10 world’s most destructive and dangerous volcanic eruptions in history
Volcanic eruptions can devastate cities, change the world’s atmosphere, and devastate economic systems. They can create molten lava rivers, mudslides, suffocating ash, and poisonous gases that cause chaos around the world for years.
The Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI), like the Richter scale for earthquakes, is used to determine the magnitude of a volcanic eruption. Volcanic explosions are ranked from 1 to 8, with 1 being a gentle lava outpouring and 8 being a mega-colossal eruption.
The size of an eruption is a strong indicator, but it does not always predict its effect. Calculating the potential loss of life is one of the most common ways to assess the severity of an eruption. Deaths can occur not only as a result of an eruption’s effect, but also as a result of a lack of food.
Economically, volcanic eruptions can be devastating. Although calculating the economic cost of ancient eruptions is primarily theoretical, the costs of more recent eruptions are determined by calculating the loss of infrastructure and income to local residents. Volcanic eruptions cost $152.6 billion in damages between 1995 and 2015, or $7.6 billion per year, according to a United Nations report.
A volcanic explosion’s effects can be massive, from its size to its death toll to its economic cost. Here is ten world’s most destructive and dangerous volcanic eruption in history:
1. Santa Maria, Guatemala, 25 October 1902 (VEI6)
The Santa Maria volcano was inactive for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. That is, until 1902 when it erupted violently due to a series of earthquakes in the Central American region. At least 5000 people were killed in the eruption, but many believe this figure is exaggerated. Over the course of 19 days, the eruption created a 28-kilometer-high column of pyroclastic debris, resulting in 5.5 km3 of pyroclastic debris. For days, the ash from the eruption obscured Guatemala’s sky, spreading all the way to San Francisco. Damages are estimated to be in the millions of dollars.
2. Mt Vesuvius, Italy, 79 AD (VEI5)
Mt Vesuvius has erupted many times in human history, but the most famous is the terrifying eruption of 79AD. On August 24, Vesuvius erupted, burying the surrounding cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in ash, mud, and poisonous gases. The eruption claimed the lives of 16,000 people. The cities were not excavated and rediscovered until 1595. The cost of a similar eruption today will be in the billions.
3. Mount Pinatubo, Philippines, 1991 (VEI6)
The Mount Pinatubo eruption was the twentieth century’s second-largest volcanic eruption. The volcano erupted on June 15, sending a 35-kilometer-high ash cloud into the sky. The eruption triggered huge pyroclastic flows and expelled nearly 20 million tons of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, lowering global temperatures. Despite the fact that only 722 people were killed, the eruption affected over 200,000 people. The cost of the eruption was estimated to be in the range of $200 million.
4. Nevado del Ruiz, Columbia, 1985 (VEI3)
Despite its small scale, the eruption of Nevado del Ruiz had catastrophic consequences. The mudflow that followed the eruption was the most devastating aspect of the event, burying the town of Armero and killing 20,000 people. The most destructive volcanic eruption, according to the International Disaster Database, was Nevado, which cost an estimated $1 billion.
5. Mt Unzen, Japan, 1792 (VEI2)
Mt. Unzen’s eruption is still Japan’s deadliest volcanic eruption. The explosion caused the volcano’s dome to collapse, resulting in a huge landslide that buried Shimabara and flowed into the sea, causing a 57-meter-high tsunami. Around 15,000 people were killed in the disaster. Damages to agriculture and fisheries facilities is expected to cost $17.4 billion yen ($150 million).
6. Ilopango, El Salvador, 450AD (VEI6+)
Ilopango’s first eruption, in 450 AD, was the second-largest volcanic eruption in the last 200,000 years. The magnitude of this eruption is thought to have killed many Mayan cities. For more than a year, the skies were filled with ash and dust. It is estimated that up to 100,000 people were killed and over 400,000 were displaced as a result of the eruption. It is believed to have been the cause of the AD 535-536 global cooling, which resulted in crop failures from Rome to China.
7. Mt Pelee, Caribbean, 1902 (VEI4)
Mt Pelee was believed to be inactive until it erupted in the worst eruption of the twentieth century. Mt Pelee erupted with a blast of hot gas and volcanic rubble on May 8, devastating the entire city of St Pierre. Just two people out of the 28,000 who lived in St. Pierre survived. The eruption was estimated to have cost $50 million.
8. Laki, Iceland, 1783 (VEI6)
The Laki eruption’s destruction was felt around the world for years after it happened. The eruption at Laki lasted 8 months and ejected 14.7km3 of lava. Toxic gases polluted Iceland’s crops and destroyed 60% of the country’s grazing livestock. The volcano emitted enough sulfur dioxide to trigger acid rain and a decrease in global temperatures. A famine followed the eruption, killing over 10,000 Icelanders, about a quarter of the country’s population at the time. As Laki’s toxic eruption spread south, it killed 23,000 people in the United Kingdom and triggered a famine in Egypt. The European famine triggered by the eruption, according to some environmental historians, may have been a trigger for the French Revolution.
9. Krakatoa, Indonesia, 1883 (VEI 6)
Krakatoa, an Indonesian volcano, erupted in one of the most destructive eruptions in modern human history, destroying the island on which it sits. A series of huge eruptions ripped the volcano’s walls apart on the morning of August 27. The last eruption of Krakatoa was four times more strong than the biggest bomb ever detonated by humans. Its radio waves circled the globe seven times. It triggered a series of tsunamis that ravaged on the area, killing 36,000 people and obliterating entire villages. The cost of the eruption has been projected to be as high as $1.5 billion by others.
10. Mt Tambora, Indonesia, 1815 (VEI 7)
Mt. Tambora is the deadliest volcanic eruption in modern human history, with up to 120,000 people killed. Tambora erupted on April 10, 1815, spewing volcanic ash 40 kilometers into the atmosphere. The eruption was the most strong in 500 years. The intensity of the pyroclastic flow entering the ocean resulted in the formation of a series of massive tsunamis. The planet suffered a significant temperature drop as a result of the massive amount of SO2 released, which resulted in global crop failures. Thousands of Chinese people died of starvation as typhus spread through Europe. The price of grain in Switzerland more than quadrupled in the two years following the blast.
Medals of Friendship: The Enduring Olympic Story of 1936
At the 1936 Summer Olympics, two Japanese pole vaulters named Sueo Oe and Shuhei Nishida tied for second, but they declined to compete against each other. As a result, Nishida was awarded the silver medal and Oe won a bronze medal. Upon returning to Japan, the athletes had their medals cut in half and spliced together to create new "friendship medals," which were half silver and half bronze.
Graves holding hands over wall, A Catholic woman and her Protestant husband grave
A protestant man and a Catholic woman who weren't allowed from being buried together in a graveyard in 19th-century Holland turned their graves into a monument showing them holding hands across the wall separating them.
Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident: Enemy became friends
During WWII, a German pilot spotted an American pilot’s crippled plane in the sky. Tailing it, he noticed that gunner was dead, crew injured, and they posed no threat. Instead of destroying the plane, he led it to safety. 40 years later, the two pilots reunited.
The Littlest Skyscraper: How J.D. McMahon’s 480-Inch Con Fooled Investors in 1919
In 1919, J.D. McMahon convinced investors to fund a 480-foot skyscraper, but he labeled the plans as 480 inches, building a 40-foot structure instead. After taking $200,000, he won in court since the plans matched what he built.
Terry Fox, a 21-year-old one-legged cancer patient who ran 143 days before dying
Terry Fox was a 21-year-old one-legged cancer patient who ran 3,339 miles across Canada in 143 days before dying.
How Dmitri Mendeleev Developed the periodic table of the elements
1850 Dmitri Mendeleev walked almost a thousand miles to Moscow so he could apply for the University of Moscow. Although he was not accepted, he walked to St. Petersburg where he was accepted, And with that education, he developed the the periodic table of the elements
The story of Bill Haast, who lived to be 100 despite his extensive snake venom injections
Bill Haast immunized himself by injecting snake venom into his blood for several years. He holds the Guinness World Record for surviving the most lethal snake bites, having been bitten over 172 times. Bill became known as "Snake Man" around the world and lived for over 100 years.
Underground Railroad to Mexico freed thousands of slaves in 1829
Slavery was abolished in Mexico in 1829. Slaves were escaping to Mexico, and slaveholders in the US were aware of this. The US attempted to get Mexico to sign a fugitive slave treaty, which would have required Mexico to send back escaped slaves to the US. But, Mexico refused, arguing that slaves were free as soon as they set foot on Mexican soil.
Louis Le Prince Invented the motion picture camera, and then he mysteriously disappeared
Louis Le Prince, the inventor of motion pictures, vanished without a trace in 1890. Thomas Edison quickly claimed the title of "first and sole inventor of cinema," even taking Le Prince's son to court to dispute it. A few years later, the son also dies under mysterious circumstances.
The youngest person executed, George Stinney Jr was proven innocent
In 1944, George Stinney Jr. was 14 years old when he was executed in South Carolina. It took only ten minutes to convict him — and 70 years to exonerate him.
Robert Odlum, the first person to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge
The first person to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge was a professional high diver who "wanted to demonstrate that people did not die simply by falling through the air, thus encouraging people to be willing to jump from a burning building into a net." He proved himself correct by safely falling 135 feet through the air and dying only when he hit the water.
The Forgotten Story of Semipalatinsk and the Soviet Nuclear Experiments
Between 1949 and 1989, the Semipalatinsk Test Site in Kazakhstan became the primary location for Soviet nuclear weapons tests, exposing millions of unsuspecting villagers to radioactive fallout. Known as the “Polygon of Suffering,” this remote desert witnessed 456 nuclear detonations that caused widespread health crises, birth defects, and generational genetic damage. This article narrates the chilling legacy of Semipalatinsk, unveiling the human cost of Cold War arms development and the ongoing struggle for healing and recognition in Kazakhstan.
Blanche Monnier: Imprisoned For 25 Years For Falling in Love
Blanche Monnier, she was a French woman noted for her beauty, she wished to marry an old lawyer that her mother disapproved of, so she locked her in a small dark room in her attic for 25 years.
Ancient Egyptians Had Pregnancy Tests Over 3500 Years Ago
The ancient Egyptians used a pregnancy test that involved potentially pregnant women peeing on barley and wheat seeds. Plant growth indicated pregnancy: barley for a boy and wheat for a girl. Later tests revealed that pregnant women's urine causes plant growth 70% of the time, whereas non-pregnant women's urine does not.
What is the story behind Wrigley chewing gum?
Wrigley's was originally a soap company that gifted baking powder with their soap. The baking powder became more popular than the soap so they switched to selling baking powder with chewing gum as a gift. The gum became more popular than the baking powder so the company switched to selling gum.
A Brief History of the PlayStation Gaming Console
Sony's PlayStation was never meant to be an actual product. Instead, it was intended to be a CD-ROM console that would support Nintendo games. However, when Nintendo backed out of the deal at the last minute, Sony went ahead and launched what soon became one of the most successful gaming consoles of all time.
Why the Brooklyn Bridge Was Once Crossed by 17 Camels and 21 Elephants
On May 30, 1883, a rumor that the Brooklyn Bridge was going to collapse caused a stampede, which killed at least at twleve people. To prove the bridge was safe, P.T. Barnum led a parade of 21 elephants over it.
Martin Couney, Saved Thousands of Premature Babies Wasn’t a Doctor at All
Martin Couney never qualified as a medical doctor. However, in the 1900s, he saved thousands of premature babies by exhibiting them in incubators at his Coney Island sideshow. Over the course of his career, he is said to have saved about 6,500 babies that had previously been written off by mainstream medicine.
Quaker Oats Fed Children with Radioactive Oatmeal
In the 1940s and 1950s, Quaker Oats and MIT conducted experiments on radioactive iron and calcium-containing cereal. The diet was part of a study to see if the nutrients in Quaker oatmeal traveled throughout the body. In January 1998, a $1.85 million settlement was reached for 30 victims who came forward.
History of Treadmill, punishment for prisoners
Treadmills were originally a punishment used to harness human power on a giant wheel used to grind grains, hence the name "treadmill." The History of Treadmill
The worst blizzard in recorded history: the 1972 Iran blizzard
The deadliest snowstorm ever recorded occurred in Iran in 1972. It lasted for a week, burying areas in 26 feet of snow and killing over 4,000 people, including the entire populations of three villages.
Story of Kathrine Switzer: the first woman to run in Boston Marathon
Before women were allowed to run in the Boston Marathon, Kathrine Switzer participated. A race official attempted to forcefully remove her from the race in 1967, but her boyfriend pushed him down. She was the first female finisher who had a numbered entry in the race.
Remembering the miracles of the 1985 Mexico earthquake (unbelievable stories)
In 1985, after an 8.0 magnitude earthquake hit Mexico City, nearly all newborn babies survived a collapsed hospital. They are known as “Miracle Babies” for surviving 7 days without nourishment, water, warmth or human contact.
During the 1996 Olympic bombing, Richard Jewell falsely accused of committing the crime after saving dozens of people
Richard Jewell, an American security guard, discovered a bomb during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and assisted in the evacuation, but was later wrongfully accused and faced public scrutiny. He was cleared, but it had a lasting impact on him until his death in 2007 at the age of 44.
Reason Behind The Suicide Of Christine Chubbuck Live On Air
Actor Rebecca Hall had serious reservations about tackling the macabre story around why Chubbuck killed herself in 1974. So what changed her mind?
