Marcinelle, Belgium | Ref: 5 |
- 1957
| Feb 17 | Fire in Warreton MO, kills 72. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 14 | Soviet steamer "Eshghbad" sinks in Caspian Sea, drowning 270. | Ref: 5 |
- 1958
| Dec 01 | Our Lady of Angels School burns, killing 92 students & 3 nuns (Chicago). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 16 | Bogota warehouse fire kills 82 | Ref: 5 |
- 1959
| Jan 09 | Dam across Tera River collapses after heavy winter rains, 135 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 09 | Dam across Tera River collapses after heavy winter rains, 135 die. | Ref: 5 |
| May 08 | 3-deck Nile excursion steamer springs a leak panicking passengers who capsized ship; 200 drown just yards from shore | Ref: 2 |
- 1960
| Jan 21 | Rock falls traps 437 at Coalbrook South Africa, 417 die of methane poisoning. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 22 | Coal mine of Johnburg caves-in, 417 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 04 | French freighter "La Coubre" explodes in Havana Cuba, killing 100. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 28 | Scotch factory explodes burying 20 firefighters (Glasgow Scotland) | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 11 | House packed with wedding celebrants collapses killing 30 (Pakistan). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 14 | Fire raging through a Guatemala City, Guatemala insane asylum kills 225, severly injuring 300. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 13 | Fire in movie theater kills 152 children (Amude Spain). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 19 | Fire aboard USS Constellation, under construction in Brooklyn (50 die). | Ref: 5 |
- 1961
| Jan 03 | Steam explosion in a military experimental reactor SL-1 in Idaho Falls kills three | Ref: 62 |
| Mar 09 | Mine cave-in in Japan, kills 72. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 08 | Portuguese steamer "Save" breaks up off Mozambique, 227 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1962
| Feb 07 | Gas explosion in Luisanthal coal mine Voelklingen Germany kills 298. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 15 | Shady Grove Baptist Church burned in Leesburg Georgia. | Ref: 5 |
- 1963
| Feb 16 | C & A Building in Amsterdam burns down. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 10 | The nuclear-powered submarine USS "Thresher" fails to surface 220 mile east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in a disaster that claimed 129 lives. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
| May 04 | United Arab Republic ferry capsized and sank in upper Nile; over 200 died. | Ref: 85 |
| Oct 31 | Leaking propane gas explodes, kills 64 at "Holiday on Ice" (IN). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 09 | Twin disasters struck Japan as some 450 miners are killed in a coal-dust explosion, and 160 people die in a train crash. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 23 | Fire on Greek ship Laconia, 128 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1964
| Feb 10 | Destroyer Voyager sinks off Australia after colliding with aircraft carrier Melbourne, killing 82. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 10 | Iranian motor launch catches fire & sinks killing 113 (Persian Gulf). | Ref: 5 |
| May 21 | Fire in Wégimond Belgium resort, kills 19. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 23 | Egyptian munition ship "Star of Alexandria" explodes at dockside in Bone, Algeria. 100 die, 160 injured, $20 million damage. | Ref: 5 |
- 1965
| Feb 18 | 27 copper miners die in avalanche, Granduc Mountain British Columbia. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 01 | Gas explosion kills 28 in apartment complex (La Salle Québec Canada). | Ref: 5 |
| May 23 | Pontoon ferry overturned on Shire River Malawi, kills 150. | Ref: 5 |
| May 28 | Fire & explosion at Dhori mine in Dhanbad India kills 400. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 30 | Fireworks explosions kill 50 in Cartagena, Colombia. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 01 | Trackless trolley plunged into Nile River drowning 74 (Cairo Egypt). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 09 | A huge blackout in the northeast U.S. left millions without electricity. 800,000 people wound up trapped in New York subways, elevators and skyscrapers. Rioting breaks out in New York City. Dramatic photos showed the eery sight of a moonlit, electric lightless, Manhattan skyline. Power was not restored until the next morning. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 13 | "Yarmouth Castle" burns & sinks off Bahamas, killing 89. | Ref: 5 |
- 1966
| Dec 12 | Heraklion: Greek passenger ferry foundered in heavy seas near Crete; 241 dead. | Ref: 85 |
- 1967
| May 22 | Fire at L'Innovation department store kills 322 (Brussels, Belgium). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 15 | The Silver Bridge, on U.S. 35 between Point Pleasant, WV and Gallipolis, OH, collapsed during afternoon rush hour. 46 people died. Although many states (including CA and NY) had instituted bridge inspection programs, it was not until this tragedy that the issue of bridge safety was brought into national focus. | Ref: 4 |
- 1968
| Jan 25 | Dakar, an Israeli submarine, sank in eastern Mediterranean, probably after collision with large ship; 69 dead. | Ref: 85 |
| Mar 10 | Ferry boat sinks in harbor of Wellington New Zealand (200 killed). | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 06 | Gunpowder stocks at a sporting-goods store explode, killing 43 (Va). | Ref: 5 |
| May 21 | The nuclear-powered US submarine "Scorpion,' with 99 men aboard, was last heard from. (The remains of the sub were later found on the ocean floor 400 miles southwest of the Azores.) | Ref: 70 |
| Oct 31 | The remains of nuclear-powered US submarine "Scorpion,' are found. It was last heard from on May 21st. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
- 1969
| Jan 14 | An explosion ripped through the U.S. aircraft carrier Enterprise off Hawaii, killing 25 crew members. | Ref: 70 |
- 1970
| Mar 04 | Fifty-seven people are killed as the French submarine Eurydice sinks in the Mediterranean Sea. | Ref: 2 |
| Nov 01 | Discotheque in Grenoble France burns, all exits are padlocked and 142 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 15 | South Korean ferry Namyong-Ho sinks in Strait of Korea, 308 killed. | Ref: 5 |
- 1971
| Feb 04 | Government exhibit under construction collapses, kills 65 in Brazil. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 04 | Marine clay under houses liquifies, 31 die (St-Jean-Vianney Quebec). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 25 | Worst hotel fire in history kills 163 at Taeyokale Hotel in Seoul. | Ref: 5 |
- 1972
| Jan 09 | Passenger ship Queen Elizabeth destroyed by fire. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 23 | Bootlegger sells wood alcohol to wedding party-100 die-New Delhi. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 26 | Stewardess Vesna Vulovic survives 10,160m fall without parachute. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 09 | Passenger ship Queen Elizabeth destroyed by fire. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 26 | Slag heap dam collapses above Buffalo Creek WV, kills 125. | Ref: 5 |
| May 02 | Electrical fire in Sunshine Silver mine 126 die (Kellogg Idaho). | Ref: 5 |
| May 13 | 115 die in nightclub atop 7-story Sennichi department store (Osaka Japan). | Ref: 5 |
| May 15 | Bus plunges into Nile River killing 50 pilgrims (Minia Egypt). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 05 | Chemical spill with fog sickens hundreds in Meuse Valley Belgium. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 02 | Aeroflot Il-18 crashes near Black Sea resort of Sochi, kills 105 | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 30 | Illegal fireworks factory explodes killing 15 (Rome Italy). | Ref: 5 |
- 1973
| Jan 10 | Gas tank on Staten Island explodes, 40 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 10 | 83 meter wide gas tank on Staten Island NY explodes, crushing 40. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 03 | Flash fire kills 51 at amusement park. (Isle of Man, UK). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 01 | 74-year-old Hafnia Hotel burns, killing 35 (Copenhagen, Denmark). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 09 | Fire at Taiyo department store, kills 101 & injures 84 (Kumamoto Japan). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 24 | Ferryboat capsized off coast of Ecuador, drowning 200. | Ref: 5 |
- 1974
| Jan 02 | Worst fire in Argentine history destroys 1.2 million acres. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 28 | Fall of earth & rocks kill 200. (Quebrada Blanca Canyon, Columbia). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 01 | Fire kills 189 in less than 25 min (Sao Paulo Brazil). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 26 | Approximately 140 die when suspension bridge collapses (Nepal). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 05 | Airport terminal roof collapses killing 17 (Teheran Iran). | Ref: 5 |
- 1975
| Jan 05 | 14 die when British freighter "Lake Illawarra" rams pylon bridge between Derwent & Hobart, Tasmania & ship sinks. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 22 | A worker looking for air leaks with a candle causes $150 million fire at the Brown's Ferry reactor in Decatur, Alabama | Ref: 62 |
| May 19 | Farm truck packed with wedding party struck by a train, killing 66 in truck, 40 miles south of Poona India. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 09 | Fire in prison hospital kills 10 prisoners & 1 guard (Sanford Fla). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 03 | 500 drown when 2 river boats collide & sink in China's West River. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 10 | The ore ship Edmund Fitzgerald and its crew of 29 vanish during a storm (called a "November Witch") on Lake Superior, 17 miles from a port. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 12 | Gas stove explodes & starts fire killing 138 (Mecca Saudi Arabia). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 27 | Explosion at Chasnala Colliery collapses drowning 350 (Dhanbad India). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | Explosion at Chasnala Colliery collapses drowning 350 (Dhanbad India). | Ref: 5 |
- 1976
| Jan 29 | Zeiss planetarium in Hague destroyed by fire. | Ref: 5 |
| May 14 | Oil tanker Urqui Ola explodes off Spanish coast. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 20 | George Prince: Mississippi River ferry rammed by Norwegian tanker Frosta near Luling, La.; 77 dead. | Ref: 85 |
| Dec 25 | Egyptian SS Patria, carrying Muslims returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca, sinks in the Red Sea, about 100 killed. | Ref: 5 |
- 1977
| May 09 | Hotel Poland in Amsterdam destroyed by fire, 33 killed. | Ref: 5 |
| May 18 | A nightclub fire in Cincinnati kills 164. | Ref: 5 |
| May 21 | Fire in hotel Duc de Brabant Brussels, kills 19. | Ref: 5 |
| May 28 | 165 people were killed when fire raced through the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, Kentucky. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
| Jun 26 | 42 die in a fire an inmate causes at Maury County Jail in Columbia Tenn | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 22 | 36 die as grain elevator at Continental Grain Company plant explodes. | Ref: 5 |
- 1978
| Jan 18 | Roof of 3-year-old Civic Center in Hartford CT collapses (no injuries). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 22 | 2 tankers with propane gas explode killing 15 at Waverly TN. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 26 | 10 die as fire erupts at Holiday Inn in Rochester, NY. | Ref: 5 |
- 1979
| Jan 08 | 512 die as oil tanker Bantry Bay blows up. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 13 | Washington State's Hood Canal Bridge breaks up in windstorm. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 19 | 2 supertankers collide off Tobago-260,000 TONS of oil spill | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 11 | Manchu River Dam in Morvi, Gujarat, India bursts killing 5,000. | Ref: 10 |
| Nov 01 | Tanker Burmah Agate off Galveston Bay, TX, spills 10.7 m gallons of oil, in US's worst oil spill disaster. | Ref: 5 |
- 1980
| Mar 27 | Elevator in Vaal Reef South Africa gold mine crash 1900 meter down (23 die) | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 27 | A North Sea floating oil platform, the Alexander I, capsizes in a storm, killing 137 workers. (XDG, p 4A, 3/27/2003) | Ref: 83 |
| Apr 23 | Soviet sub catches fire off Japan, 9 die. | Ref: 5 |
| May 09 | A Liberian freighter rammed the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay in Florida, killing 35 motorists and causing a 1,400-foot section of the bridge to collapse. | Ref: 70 |
| May 20 | Fire in nursing home in Kingston Jamaica, kills 157. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 04 | Some 520 people were forced to abandon the cruise ship "Prisendam" in the Gulf of Alaska after the Dutch luxury liner caught fire -- no deaths or serious injury resulted. | Ref: 6 |
| Oct 24 | The merchant freighter SS "Poet" departed Philadelphia bound for Port Said, Egypt, with a crew of 34 and a cargo of grain; it was never heard from again. | Ref: 6 |
| Nov 21 | Eighty-seven people died in a fire at the MGM Grand Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas, NV. | Ref: 72 |
| Nov 22 | Georgia tanker at Pilottown La, spills 1.3 million gallons of oil after an anchor chain caused a ship to leak. | Ref: 5 |
- 1981
| Jan 28 | Olympic Glory tanker at Galveston Bay, Texas, spills 1 million gallons of oil in a ship collision. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 10 | Eight people are killed, 198 injured, when fire breaks out at the Las Vegas Hilton hotel-casino. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
| Jul 17 | 114 people are killed when a pair of walkways above the lobby of the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel collapse during a dance. (XDG, p 4A, 7/17/2000) | Ref: 83 |
- 1982
| Jan 19 | Heater explodes at Star Elementary School-Oklahoma, kills 6 kids & teacher. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 20 | 7 miners killed in an explosion in Craynor KY. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 15 | 84 men were killed when a huge oil-drilling rig, the "Ocean Ranger," sank off the coast of Newfoundland during a fierce storm. | Ref: 6 |
| Mar 01 | 5 die as ski lift malfunctions a Lúz-Ardiden in Pyrenees. | Ref: 5 |
- 1983
| May 25 | 10th of Ramadan: Nile steamer caught fire and sank in Lake Nasser, near Aswan, Egypt; 272 dead and 75 missing. | Ref: 85 |
| Jun 14 | 5 killed in a fire at a Ramada Inn in Fort Worth, TX | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 28 | Bridge section along I-95 in Greenwich, Ct collapsed kills 3. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 17 | Disco in Madrid catches fire; 83 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 27 | Propane gas fire devastated 16 square blocks of Buffalo NY. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | Propane gas fire devastated 16 square blocks of Buffalo NY. | Ref: 5 |
- 1984
| Feb 25 | Oil fire in Cubatao Brazil kills 500. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 06 | 1,200 die in Sikh "Golden Temple" uprising India. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 30 | Alvenus tanker at Cameron La, spills 2.8 million gallons of oil | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 18 | Triangle Oil Corp, above-ground storage tank at Jacksonville Fla, spills 2.5 m gallons of oil burned after lightning sparked a fire. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 31 | Puerto Rican tanker, San Francisco explodes spilling 2 million gallons of oil as the ship caught fire. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 19 | Liquified gas tanks explode in Mexico City killing 452 with 1000 missing | Ref: 62 |
| Dec 03 | The world’s worst industrial accident occurred when gas leaked from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India. The deadly gas, methyl isocyanate, killed over 4000 people, and injured more than 200,000. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 19 | Fire at the Wilberg Mine in central Utah killed 27 people. | Ref: 5 |
- 1985
| May 26 | Explosions destroys 2 tankers off of Gibraltar, 30 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 25 | Fireworks factory near Hallett, OK explodes (21 die) | Ref: 5 |
- 1986
| Mar 31 | English Hampton Court palace destroyed by fire, 1 dead | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 14 | Double-decker ferry sinks in stormy weather in Bangladesh killing 200. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 29 | 800,000 books destroyed by fire in Los Angeles Central Library. | Ref: 5 |
| May 25 | Ferry boat Shamia sinks on Maghna River Bangladesh, 600 killed. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 25 | 1500 killed by cloud of toxic gas from volcanic lake in Cameroon, western Africa. | Ref: 10 |
| Aug 31 | Soviet passenger ship Adm Nakhimov, collides with a merchant vessel. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 03 | Soviet Yankee-class sub sinks off NC, 3 die | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 31 | 97 people were killed when fire broke out in the Dupont Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Three hotel workers later pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the blaze.) (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
- 1987
| Jan 01 | 60 bodies recovered in Dupont Plaza Hotel fire in Puerto Rico. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 06 | 189 people die when the British ferry "Herald of Free Enterprise" capsized off the Belgian port of Zeebrugge. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
| Apr 23 | 28 construction workers killed in an apartment building collapse in Bridgeport CT. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 14 | A media frenzy occurred when hundreds of rescuers came to the aid of little 18-month-old Jessica McClure. At 9:30 a.m. on this day, Jessica fell 22 feet into an abandoned well in her backyard in Midland, Texas. She was brought out of the well 58 hours later and was rushed to the hospital, where she underwent minor surgery. Gifts, especially stuffed animals, pouring into the hospital from well-wishers, most of whom had never met Jessica or her family. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 20 | More than 3,000 people are killed when the "Dona Paz," a Philippine passenger ship, collided with the tanker "Vector" off Mindoro island. | Ref: 70 |
- 1988
| Jan 31 | Barge sinks near Anacortes WA, spills 70,000 gallons of oil. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 11 | Utrecht conservatory destroyed by fire. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 08 | Fire in Seattle's Space Needle causes evacuation, $2,000 damage. | Ref: 5 |
- 1989
| Feb 14 | Union Carbide agrees to pay $470 million to the government of India in a court-ordered settlement of the 1984 Bhopal gas leak disaster. | Ref: 70 |
| Apr 07 | Soviet sub sinks in Norwegian Sea, with about a dozen deaths. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 20 | Fifty-six people died when the pleasure boat, Marchioness, sank in the Thames River in London. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
| Oct 23 | Chemical plant in Pasadena, Texas explodes in fire causing $849 million in loses. | Ref: 10 |
- 1990
| Mar 25 | 87 people, most of them Honduran and Dominican immigrants, were killed when fire raced through an illegal social club in NY City. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
| Mar 27 | Bus accidentally touches high voltage wire in Karagpur India; 21 die | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 07 | Double-decker ferry sank in Gyaing River in Myanmar (Burma) during a storm and 215 persons were believed drowned. | Ref: 85 |
| Apr 07 | Scandinavian Star: suspected arson fire aboard Danish-owned North Sea ferry killed at least 110 passengers in Skagerrak Strait off Norway. | Ref: 85 |
| Apr 08 | Norwegian Scandinavian Star catches fire; about 170 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 17 | Gas explodes on passenger train in Kumrahar India, 80 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 19 | BASF plant in Cincinnatti explodes in flames, 1 dies. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 06 | Fire destroys some of Universal Studio's stages. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 22 | Israeli ferry capsizes killing 21 US servicemen. | Ref: 5 |
- 1991
| Feb 15 | Freighter with dynamite explodes in Phang Nga Thailand, 120 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 10 | Boat rams a tanker in Livorno Italy fog, killing about 138. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 04 | The Greek luxury liner "Oceanos" sinks in heavy seas off South Africa's southeast coast; all 402 passengers and 179 crew members survive. (XDG, p 4A, 8/4/2000) | Ref: 83 |
| Sep 13 | A 55 ton concrete beam falls in Montreal's Olympic Stadium. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 21 | 24 die in a fire in Oakland Calif | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 14 | A ferry, carrying 569 passengers, sank in Red Sea off coast of Safaga, Egypt, after hitting a coral reef. Over 460 people believed drowned. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 15 | At least 464 people were left dead or missing when an Egyption-registered ferry sinks in the Red Sea. (XDG, p 4A, 12/15/2003) | Ref: 83 |
- 1992
| Mar 03 | Gas explodes in coal mine at Zonguldak Turkey, 100s die. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 22 | More than 200 people are killed in Guadalajara, Mexico by a series of sewer explosions. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 03 | The Greek tanker Aegean Sea spilled 21.5M gallons of crude oil when it ran aground at La Coruna, Spain. (XDG, p 4A, 12/03/2003) | Ref: 83 |
- 1993
| Jan 14 | Polish ferry boat capsizes in storm, 50 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 24 | Polish ferry boat John Heweliusz sinks, 52 killed. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 14 | Fire in Linxi department store in Tangshan China, kills 79. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 17 | Neptune: triple-deck ferry capsized off southern peninsula of Haiti during a squall. Over 1,000 passengers believed drowned. About 300 survived the sinking. | Ref: 85 |
| Apr 19 | Fire in psychiatric institute in South Korea, kills 40. | Ref: 5 |
| May 10 | Largest factory fire in history kills 200 injures 500 in Bangkok, Thailand doll factory. (TWA, 1998) | Ref: 95 |
| May 11 | Paramaribo Suriname TV studio destroyed by fire. | Ref: 5 |
| May 13 | Methane gas explosion in Secunda coal mine South-Africa, kills 50 | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 26 | Fire infernos break out in five southern California counties; destroy over 1,000 homes; $500 million damage. | Ref: 10 |
| Dec 13 | Fire in textile factory in Fuzjou China, 60 killed. | Ref: 5 |
- 1994
| Jan 25 | Mine fire at Asansol India, kills 55. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 31 | Barcelona opera theater "Gran Teatro del Liceo" burns down. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 13 | Ship disaster near Ranong Thailand, kills 200. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 13 | Oil tank/airship crash at Bosporus (huge fire/15+ killed). | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 25 | Fishing boat with school children capsize at Lanaka Syria, 46 killed. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 29 | Ferry boat smashes into Mombasa Harbor Kenya, kills over 300. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 28 | Estonia: passenger ferry capsized off coast of southwest Finland and sank in a stormy Baltic Sea. Only about 140 of the estimated 1,040 passengers aboard survived. | Ref: 85 |
| Nov 30 | Talk about bad luck. Nearly 1,000 passengers and crew fled the cruise ship Achille Lauro after it caught fire off the coast of Somalia en route from Genoa to the Sychelles. The ship sank two days later. This was the same Achille Lauro that had been hijacked by Palestinians in October 1985. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 08 | Fire in cinema in Karamay China, 310 killed. | Ref: 5 |
- 1995
| Mar 02 | Ferry boat sinks off Sumbe Angola, 42+ killed. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 28 | Gas explosion in South Korean metro, 103 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 29 | In Taegu, South Korea, a gas line exploded in the middle of an intersection crowded with morning traffic, killing 101 people. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
| May 10 | In South Africa, 104 miners are killed in an elevator accident | Ref: 2 |
| Jun 29 | A department store in Seoul, South Korea, collapsed, killing 501 people and injuring more than 900. | Ref: 70 |
| Jul 15 | A 19-year old sales clerk is rescued after being buried in the rubble of a collapsed shopping mall in Seoul South Korea for 16 days. (XDG, p 4A, 7/15/2000) | Ref: 83 |
| Dec 23 | A fire in Dabwali, India, killed 540 people, including 170 children, during a year-end party being held near the children's school. | Ref: 70 |
| Dec 24 | A fire breaks out at the Philadelphia Zoo, killing 23 rare gorillas, orangutans, gibbons and lemurs. (XDG, p 4A, 12/24/2000) | Ref: 83 |
- 1996
| Jan 21 | Gurita: overloaded ferry sank off the coast of northern Sumatra, killing 340. | Ref: 85 |
| May 21 | At least 615 people, many of them teen-agers, drowned when an overloaded Tanzanian ferry capsized in Lake Victoria. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
| Jul 03 | A blaze destroyed a fireworks store in Scottown, Ohio, filled with Fourth of July shoppers, killing nine people and injuring eleven. | Ref: 6 |
| Nov 20 | Thirty-nine people were killed when fire broke out in a building in Hong Kong. (TWA, 2001) | Ref: 95 |
| Nov 21 | Thirty-three people were killed, more than 100 injured, when an explosion blamed on leaking gas ripped through a six-story building in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
| Dec 14 | The disabled freighter Bright Field rammed a crowded New Orleans riverfront mall on the MS River. Quick action by the vessel’s pilot may have averted disaster. The pilot sent off a last-second warning blast of the horn and tried to redirect the ship by dropping an anchor. The ship slammed bow-first into the busy riverfront shopping complex, injuring dozens of people, but no one was killed. | Ref: 4 |
- 1999
| Mar 24 | Thirty-nine people were killed when fire erupted in the Mont Blanc tunnel in France and burned for two days. (TWA, 2001) | Ref: 95 |
| Nov 11 | An apartment building in Foggia Italy collapses killing 29 people. | Ref: 9 |
| Nov 18 | Twelve people were killed when a bonfire under construction at Texas A&M University collapsed. | Ref: 70 |
| Nov 24 | Dashun: ferry carrying more than 300 passengers sank after catching fire. More than 150 confirmed dead, with another 140 missing. | Ref: 85 |
- 2000
| Jun 29 | Cahaya Bahari: ferry carrying refugees sank about 40 mi off the coast of Sulawesi. None of the 492 persons aboard survived. | Ref: 85 |
| Aug 12 | Kursk: Russian nuclear submarine sank to bottom of Barents Sea following an explosion; 118 dead. | Ref: 85 |
| Sep 09 | A massive explosion tore apart a Moscow apartment building, killing about a hundred people. | Ref: 6 |
| Nov 11 | A cable car crammed with skiers and snowboarders caught fire while being pulled through an Alpine tunnel in Austria, killing 155 people. | Ref: 70 |
| Dec 25 | A fire in central China killed 309 people inside an unlicensed disco. (TWA, 2002) | Ref: 95 |
- 2001
| Feb 09 | Ehime Maru: U.S. submarine Greeneville collided with Japanese fishing boat near Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Twenty-six people aboard the Ehime Maru were rescued; nine others, including four students, were presumed dead. | Ref: 85 |
| Mar 26 | A fire in a Kenyan secondary school dormitory kills 67 students. | |
| May 24 | 23 die when the floor of a Jerusalem wedding hall collapses beneath dancing guests. The scene is caputered on videotape. (XDG, p 4A, 5/24/2002) | Ref: 83 |
| Sep 23 | Thirteen coal miners are killed in an explosion at the Blue Creek Mine Number Five in Brookwood, AL. (XDG, p. 4A, 9/23/2002) | Ref: 83 |
| Oct 19 | Some 374 people died when their ferry sank off Indonesia while en route to Australia; most of the victims were believed to be asylum-seekers from Afghanistan and Iraq. | Ref: 70 |
- 2002
| Jan 27 | A munitions depot in Nigeria explodes. More than 1000 are killed, most drowning in a nearby canal during the resulting stampede. (XDG, p 4A, 1/27/2003) | Ref: 83 |
| May 03 | Salahuddin 2: overloaded ferry capsized in storm on Meghna River in southern Bangladesh; estimated death toll 300. | Ref: 85 |
| May 26 | Barges being pushed by a towboat crashed into the piers of the Interstate 40 bridge in Oklahoma, causing part of the structure to fall into the Arkansas River; 14 people were killed. | Ref: 70 |
| Sep 26 | Sengal's state-owned ferry, Joola, capsizes in a storm off the coast of Gambia. The death toll is expected to reach 970 from a ferry designed to carry only 550. There is no explanation as to why the ferry was so overloaded. (USA Today, p. 6A, 9/30/2002) | Ref: 13 |
| Nov 19 | An oil tanker carrying 20 million gallons of fuel oil broke in two and sank in the Atlantic Ocean off northwest Spain. (XDG, p 4A, 11/19/2003) | Ref: 83 |
| Dec 31 | An explosion of a clandestine fireworks factory in the Mexican port city of Veracruz ignited an entire city block, killing 28 people. (XDG, p 4A, 12/31/2003) | Ref: 83 |
- 2003
| Jan 29 | A factory at West Pharmaceutical Services in Kinsont NC explodes killing six and injuring dozens more. (XDG, p 4A, 1/29/2004) | Ref: 83 |
| Feb 02 | A hotel fire in northeastern China kills some three dozen people. (XDG, p 4A, 2/02/2004) | Ref: 83 |
| Feb 02 | An explosion destroys a bank in Lagos, Nigeria, killing at least 46 people. (XDG, p 4A, 2/02/2004) | Ref: 83 |
| Feb 17 | Twenty-one people were killed in a stampede at a crowded nightclub in Chicago. | Ref: 70 |
| Oct 15 | Ten are killed and 34 injured as a New York Ferry smashes into a pier in the worst mass transit accident in New York since 1918. (USA Today, p 1A, 10/16/2003) | Ref: 13 |
| Nov 24 | Thirty-six die in a fire in a Moscow dormitory for foreign students. The students were primarily from Africa, Asia and Latin America, awaiting medical exams prior to attending classes at People's Friendship University. (USA Today, p 14A, 11/25/2003) | Ref: 13 |
| Dec 23 | At least 191 people are killed when a natural gas well in southwestern China burst and released a cloud of toxic fumes. (USA Today, p 3A, 12/26/2003) | Ref: 13 |
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Disasters Chronology