Name: Disasters of the Century
Uploaded: 2020-01-24T03:17:53.000Z
Description: An examination of famous historical catastrophes.

An examination of famous historical catastrophes.

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Living on the Edge

Canadians have always been at the mercy of Mother Nature and her varied weather patterns. Despite the level of preparation for impending dangers, many forces of nature still take us by surprise with tragic consequences.

Black Week

Mother Nature lashes out at Canada, killing 28 people in Regina, Sask., in a 1912 tornado and flooding Toronto with Hurricane Hazel in 1954.

Nature's Fury

Washed Away

With the completion of the transcontinental railway, Canada is truly one nation, linked from sea to sea. The story of the railroad is one of achievement, but also one of tragedy - part history, part headline.

Out of Control

Featuring devastating disasters such as the Halifax Explosion and the Le Mans race car crash.

Human Error

Featuring tragic disasters such as the Tangiwai train disaster and the Mont Pelee eruption.

From The Inside Out

Featuring waterway disasters such as the Quebec bridge collapses and the Boston molasses flood.

Critical Mass

Featuring oceanic disasters such as the HMS Thetis and the U.S.S. Forrestal.

Lost At Sea

Featuring disastrous crashes such as the Empire State Building crash and the Moose Jaw air crash.

It Came From the Sky

Featuring train disasters such as the Minaki Train Crash and the Black Market Express train crash.

Final Destination

Featuring catastrophic disasters such as The Vajont Dam disaster and the Roger's Pass avalanche.

In An Instant

Featuring earthquakes such as the Nicaragua Earthquake and the Kwanto Earthquake.

When the Earth Moves

When fire strikes it is often seen as an uncaring force that attached without mercy. Yet fire is neither malicious, nor evil. It is only given these attributes when seen from a human perspective, when lives and property go up in flames.

Up in Flames

There are those who believe that life is ruled by destiny and that all living things must surrender to the whims of fate. When fate is cruel and destiny comes too soon, the thread of life can be tragically short.

Lost in Transit

Eye of the Storm

Human beings have tried to tame water, to span its mighty currents and harness its great power. But sometimes that power works against us, when bridges of steel crumble, and quiet creeks become raging rivers bent on death and destruction.

Death in the Water

When disaster strikes for the coal miner excavating the earth and the fisherman harvesting the sea, the way of life of entire communities is at risk.

Communities Under Siege

One of the worst mining cases in 1958 in Nova Scotia; a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in 1911 in New York City.

Death and Profits

Tragedy strikes one afternoon at a circus and one winter night at a movie theater.

When Laughter Turns to Tears

For many people, the great vaulting sky is a symbol of freedom. Seen from the distance above, life can seem peaceful. But when disaster comes from the sky, the consequences are deadly, changing lives forever.

From Above

Life is made up of choices. Sometimes even those made with the best of intentions can result in tragedy that no one could imagine or predict.

The Wrong Choice

Among the ancient Norse Gods stands the figure of Loki, a trickster, whose deceptions caused the death of a God. Some say that when disaster strikes without warning, it is Loki deceiving his victims, blinding them to danger.

Loki's Revenge

Since the first primitive tool, human invention has changed the way we live and determined the kind of work we do. Industry born of innovation is designed to improve our lives, but sometimes it leads to tragedy and heartbreak.

Industrial Nightmares

The Malpasset Dam bursts, killing 421 people; the new Second Narrows Bridge collapses into the water.

All Fall Down

Examines the Queen Mary and Curacoa crash and the Newfoundland Sealing disaster.

By Their Own Doing

Living near an ocean or a vast mountain range presents an opportunity to experience nature's beauty on a daily basis. But nature can be fickle, turning great beauty into great devastation in what seems like the blink of an eye.

Rising From the Ashes

The greatest disaster ever to strike the Great Lakes was the 1913 Lake Huron Storm.

Stormy Waters

Throughout history, people have built shelters to keep out the elements, from modest huts to the most elaborate mansions. But when the weather turns wild, not even the best built homes can withstand the forces of nature.

Homes Swept Away

In 1965 Mt. Taal in the Philippines erupted killing 350 people; in 1929 a submarine earthquake triggered a tsunami.

Islands Under Attack

In 1916, high winds blowing through the forests of Northern Ontario turned a small fire into an inferno that destroyed nearly 800 square miles of forest.

Deadly Elements

In most tragic accidents, there is, at least, a happy ending for some. In some cases, however, there is no happy ending, and despite the hopes and desperate prayers of those who await their arrival, there will be no survivors.

No Survivors

Anyone who lives near the sea knows the spell it casts, with its great majesty, and its romantic lure. But when the weather turns violent, the ocean becomes a life threatening force, and there is nowhere completely safe.

Friends and Family

Examines the Truxtun and Pollux and the PWA 737 Cranbrook crash.

Collision Course

The poet Robert Frost once wrote: 'Some say the earth will end in fire, some say in ice.' Fire and ice have been at the heart of our most destructive disasters, changing lives forever.

Fire and Ice

A mild winter weekend becomes a prelude to destruction from above, and a summer day full of promise ends in a whirlwind of devastation and death.

Against the Elements

Death in a Small Town

It is an old traveller's cliché that "getting there is half the fun". This is especially true of travel across the vast, varied and beautiful reaches of the Canadian landscape. But when fate intervenes, travel can quickly turn from fun to deadly.

The End of the Line

Some regions seem more prone to Disaster than others. Through the sheer accident of geography, life on disaster row can be fraught with frequent danger.

Life in Disaster Row

Featuring emergent disasters such as the sinking of the SS Florizel and the Westray Mine Explosion.

Head On

Featuring tragedies such as the sinking of the Empress of Ireland and the Issoudun Crash.

Full Stop

A fire traps people inside Montreal's Blue Bird Café and the Wagon Wheel; Flight 261 struck the runway ending in an explosion.

Out of the Blue

Director Varrick Frissel dies on March 15, 1931, aboard The Viking while shooting action sequences for a new film.

Safe Passage

This episode of Disasters of the Century features disasters such as the Gavelston hurricane and Typhoon Freda.

Coast to Coast

Featuring sudden disasters such as the sinking of the Flora Alberta and the Escuminac storm.

Disasters of the Century

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