NATURAL EVENTS
The ten worst natural disasters in the history of Europe
Europe is historically a continent where we do not see extreme natural events, such as tornadoes, massive floods and earthquakes. However, events happen every now and then that are so strong and destructive that they go down in history.
Some of these disasters, which occurred even several centuries ago, are still remembered today for the number of victims claimed and the destruction wrought among the population. Weather, it is known, is unpredictable, and even in a relatively calm region like Europe, it can do damage.
The magazine Focus has listed the 10 worst natural disasters in the history of the Old Continent, some of them very recent, others dating back many centuries as well.
The 10 worst natural disasters in Europe's history
Europe is historically a continent where we do not see extreme natural events, such as tornadoes, massive floods and earthquakes. However, events occur every now and then that are so strong and destructive that they go down in history. Some of these disasters, which occurred even several centuries ago, are still remembered today for the number of victims claimed and the destruction wrought among the population. Weather, as we know, is unpredictable, and even in a relatively quiet region like Europe, it can do damage. Focus magazine has listed the 10 worst natural disasters in the history of the Old Continent, some of them very recent, others dating back many centuries.
Di Thomas Wyke - scan from FT magazine, 2007-09-30, Pubblico dominio, https://commons.wikimedia.org/
Little Ice Age (14th-19th century)
It refers to a period in the Earth's climate, on which scientists disagree, that runs from the mid-14th century until the mid-1800s. During this period, the Earth's average temperature would have experienced a general drop of about 1.5°C. Climatologically speaking, it is considered a stadial phase of the current interglacial period. Some scholars have also speculated on the social reactions that ensued. For example, in Europe, in an attempt by the population to find a culprit, witch hunts were reopened to find a scapegoat for this prolonged cold.
Di National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Drought of 1539-1540
It seems that for as many as 11 months, between 1539 and 1540, not a single drop of rain fell in Europe. This evidently caused enormous problems. Fruit trees flourished, it is said, twice, and because of the lack of rainfall, fish died in the rivers and the more coastal areas of the seas.
By Archivio Fotografico Bernini Enrico, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curi
Malta watersprout(1555)
Chronicles report that in the year 1555 (researchers disagree, the year could also be 1556), a giant waterspout completely devastated the port of La Valletta. The storm that the waterspout brought destroyed four galleys and killed at least 600 people.
Di NASA/GSFC, MODIS Rapid Response Team, Jacques Descloitres - https://visibleearth.nasa.gov/images/
The great English storm of 1703
On 7 November 1703 (according to the Gregorian calendar in use today), a frightening storm hit central and southern England. The strong winds caused the collapse of 2000 chimneys in London and devastated the New Forest, which lost 4000 oak trees. In addition, ships were sent thousands of miles off course, resulting in the deaths of over 1,000 sailors on the Goodwin Sands alone. Most people of the time claimed that this dreadful event was divine retribution.
Di scattata da me - Lamanna Nicola (fotografo pittore, scultore), GFDL, https://it.wikipedia.org/w/i
Kirchberg lightning (1807)
When they say that luck is blind, but misfortune sees very well. In 1807, a lightning struck the fort in Kirchberg, a small town in Luxembourg. Nothing so serious, after all, except that that building was a powder keg. Several city blocks were obliterated in an instant by the explosion, in which at least 300 people lost their lives.
1891 Storm
The magazine Focus also names on the list this tremendous and enormous storm that struck the coasts of the Netherlands and Germany in the late 1800s. Some sources of the time report how in Hamelin hailstones weighing more than a kilogram were collected at the end of the storm.
Di Sconosciuto - The RMS Republic Gallery :: The Italian Earthquake :: abj, Pubblico dominio, http
Earthquake in the Strait of Messina (1908)
Ranked as one of the worst natural disasters of the 20th century, the 1908 Straits of Messina earthquake (7.3 on the Richter scale) lasted approximately 37 seconds, and in that time killed half the population of Messina and a third of the population of Reggio Calabria, on the other side of the strait. This is currently the worst natural disaster in Europe in terms of casualties in living memory. For comparison's sake, the tremendous earthquake that struck Turkey in 2023 currently claimed about 45,000 lives, while the Messina earthquake claimed at least 80,000.
Tsunami in Norway (1936)
A tsunami in Norway is a rare occurrence. The one that occurred in 1936 was caused by the detachment of huge chunks of rock from Mount Ramnefjellet, which then fell into Lake Lovatnet. This event caused very high tidal waves, and at least 74 many across Norway.
Public Domain Pictures.net
Landes fire(1949)
From August 19 to 25, 1949, the forest massif of Landes de Gascogne was the victim of a major forest fire that devastated 52,000 hectares, 25,000 of which were forested, and claimed the lives of 82 people. The affected municipalities were Cestas, Saucats, Marcheprime and Mios, in Gironde. The causes were attributed, it seems, to a forest ranger smoking in bed, but the fire itself was accelerated by the poor condition in which the forest had been left after World War II.
By Agency for International Development - This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the att
"The Great Flood" (1953)
The 1953 North Sea Flood was a major flood caused by a severe weather wave that hit the Netherlands, northwestern Belgium, England, and Scotland. Most of the sea defenses facing the wave were overwhelmed, causing extensive flooding. More than 1,800 deaths are estimated after this disaster. Since then, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom have developed a sophisticated marine protection network of barriers and dikes in order to avert other similar events.
From the Road
18/06/2024
Prisons are one of the sad institutions on which, unfortunately, modern society is based. Removing individuals who are dangerous to the community, and enclosing them all together in one place for the purpose of surveillance and re-education, is one of the ways our ancestors found to ensure the safety of the population.
They remain places, albeit atrocious, that are nonetheless fascinating because of the peculiarity of their rules, the micro-world they inhabit, and also because of the many fictional works, films, books and many others, that have prisons as their main setting.
But which are the most famous prisons in the world? Among the largest, the most luxurious and the bloodiest, one can really find all possible and imaginable types.
Natural Events
08/06/2024
A meteorite crater (also called astroblem, impact crater or basin) is a circular-shaped depression formed by the impact of a meteorite, asteroid, and in general a celestial body, on the surface of a planet.
Evidence of many of these craters, which have impacted our planet over geological eras, can be found on planet Earth. One of the most famous, for example, is the one believed to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs (called the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction).
Some of these craters can be found underground today, or at least the traces they left behind. Others have become beautiful lakes, others are still desolate and remote places today. But which are the largest in the world by diameter?
Home page
07/06/2024
We are all realising that our way of life, the one our parents, who were born and raised especially after the Second World War, taught us, is no longer sustainable. There are too many of us in this world now, and nature can no longer provide us with everything we need.
Capitalism, or consumerism for short, is forcing us to submit to environmentally worn-out logics that would not be sustainable even in the long run, but are even less so in the short time we have left before everything falls apart. Our way of life must change radically if we are to allow the survival of mankind. For example, the introduction of the law in Europe allowing the sale of insect meal aims at exactly that, at sustainability.
Therefore, it is necessary for all of us, while there is still time, to change certain behaviours to help the world. Here, then, are some tips for leading a greener and more sustainable life.
From the Road
06/06/2024
According to theMain Streets Across the World 2022report, which analyzes the main shopping areas of 92 cities around the world, New York Fifth Avenue is the most expensive route in the world followed by Hong Kong's Tsim Sha Tsui. Post pandemic, the most expensive street in Hong Kong loses the top of the ranking and records the worst drop ever, -41%.
In detail, with an average annual fee of 14,547 euros per square meter, the Via Montenapoleone in Milan ranks ahead of New Bond Street in London and Avenue des Champs Élysées in Paris, respectively in fourth and fifth place in the global ranking of the most expensive streets in the world.
Via Montenapoleone in Milan, has earned the title of the most expensive shopping street in Europe and the third overall worldwide, with a jump of two positions compared to the last research of 2019.