Disaster

Name: A History of Alabama's Deadliest Tornadoes
Brand: Kelly Kazek
SKU: 9781596299115
Price: 16.49 USD
Availability: InStock

Our Disaster American history book series chronicles the tragedies in history that devastated a place in the United States. Discover how the circus disaster of the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus Train contributed to the demise of the circus industry. Peer into the waters of Cape Cod’s “Graveyard of Ships”, then meet the survivors of the Wyoming Blizzard of 1949. Pay tribute to the first responders who rescued campers during the 1959 Yellowstone Earthquake as well as the firefighters who battled the great Strand Theatre Fire in 1941. From vicious tornadoes to the greatest storms in the past century, these disaster books revive the voices of those lost to historical tragedies. [View all Disaster books]

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A History of Alabama's Deadliest Tornadoes

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

A History of Connecticut's Deadliest Tornadoes

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

The Washington Arsenal Explosion: Civil War Disaster in the Capital

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Memphis and the Superflood of 1937

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

The Great Cumberland Floods: Disaster in the Queen City

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Columbus and the Great Flood of 1913:

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Outbreak in Washington, D.C.

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Yellow Fever on Galveston Island

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Explosion at Morgan:

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

The Queen Isabella Causeway Collapse

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Disasters of Onondaga County

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Coal Mine Disasters of North Carolina

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Deadly Storms of the Delmarva Coast

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

The Whiskey Row Fire of 1900

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

Galveston Burning

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

Rhode Island Disasters:

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Butte and the 1918 Influenza Pandemic

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

The Sol e Mar Tragedy off Martha's Vineyard

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

When the Levee Breaks

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

The Great Hurricanes of North Carolina

$14.99 $11.24 Save 25%

The Cedar Keys Hurricane of 1896

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Explosion on the Potomac

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

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A History of Alabama's Deadliest Tornadoes

9781596299115

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Journey just west of America's infamous Tornado Alley to Alabama, home to some of the deadliest tornadoes of the past century. These twisters remain etched in the collective memory of the people, from the 1908 Dixie Tornado, regarded as one of the most brutal tornadoes in U.S. history, to the 1998 Birmingham Tornado, the most expensive twister in Alabama's history. Discover how the 1932 Deep South Tornadoes resulted in 268 fatalities and millions of dollars in damage, and read the terrifying account of the 1977 Smithfield Tornadoes, which rocked this Birmingham suburb with as many as six twisters in a one-hour span. Join local journalist Kelly Kazek as she shares the tales of these natural disasters and the hardy Alabamians who endured them.

A History of Connecticut's Deadliest Tornadoes

9781626197893

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

The Wallingford tornado of 1878 took less than two minutes, but it killed at the rate of one person per second. Twisters in Connecticut are incredibly rare, but they're often disastrous and sometimes deadly. The Windsor tornado of 1979 destroyed a field of aircraft that had survived World War II. The 1787 Wethersfield tornado ripped off a barn roof in New Britain, traveled on to Newington and finally subsided in Wethersfield after destroying a family farm. Locals remember the 1989 cyclone that ripped through Hamden and cost the state millions of dollars in repairs. Join local author Robert Hubbard as he shares the tales of these natural disasters and those who witnessed them.

The Washington Arsenal Explosion: Civil War Disaster in the Capital

9781609497934

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

In 1864, residents of Washington, D.C., mourned together at the largest funeral the district had ever seen. In the midst of the Civil War, the poor Irish neighborhood of the Island lost twenty-one mothers, sisters and daughters. On June 17, dangerous working conditions and a series of unfortunate events led to the deadly explosion of a Federal arsenal at Fort McNair, where the young women made cartridges to assist the war effort. In the wake of the horrific event, a monument was erected at Congressional Cemetery to honor those who were lost. Author Brian Bergin similarly memorializes these women through his book, detailing the poor working conditions, the investigation into the avoidable events leading to the tragedy and the reaction of a community already battered by the Civil War.

Memphis and the Superflood of 1937

9781596295308

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Experience the historic superflood that decimated the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys and the resilience displayed by the people of Memphis.

The greatest flood in United States history struck the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys in January 1937. Perhaps no single flood in the United States had caused as much damage, displayed as much brutal natural force and displaced as many people. Not even the calamitous flood of 1927, which has eclipsed the '37 flood in terms of historical coverage was as massive. Author and Memphis local Patrick O'Daniel illustrates how this national natural disaster affected Memphis, in particular, and how the politicians of the day, from national figures like FDR to local political bosses like Ed Crump, handled unprecedented infrastructural challenges. Yet beyond politics and policy, O'Daniel tells the story of this historic disaster through the eyes of everyday Memphians, their struggles, care for thousands of desperate refugees and the measures they took to save their city from this devastating flood.

The Great Cumberland Floods: Disaster in the Queen City

9781596296886

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

The mountain snows melted and the rains came. In 1853, thousands fled the rising water; in 1889, two days of torrential rain ravaged the city; and in 1936, the infamous St. Patrick's Day flood saw a swell of ten feet. Perched on the banks of the Potomac River, the city of Cumberland, Maryland, has been plagued by devastating floods since its foundation. Time and again, deluges have brought the city to its knees. Yet the Queen City has always risen triumphant and undimmed from the raging waters. With this stunning collection of images, historian and author Albert L. Feldstein chronicles the history of Cumberland through its floods and the valiant efforts of its citizens to stem the tide.

Columbus and the Great Flood of 1913:

9781626190610

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Beginning on Easter Sunday, March 23, 1913, Columbus and the Ohio Valley endured a downpour that would produce the largest flood in one hundred years. Heavy rains came on the heels of an especially cold winter, resulting in a torrent of runoff over saturated and frozen ground. Rivers and streams quickly overflowed and levees failed, sending tsunami-like floodwater into unsuspecting communities and claiming four hundred lives. There were ninety-six deaths in Columbus alone when the swollen Scioto River emptied water that ran nine to seventeen feet deep through the streets of the near west side. Join Conrade C. Hinds and the Columbus Landmarks Foundation in a closer look at a flood disaster that reshaped the American Midwest.

Outbreak in Washington, D.C.

9781626196384

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

The National was once the grandest hotel in the capital. In 1857, it twice hosted President-elect James Buchanan and his advisors, and on both occasions, most of the party was quickly stricken by an acute illness. Over the course of several months, hundreds fell ill, and over thirty died from what became known as the National Hotel disease. Buchanan barely recovered enough to give his inauguration speech. Rumors ran rampant across the city and the nation. Some claimed that the illness was born of a sewage effluvia, while others darkly speculated about an assassination attempt by either abolitionists or southern slaveowners intent on war. Author Kerry Walters investigates the mysteries of the National Hotel disease.

Yellow Fever on Galveston Island

9781467146555

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Jan Johnson provides a definitive account of Galveston’s fight against outbreaks of Yellow Fever, which transformed an island paradise into the City of Dreadful Death.

In the summer of Galveston's founding year, a mysterious malady accompanied by black vomit descended upon the inhabitants. Names for the devastating plague came quick and fast as the body count rose. Saffron Scourge. Bronze John. Yellow Jack. Yellow Fever. The disease’s cause and cure remained elusive, as did the medical institutions Galveston would need treat the illness. Four thousand souls perished in nine epidemics between 1839 and 1867. By the time of Galveston’s final Yellow Fever outbreak in 1903, however, residents were better informed and equipped. Discover the key figures and pivotal events of the island city's experience with the mosquito-borne disease.

Explosion at Morgan:

9781609495176

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

While World War I raged in Europe, America scrambled to supply the Allies with ammunition, and several munitions plants were constructed near the Jersey Shore. The hastily built plants hummed with hardly a mishap until the fateful night of October 4, 1918, when a series of explosions killed one hundred people. Firemen and other volunteers were powerless to stop the destruction as it devastated the Morgan-South Amboy area and terrified the surrounding region. Strangely, though, this woeful disaster has been forgotten by history. New Jersey historian Randall Gabrielan re-creates this terrifying night and its aftermath in the context of Middlesex County's role in the Great War.

The Queen Isabella Causeway Collapse

9781467156813

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

In the days after 9/11, the country was on high alert. So when an alarming incident occurred just off the Texas coast on the early morning hours of September 15th, authorities immediately assumed another terrorist attack had taken place. A towing vessel collided into a support pillar of the Queen Isabella Causeway, causing an 80-foot section of the bridge to tumble into the ocean. Unfortunately, the gaping hole left in the bridge was not visible to cars traveling to and from South Padre Island to the mainland city of Port Isabel, Texas. Robert Espericueta, along with his cousins, happened to be in the only other boat on the waters that night. Espericueta collaborates with author Juan Carmona to track the extraordinary events of a bewildering catastrophe and a heroic rescue.

Disasters of Onondaga County

9781467137867

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

The city of Syracuse and Onondaga County have a long and storied history of natural and man-made calamity. Although often considered a moderate weather region, Mother Nature has not spared it from destruction. A tornado devastated picturesque Longbranch Park in 1912, and the rare Hurricane Hazel reached Onondaga's borders in 1954. A fire ravaged Syracuse's famed Bastable Block building in 1923. During a children's concert and festival, the floor of the Central Baptist Church collapsed, tragically claiming scores of lives and injuring more than one hundred. Author and historian Neil MacMillan charts the history of Onondaga County catastrophes.

Coal Mine Disasters of North Carolina

9781467135818

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

During the past two centuries, the central region of the Tar Heel State was populated with numerous active coal mines, many of which dealt with catastrophes such as cave-ins or gas explosions. Over fifty-three miners lost their lives in an explosion at the Carolina Mine at Coal Glen in 1925, the largest industrial disaster in state history. The Egypt Coal Mine was a key resource for Confederate forces during the Civil War despite a series of explosions that claimed scores of lives. The last efforts by the Raleigh Mining Company to continue coal mining in the state in the 1950s were marred by accidents and signaled an eventual end to the industry. Author John Hairr chronicles the history and tragedy of coal mining in North Carolina's Deep River region.

Deadly Storms of the Delmarva Coast

9781625859389

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Journey to the coast with Michael Morgan as he looks back at the area's most deadly storms.

Coastal Delaware, Maryland and Virginia have always been vulnerable to the power of storms. In the early nineteenth century, storm-driven shipwrecks led to the construction of the Delaware breakwater. In 1933, a storm created an inlet on the south edge of Ocean City and changed the character of the Maryland resort. The Ash Wednesday nor'easter of 1962 devastated oceanfront communities, led to the creation of beach replenishment projects that pushed the ocean back from the new multimillion-dollar buildings that sat on the sand and spurred the creation of Assateague Island National Seashore. Michael Morgan narrates the stories of these storms and reminds us of the power of wind and water.

The Whiskey Row Fire of 1900

9781467143158

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

A fire of frightening magnitude was not a question of "if" but "when" in young Prescott, and on July 14, 1900, the feared conflagration found its spark. After several years of drought, a candle slipping from its holder was all it took to utterly destroy Prescott's business district, red-light district and famous Whiskey Row. People grabbed what they could to rescue it from the flames, but the party didn't stop. Even the piano from one saloon was moved to a new location, and people continued to play. Author Bradley Courtney explores the conditions leading up to the disaster, the surprising details of its effects and the amazing recovery that shapes the town today.

Galveston Burning

9781467144650

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

Since 1821, when Jean Lafitte sailed away from a burning Campeche, the history of Galveston has often been wreathed in smoke. Over the next century, one inferno breached the walls of Moro Castle, while another reduced forty-two blocks of the residential district to ash. Recognizing the importance of protecting the city, concerted efforts were made to establish the first paid fire department, create a city waterworks and regulate construction standards. Yet even with all the forethought and planning, rogue fires continued to consume architectural gems like Nicholas Clayton's Electric Pavilion. Author James F. Anderson explores the lessons that Galveston has learned from its fiery past in order to safeguard its future.

Rhode Island Disasters:

9781609491000

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

How could a perfectly sound U.S. military fighter plane simply vanish from formation on a training flight? Why did the crew of a speeding train choose death over salvation? What really happened one foggy night in 1929 when the Coast Guard fired on a rumrunner in Narragansett Bay? Do guardian angels really exist? Can an airplane be jinxed? In his latest book, Jim Ignasher chronicles twenty-three long-forgotten tales of disaster in the Ocean State. His research includes declassified government reports, which allow for some stories to be told in their entirety for the first time. Collectively, these tales present heroes and villains, adventure and the human condition, strange happenings and unsolved mysteries.

Butte and the 1918 Influenza Pandemic

9781467143264

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Butte was an incomparable city, but in late 1918, some of the things that made it so exceptional also made it incredibly cruel. That year, the Spanish flu swept across the country, killing some 675,000 Americans before year's end. Some of the country's highest mortality rates occurred in its cities--Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston, and Butte. In less than six months, the virus killed almost 2 percent of Butte's residents and overwhelmed public health systems. Experimental treatments, civil unrest, death, and human resilience followed in the dramatic final weeks of the year. Author Janelle Olberding recounts the emotional struggle of the men and women who fought against, suffered from, and succumbed to influenza on the "Richest Hill on Earth."

The Sol e Mar Tragedy off Martha's Vineyard

9781626195882

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

On March 22, 1990, local fishermen Hokey Hokanson and his teenage son, Billy, set sail for Cape Cod in the Sol e Mar. When disaster struck three days later, Billy transmitted a brief, heavily garbled radio distress call. A hoax call immediately followed Billy's cry for help, and believing that the two were connected, the U.S. Coast Guard did not launch rescue units for several days. The Hokansons' deaths prompted a new anti-hoax law and changed United States Coast Guard search and rescue procedures. Historian Captain W. Russ Webster, U.S. Coast Guard (Ret.), and journalist Elizabeth B. Webster chronicle the fascinating story of the Sol e Mar and its crew and explain the psychology of hoax callers and Coast Guard technological advancements since the tragedy.

When the Levee Breaks

9781609499426

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Among the countless miles of damage caused by the Mississippi Flood of 1927, the homeless and displaced masses of the Mississippi Valley looked toward Memphis as a beacon of hope. As thousands of refugees poured into the city, Memphians opened their hearts and extolled feats of charity that could fill volumes. Join local author Patrick O'Daniel as he traces the events of the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and the crucial role Memphis played in its aftermath. From heroic rescues to maltreatment within the refugee camps, O'Daniel paints a complete picture of man struggling against nature both within and without. Follow along as the receding waters propel Herbert Hoover into the national spotlight and Mayor Rowlett Paine becomes an unlikely leader.

The Great Hurricanes of North Carolina

9781596293915

$14.99 $11.24 Save 25%

From the horrific Independence Hurricane of 1775, the most lethal storm to strike its coast, to the ruinous Hugo in September 1989, a path has been cut along the shores of the Tarheel State-a path not easily forgotten. Engagingly written and illustrated with historical photos that graphically depict the disastrous effects of these mighty storms, this book is a gripping read!

The Cedar Keys Hurricane of 1896

9781596296121

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Families watched in horror as walls of water swept away homes and businesses, and men held onto saplings for their lives while the winds howled.

The destruction was beyond belief. Buildings on Atsena Otie were swept away so completely that only cracked stone foundations remained, and the forests of red cedar that gave the islands their name and livelihood were flattened. Resulting in dozens of deaths and millions of dollars in damage, Hurricane Number 4 in 1896 changed the Cedar Keys forever and set the city on a path to the present. Historian Alvin F. Oickle, drawing on firsthand accounts and extensive archival research, tells the story of ordinary Floridians who were faced, like so many before and so many since, with nature's fury.

Explosion on the Potomac

9781626191976

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

In 1844, the USS Princeton was the most technologically sophisticated warship in the world. Its captain, Robert Stockton, and President John Tyler were both zealous expansionists, and they hoped that it would be the forerunner in a formidable steam-powered fleet. On a Potomac cruise intended to impress power brokers, the ship's main gun--the Peacemaker--exploded as the vessel neared Mount Vernon. Eight died horribly, while twenty others were injured. Two of Tyler's most important cabinet members were instantly lost, and the president himself had a near miss--making it the worst physical disaster to befall a presidential administration. The tragedy set off an unpredictable wave of events that cost Tyler a second term, nearly scuttled plans to add Texas to the Union and stirred up sectional rancor that drove the nation closer to civil war. Author Kerry Walters chronicles this little-known disaster that altered the course of the nation's history.