- -4977
| Apr 27 | -BC- Johannes Kepler's date for creation of universe. | Ref: 5 |
- -763
| Jun 15 | -BC- Assyrians record total solar eclipse event on clay tablet. | Ref: 5 |
- -721
| Mar 19 | -BC- First recorded lunar eclipse in Babylon as described by Roman historian Ptolemy. | Ref: 10 |
- -687
| Apr 22 | -BC- Chinese record a meteor shower in Lyra. | Ref: 5 |
- -648
| Apr 06 | -BC- Earliest recorded total solar eclipse; chronicled by Greeks. | Ref: 5 |
- -585
| May 28 | -BC- Thales Miletus predicts solar eclispe a during a battle outside of Sardis in western Turkey between Medes and Lydians. The eclipse interupts the battle which ends in a draw. | Ref: 2 |
- -239
| Mar 30 | -BC- 1st recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. | Ref: 5 |
- -12
| May 22 | -BC- A daytime meteor shower, possibly Zeta Perseid observed in China. | Ref: 5 |
- 28
| May 10 | -BC- Eight centuries before Galileo, first recorded observation of sunspots in official history of China. | Ref: 10 |
- 66
| Jan 26 | 5th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. | Ref: 5 |
- 79
| Aug 24 | Mt. Vesuvious erupts and buries the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. An estimated 20,000 people die. (XDG, p. 4A, 8/24/2000) | Ref: 83 |
- 141
| Mar 20 | 6th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. | Ref: 5 |
- 185
| Dec 07 | Emperor Lo-Yang, China sees supernova (MSH15-52?). | Ref: 5 |
- 218
| May 17 | 7th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. | Ref: 5 |
- 295
| Apr 20 | 8th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. | Ref: 5 |
- 374
| Feb 16 | 9th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 01 | Halley's Comet approaches within 0.0884 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth. | Ref: 5 |
- 451
| Jun 24 | 10th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. | Ref: 5 |
- 526
| May 20 | Earthquake kills 250,000 in Antioch, Syria. | Ref: 5 |
| May 29 | Antioch struck by Earthquake; about 250,000 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 607
| Mar 13 | The 12th recorded passage of Halley's Comet occurs. | Ref: 2 |
| Apr 19 | Comet 1P/607 H1 (Halley) approaches within 0.0898 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth. | Ref: 5 |
- 760
| May 22 | 14th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. | Ref: 5 |
- 837
| Feb 27 | 15th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 10 | Comet 1P/837 F1 (Halley) approaches within 0.0334 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 13 | Best view of Halley's Comet in 2000 years. | Ref: 5 |
- 839
| Mar 23 | An earthquate kills 200,000 in Ardabil, Iran. | Ref: 85 |
- 856
| Dec 22 | An earthquate kills 200,000 in Damghan, Iran. | Ref: 85 |
- 1006
| May 01 | Supernova observed by Chinese & Egyptians in constellation Lupus, explosion of massive star lasted 3 months. | Ref: 5 |
- 1054
| Jul 04 | The brightest known super-nova (Crab Nebula) starts shining (23 days). | Ref: 5 |
- 1056
| Apr 22 | Supernova Crab nebula last seen by the naked eye. | Ref: 5 |
- 1066
| Mar 23 | 18th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. | Ref: 5 |
- 1138
| Aug 09 | An earthquate kills 230,000 in Aleppo, Syria. | Ref: 85 |
- 1145
| Apr 22 | 19th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. | Ref: 5 |
- 1163
| Dec 21 | Hurricane hits villages in Holland/Friesland, causing floods. | Ref: 5 |
- 1178
| Jun 18 | Proposed time of origin of lunar crater Giordano Bruno when 5 Canterbury monks report explosion on the moon (only such observation known). | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 25 | Five Canterbury monks report something exploding on the Moon (only known observation). | Ref: 5 |
- 1181
| Aug 04 | Supernova seen in Cassiopia. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 06 | Supernova observed by Chinese & Japanese astronomers. | Ref: 5 |
- 1196
| Dec 06 | Northern Dutch coast flooded, "Saint-Nicolaas Flood". | Ref: 5 |
- 1219
| Jan 16 | Floods in Northern Netherlands after storm, 1,000s killed. | Ref: 5 |
- 1262
| Jan 28 | Flemish/Dutch coast ravaged by north western storm. | Ref: 5 |
- 1287
| Dec 14 | Zuider Zee seawall collapses with loss of 50,000 lives. | Ref: 5 |
- 1290
| Sep 27 | Earthquake in Gulf of Chili China, reportedly kills 100,000. | Ref: 5 |
- 1293
| May 20 | Earthquake strikes Kamakura Japan, 30,000 killed. | Ref: 5 |
- 1348
| Jan 25 | Earthquake destroys Villach, killing 5,000. | Ref: 5 |
- 1421
| Nov 18 | The Zuider Zee floods 72 villages, killing an estimated 10,000 in Netherlands. | Ref: 5 |
- 1456
| Jun 09 | 23rd recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 05 | Earthquake strikes Naples; about 35,000 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1493
| Jan 09 | First sight of manatees (by Christopher Columbus). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 09 | First sight of manatees (by Christopher Columbus). | Ref: 5 |
- 1526
| Feb 08 | Heavy storm strikes Dutch coast, many die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1531
| Jan 26 | Lisbon hit by Earthquake; about 30,000 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 26 | Earthquake in Lisbon Portugal, kills 20,000. | Ref: 5 |
- 1539
| Dec 29 | St Jacobs Church burns after being hit by lightning. | Ref: 5 |
- 1541
| Apr 25 | Liege flooded after heavy down pour. | Ref: 5 |
- 1543
| Mar 18 | Hernan de Soto observes first recorded flood in America (Mississippi River). | Ref: 5 |
- 1551
| Dec 19 | Dutch west coast hit by hurricane. | Ref: 5 |
- 1552
| Jan 12 | Dutch west coast hit by heavy storm, 100s killed. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 15 | Dutch coast hit by heavy storm. | Ref: 5 |
- 1553
| Jan 23 | An earthquate kills 830,000 in Shansi, China. | Ref: 85 |
- 1556
| Jan 23 | Most deadly earthquake kills 830,000 in Shansi Province, China. | Ref: 5 |
- 1558
| Jan 11 | Westmunster Church in Middelburg destroyed by heavy storm. | Ref: 5 |
- 1559
| Mar 14 | Storm floods ravage Gorinchem, Dordrecht & Woudrichem, Netherlands. | Ref: 5 |
- 1570
| Nov 02 | A tidal wave in the North Sea destroys the sea walls from Holland to Jutland. Over a thousand people are killed. | Ref: 2 |
- 1580
| Apr 06 | Earthquake in London badly damages St Paul's and other churches. | Ref: 62 |
- 1604
| Oct 10 | The new star (supernova) is first observed in Padua. | |
- 1606
| Jan 20 | Severn Estuary floods London; 2,000 die. | Ref: 10 |
- 1611
| Jun 13 | John Fabricius dedicates earliest sunspot publication. | Ref: 5 |
- 1614
| Dec 28 | Sperm whale beached at Noordwijk. | Ref: 5 |
- 1618
| Sep 04 | "Rodi" avalanche destroys Plurs Switzerland, 1,500 killed. | Ref: 5 |
- 1631
| Nov 07 | Pierre Gassendi observes transit of Mercury predicted by Kepler. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 16 | Mount Vesuvius, Italy erupts, destroys 6 villages & kills 4,000. | Ref: 5 |
- 1635
| Aug 15 | A hurricane hits Plymouth Plantation. | Ref: 62 |
- 1638
| Jun 01 | The first recorded US earthquake was reported in the unlikely locale of Plymouth, MA. | Ref: 4 |
- 1643
| May 13 | Heavy earthquake strikes Santiago Chile; kills 1/3 of population. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 05 | First recorded tornado in US (Essex County, Massachusetts). | Ref: 5 |
- 1651
| Mar 31 | Great earthquake at Cuzco Peru | Ref: 5 |
- 1661
| May 03 | Johannes Hevelius observes 3rd transit of Mercury ever to be seen. | Ref: 5 |
- 1663
| Jan 06 | Great earthquake in New England. | Ref: 5 |
-
- 1667
| Aug 27 | The earliest recorded hurricane in US history hits Jamestown VA. | Ref: 5 |
- 1669
| Mar 11 | Volcano Etna in Italy erupts killing 15,000. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 25 | Mount Etna in Sicily erupts, destroying Nicolosi, killing 20,000. | Ref: 5 |
- 1679
| Nov 03 | Great panic occurs in Europe over the close approach of a comet . | Ref: 5 |
- 1680
| Feb 10 | The great comet disappears from view. Most were terrified by it but it aided Newton in the study of parabolic orbits. | Ref: 62 |
| Dec 04 | Hen in Rome lays an egg imprinted with comet not seen until Dec 16th. | Ref: 5 |
- 1682
| Jun 10 | Tornado in New Haven, CT uproots a 3' diameter oak tree. | Ref: 5 |
- 1689
| Dec 22 | Heavy earthquake strikes Innsbruck. | Ref: 5 |
- 1692
| Jun 07 | Porte Royale Jamaica slides into harbor after earthquake. | Ref: 5 |
- 1693
| Jan 11 | Mt Etna erupts. An earthquate kills 60,000 in Sicily, Italy. | Ref: 85 |
- 1702
| Apr 20 | Comet C/1702 H1 approaches within 0.0437 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth. | Ref: 5 |
- 1703
| Nov 26 | Great storm of London; cyclone called "The Channel Storm" kills almost 8,000 people, Royal Navy loses 15 warships. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 30 | Tokyo is hit by an earthquake; about 37,000 die. | Ref: 72 |
- 1706
| Nov 03 | Abruzzi earthquake in Italy kills 15,000. | Ref: 10 |
- 1709
| Jan 05 | Sudden extreme cold kills 1000s of Europeans. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 27 | Dike at Hardinxveld breaks (Alblasserwaard flooded). | Ref: 5 |
- 1715
| May 03 | Edmund Halley observes total eclipse phenomenon "Baily's Beads". | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 29 | 10 Spanish treasure galleons sunk off Florida coast by hurricane. | Ref: 5 |
- 1717
| Dec 25 | Floods ravage Dutch coast provinces, 1000s killed. | Ref: 5 |
- 1718
| Jan 17 | Cyclonic winds cause an avalanche in Leukerbad, Switzerland. Sixty-one die and virtually every building was smashed. | Ref: 81 |
- 1719
| Dec 11 | The first recorded sighting of the Aurora Borealis took place in New England. | Ref: 5 |
- 1727
| Oct 29 | A severe earthquake occurs in New England. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 18 | An earthquate kills 77,000 in Tabriz, Iran. | Ref: 85 |
- 1731
| Nov 30 | Beijing hit by Earthquake; about 100,000 die. | Ref: 27 |
- 1733
| Sep 04 | Royal Menagerie in the Tower of London loses its first lionness to old age. | Ref: 10 |
- 1737
| Oct 07 | 40 foot waves sink 20,000 small craft & kill 300,000 (Bengal, India). | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 11 | Earthquake kills 300,000 & destroys half of Calcutta India. | Ref: 5 |
- 1742
| Aug 31 | Swarms of grasshoppers destroy pastures and crops in Pennsylvania. | |
- 1743
| Feb 08 | Comet C/1743 C1 approaches within 0.0390 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth. | Ref: 5 |
- 1748
| Apr 01 | Ruins of Pompeii found. | Ref: 5 |
- 1750
| Feb 08 | Minor earthquake in London. | Ref: 5 |
- 1753
| May 06 | French King Louis XV observes transit of Mercury at Mendon Castle. | Ref: 5 |
- 1755
| Nov 01 | There had been no warning for the people of Lisbon, Portugal when the walls of their beautiful, tall buildings came tumbling down. A powerful ... we don’t know where it stood on the Richter scale ’cause Richter wasn’t born yet ... earthquake, felt across the European continent, rocked the city three times causing destruction of property, fires and a tsunami. Over 60,000 died, most drowning in the enormous tidal wave. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 18 | The worst quake in the Massachusetts Bay area strikes Boston; no deaths are reported. | Ref: 5 |
- 1759
| Mar 13 | 27th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 31 | Earthquake in Safed Palestine kills hundreds. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 24 | Destructive eruption of Vesuvius. | Ref: 5 |
- 1760
| Jan 08 | Comet C/1760 A1 (Great comet) approaches within 0.0682 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth. | Ref: 5 |
- 1766
-
- 1770
| Jul 01 | Lexell's Comet travelling at 23.9 miles per second comes within 1.5 million miles of Earth. | Ref: 10 |
- 1772
| Aug 11 | Explosive eruption blows 4,000' off Papandayan Java, kills 3,000. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 31 | Hurricane destroy ships off Dominica. | Ref: 5 |
- 1775
| Mar 19 | 4 people buried by avalanche for 37 days, 3 survive (Italy). | Ref: 5 |
- 1778
| Jun 24 | David Rittenhouse observes a total solar eclipse in Philadelphia. | Ref: 5 |
- 1780
| Jan 04 | Snowstorm hit Washington's army at Morristown New Jersey. | Ref: 5 |
| May 19 | About midday, near-total darkness descends on much of New England to this day its cause is still unexplained. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 11 | Barbados hurricane begins. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 10 | Great Hurricane of 1780 kills 20,000 to 30,000 in Caribbean. | Ref: 5 |
- 1781
| Jan 04 | André Méchain discovers M80 (globular cluster in Scorpio). | Ref: 5 |
- 1783
| Feb 04 | Worst quake in 8 years kills some 50,000 (Calabria, Italy). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 05 | Earthquakes ravage Calabria, killing 30,000. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 08 | Iceland’s Laki volcano blew its top and continued to spew lava for eight more months. This, one of the most violent of volcanic eruptions, killed 9,350 people and caused a famine which lasted until 1790. | Ref: 4 |
- 1784
| May 08 | Only known deaths by hailstones in US (Winnsborough SC) | Ref: 2 |
- 1793
-
| Apr 01 | Volcano Unsen on Japan erupts killing about 53,000. | Ref: 5 |
- 1794
| May 17 | Hard frost in southern New England. | Ref: 5 |
- 1797
| Feb 04 | Earthquake in Quito, Ecuador kills 40,000. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 10 | Claude Ambroise Seurat Troyes France, (World's skinniest man), is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1799
| Oct 05 | Avalanche in Panixer Pass, Switzerland. No details. | Ref: 81 |
- 1800
| Jan 08 | Wild Boy of Aveyron discovered in southern France. | Ref: 5 |
- 1801
| Dec 24 | The skeleton of a mastodon is unveiled (Charles Willson Peale). | Ref: 51 |
- 1802
| Mar 28 | Henrich Olbers discovers the second asteroid (Pallas). | Ref: 10 |
- 1803
| Apr 26 | Over 2,300 meteorite stones, weighing between one quarter ounce and 20 pounds, rained down on the people of L’Aigle in northeastern France. The meteorites poured down along an 8-mile-long strip in this little town, 100 miles west of Paris. No one was hurt; but it was the first time scientists could verify that stones could come from outer space. | Ref: 4 |
- 1805
| Jun 05 | First recorded tornado in "Tornado Alley" (Southern IL). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 26 | Huge earthquake in Naples kills 6,000. | Ref: 10 |
| Dec 09 | Comet 3D/1805 V1 (Biela) approaches within 0.0366 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth. | Ref: 5 |
- 1806
| Sep 02 | An avalanche in Golden Valley, Switzerland kills 800. | Ref: 81 |
- 1810
| Jan 19 | Overnight temp at Portsmouth NH drops 50ºF (10ºC). | Ref: 5 |
- 1811
| May 11 | Chang & Eng Bunker Chinese Siamese twins, is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 16 | At the Mississippi River Valley near New Madrid, Missouri, the greatest series of earthquakes in U.S. history begins when a quake of an estimated 8.6 magnitude on the Richter scale rocks the region. Although the earthquake greatly changed the topography of the region, the area was only sparsely inhabited at the time and there were no known fatalities. | Ref: 3 |
- 1812
| Feb 07 | 8.2 earthquake shakes New Madrid MO; this is the last of Midwest quakes (see 12/16). | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 26 | Earthquake destroys 90% of Caracas; about 20,000 die | Ref: 2 |
| May 25 | Earthquake destroys Caracas Venezuela. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 01 | A rare tornado hits Westchester County, NY. | Ref: 5 |
- 1814
| Feb 01 | Volcano Mayon on Luzon Philippines erupts killing 1,200. | Ref: 5 |
- 1815
| Apr 05 | Eruption of Tambora volcano (Sumbawa Java). 92,000 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1816
| Jun 06 | 10" snowfall in New England, the "year without a summer" (Krakatoa). | Ref: 5 |
-
- 1817
| Aug 18 | Gloucester, Mass, newspapers tells of wild sea serpent seen offshore. | Ref: 5 |
- 1822
| Oct 08 | First eruption of Galunggung (Java) sends boiling sludge into valley. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 12 | 2nd eruption of Galunggung (Java) destroys summit of mountain. | Ref: 5 |
- 1825
| Feb 03 | Dutch North Sea coast floods. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 04 | Unseasonable hurricane hits NYC. | Ref: 5 |
- 1826
| Feb 28 | M Biela, an Austrian officer, discovers Biela's Comet. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 13 | A rhinoceros first exhibited at Peale's Museum in New York. | Ref: 10 |
- 1828
| Feb 18 | More than 100 vessels destroyed in a storm, Gibraltar. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | 6.8 earthquake strikes Echigo Japan, 30,000 killed. | Ref: 72 |
- 1829
| May 02 | One foot of hail falls on Tuscaloosa, AL. | Ref: 10 |
| Aug 16 | The first Siamese twins brought to the United States arrived in Boston, MA. Chang and Eng (Bunker) were 18 years old when they arrived from their homeland of Banesau, Siam. The twins were joined at the waist. | Ref: 4 |
- 1833
| Nov 12 | Great shower of meteors, the Leonid Meteors, recorded. | Ref: 10 |
- 1834
| Jan 05 | Kiowa Indians record this as the night the stars fell. | Ref: 5 |
-
- 1835
-
| Feb 20 | Concepción, Chile destroyed by earthquake. | Ref: 5 |
- 1837
| Jan 22 | Earthquake in southern Syria kills thousands. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 01 | "Racer's" Hurricane (Gulf of Mexico). | Ref: 5 |
- 1839
| Jan 06 | 2 day storm off Irish & English coast immortalized as "The Big Wind". | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 11 | Earthquake at Martinique destroys half of Port Royal-700 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1840
| May 07 | Tornado strikes Natchez MS, kills 317. | Ref: 5 |
- 1842
| Nov 22 | Mount St Helens in Washington, erupts. | Ref: 5 |
- 1843
| Jun 01 | It snows in Buffalo & Rochester NY & Cleveland Ohio. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 02 | An alligator falls from the sky during a Charleston SC thunderstorm. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 13 | Mt Rainier in Washington State erupts. | Ref: 5 |
- 1844
| Jun 04 | The last Great Auk, a flightless sea bird of the North, is tragically clubbed to death. Hunters kill the last two on island of Eldey in Iceland. | Ref: 62 |
- 1845
| Mar 14 | -5.3ºF (-20.7ºC) in Groningen. | Ref: 5 |
- 1847
| Jul 01 | Amateur astronomer M Hencke discovers 2nd asteroid Hebe. | Ref: 5 |
- 1848
| Mar 28 | For the first time in recorded history, Niagara Falls stopped flowing. An ice jam in the Niagara river above the rim of the falls caused the water to stop. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 19 | Bond (US) & Lassell (England) independently discover Hyperion, moon of Saturn. | Ref: 5 |
- 1850
| Mar 29 | Ireland's SS Royal Adelaide sinks in storm; 200 die | Ref: 5 |
| May 27 | Mormon Temple in Nauvoo IL destroyed by tornado. | Ref: 5 |
- 1851
| Jul 28 | Total solar eclipse captured on a daguerreotype photograph. | Ref: 5 |
- 1852
| Nov 23 | Just past midnight, a sharp jolt causes Lake Merced to drop 30 feet. | Ref: 5 |
- 1853
| Apr 29 | Comet C/1853 G1 (Schweizer) approaches within 0.0839 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth. | Ref: 5 |
- 1854
| Apr 16 | San Salvador is destroyed by an earthquake. | Ref: 2 |
- 1855
| Jan 31 | Western railroads blocked by snow. | Ref: 5 |
- 1856
| Aug 10 | Hurricane washes away 2-300 revelers at Last Island, Louisiana. | Ref: 5 |
- 1857
| Mar 21 | Earthquake hits Tokyo; about 107,000 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 16 | Earthquake in Naples, Italy. | Ref: 5 |
- 1858
| Jun 02 | The Donati Comet is first seen, named after its discoverer. | Ref: 5 |
- 1859
| Sep 01 | RC Carrington & R Hodgson make 1st observation of solar flare. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 29 | Great auroral display in US. | Ref: 5 |
- 1860
| Jun 03 | Comanche, Iowa completely destroyed by 1 of a series of tornadoes. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 09 | Temperature hits 115ø F in Ft Scott & 112ø F in Topeka Kansas. | Ref: 5 |
- 1861
| Feb 20 | Steeple of Chichester Cathedral blown down during a storm. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 28 | Leipzig Observatory discovers short-period (6.2 yrs) Comet d'Arrest. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 31 | 22,990 mm of rain falls in Cherrapunji Assam in 1861, world record. | Ref: 5 |
- 1863
| Dec 04 | Storm flood ravages Netherland coastal provinces. | Ref: 5 |
- 1864
| Mar 11 | Bradfield Reservoir in Sheffield bursts and over 250 people drown. | Ref: 62 |
| Jun 11 | 300' (90 m) of Meigg's Wharf washed away in storm. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 05 | The spectrum of a comet observed for 1st time, by Giovanni Donati. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 05 | Most of Calcutta destroyed by cyclone (approx 60,000 die). | Ref: 5 |
- 1865
| Oct 08 | Earthquake in Santa Cruz Mountains. | Ref: 5 |
- 1867
| Mar 11 | Great Mauna Loa eruption (Hawaiian volcano). | Ref: 5 |
-
- 1868
| Aug 08 | Quake destroys Arica Chile. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 13 | Quakes kill 25,000 & causes $300 million damages (Peru & Ecuador). | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 21 | Severe earthquake at 7:53 AM, centered in Hayward, Calif. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 28 | Mt. Etna in Sicily violently erupts. | Ref: 2 |
- 1871
| Jun 13 | Hurricane kills 300 in Labrador. | Ref: 5 |
- 1872
-
| Mar 26 | A 7.8 earthquake shakes Owens Valley, California | Ref: 2 |
| Apr 24 | Volcano Vesuvius erupts. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 19 | 472 pound lump of reef gold, the Holtermann Nugget, is discovered in New South Wales, Australia. | Ref: 10 |
| Dec 26 | 4th largest snowfall in NYC history (18"). | Ref: 5 |
- 1874
| Jan 17 | Chang & Eng Bunker Chinese/Thai Siamese twins, die at 62. | Ref: 5 |
- 1875
| Feb 13 | Mrs. Edna Kanouse of Watertown, WI gave birth to America’s first quintuplets. Sadly, all five of the baby boys died within two weeks. | Ref: 4 |
| May 16 | Quake in Venezuela & Colombia kills 16,000. | Ref: 5 |
- 1876
| Feb 15 | Historic Elm at Boston blown down. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 17 | Rosa Jackson Lumpkin Georgia, lived to be 115 (died in 1991), is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1877
| Jan 30 | Storm flood ravages Dutch coastal provinces. | Ref: 5 |
- 1879
| Jan 16 | January record 13" of snow falls in New York City NY (broken Jan 7, 1996). | Ref: 5 |
| May 10 | Meteor falls near Estherville IA | Ref: 2 |
- 1880
| Jan 06 | Record snow cover in Seattle-120cm. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 09 | 6' (1.8 meters) of snow falls in Seattle in 5 days. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 09 | 6' (1.8 meters) of snow falls in Seattle in 5 days. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 12 | A great storm almost entirely destroys Brownsville, Texas and also does severe damage to the surrounding country. | |
| Sep 18 | Avalanche in the Himalayas. No details. | Ref: 81 |
- 1881
| Jun 03 | Japanese giant salamander dies in Dutch zoo at 55; oldest amphibian. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 04 | 122ø F (50ø C), Seville, Spain (European record). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 11 | An avalanche in Elm, Switzerland kills 150 and injures 200. | Ref: 81 |
| Oct 05 | Cyclone in Haiphong, North Vietnam (then south China) kills 300,000. (Longshore, David, "Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons & Cyclones", (c) 1998, ISBN 0-8160-3398-6) | |
- 1882
| Feb 03 | Trijntje Jansma-Boskma oldest person in Netherlands), is born. | Ref: 5 |
| May 23 | 6" of snow falls in eastern Iowa. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 06 | Cyclone in Arabian Sea (Bombay India) drowns 100,000. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 16 | 17" hailstones weighing 1.75 lbs fall in Dubuque Iowa. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 17 | Tornado kills 130 in IA | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 08 | Snow falls on Lake Michigan. | Ref: 5 |
- 1883
| Jul 28 | Shocks triggered by the volcano Epomeo (Isle of Ischia, Italy) destroyed 1,200 houses at Casamicciola killing 2,000. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 12 | Extinction of the Quagga; last Zebra-like mammal dies at Amsterdam Zoo. | Ref: 10 |
| Aug 26 | (and 27th) With a force of 1,300 megatons, the world’s largest explosion, heard three thousand miles away, happened on the Indonesian island of Krakatoa, west of Java. The volcanic island exploded, spewing five cubic miles of earth into the air -- fifty miles high. It was heard 3000 miles away, created tidal waves up to 120 feet high, killed 36,000 people and caused oceanic and atmospheric changes over a period of many years. | Ref: 72 |
| Aug 29 | Seismic sea waves created by the Krakatoa eruption create a rise in the English Channel 32 hrs after the explosion. | Ref: 5 |
- 1884
| Jan 04 | Last sighting of an eastern cougar (Ontario). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 19 | Tornadoes in Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky & Indiana kill 800 people. | Ref: 5 |
- 1885
| Aug 30 | 13,000 meteors seen in 1 hour near Andromeda. | Ref: 5 |
- 1886
| Aug 31 | The first recorded major earthquake in U.S. history rocked Charleston, S.C., killing up to 110 people | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 12 | Hurricane & sea surge kills 250 at Indianola Texas. | Ref: 5 |
- 1887
| Jan 28 | Huge snowflakes 15 inches across and 8 inches thick fall on Fort Keogh, Montana. | Ref: 10 |
| Feb 23 | French/Italian Riviera struck by Earthquake; 2,000 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1888
| Mar 11 | (thru 3/14) The famous "Blizzard of '88" struck the northeastern United States, resulting in some 400 deaths. | Ref: 95 |
| Mar 12 | 2nd day of the Great blizzard of '88 in northeast US (400 die). | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 13 | Great Blizzard of 1888 rages. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 14 | 2nd largest snowfall in New York NY history (21"). | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 30 | Hailstones kill about 250 in Moradabad district of Delhi India. | Ref: 81 |
| Jul 11 | 118ø F (48ø C), Bennett, Colorado (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 11 | Pennsylvania's Monongehela River rises 32' after 24 hour rainfall | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 15 | Bandai volcano (Japan) erupts for first time in 1,000 years | Ref: 5 |
- 1889
| Jan 16 | 128ºF (53ºC), Cloncurry, Queensland (Australian record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 08 | Flood ravages Dutch coast. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 18 | F Rijkens oldest living person in Netherlands, is born. | Ref: 5 |
| May 15 | Mitoyo Kawate, of Hiroshima, Japan, is born. In September of 2003 she will become the world's oldest person. (XDG, p 5A, 11/14/2003) | Ref: 83 |
| May 31 | 2,300 people died and thousands lost their homes on this unfortunate day in Johnstown, PA. Heavy rains throughout the month caused the Connemaugh River Dam to break, flooding Johnstown. Some 800 unidentified victims were buried in a common grave. The flood was such a tragedy that the phrase, “Johnstown Flood,” became synonymous with a disaster. | Ref: 4 |
| Jun 12 | Single tornado kills 119, injures 146 (New Richmond Wisc). | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 13 | 2' of snow accumulates in Rawlins Wyoming. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 10 | The skeleton of a thirty-six foot long and fifteen-foot high mammoth is found in St. James, Nebraska. | |
| Nov 16 | Charlotte Benkner, of North Lima OH, is born. In November of 2003 she will become the world's oldest person. (XDG, p 5A, 11/14/2003) | Ref: 83 |
- 1890
| Jan 02 | Record 19'2" alligator shot in Louisiana by E A McIlhenny. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 20 | Snow & hail in Calais, ME. | Ref: 5 |
- 1891
| Feb 07 | Great Blizzard of 1891 begins. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 29 | 100ø F (San Fransisco, CA). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 05 | Hail kills 6 horses in Rapid City, SD. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 08 | 61ø F, the highest temp for July 1891, in Baltimore & Phila. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 28 | An earthquake strikes Mino-Owari, Japan kills 7,300. | Ref: 5 |
- 1892
| Feb 01 | ‘Auriga,' a new star, observed in Milky Way for first time. | Ref: 10 |
| Apr 21 | First buffalo born in Golden Gate Park. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 12 | An avalanche in St. Gervais, Switzerland kills 140. | Ref: 81 |
| Sep 09 | Almalthea, 5th moon of Jupiter, discovered by EE Barnard at Lick. | Ref: 5 |
- 1893
| Jan 17 | -17ºF (-27ºC), Millsboro DE (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| May 19 | Heavy rain washes "quick clay" into a deep valley, kills 111 (Norway). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 24 | Cyclone swirls through Georgia and South Carolina killing 1,000. | Ref: 10 |
| Oct 01 | 3rd worst hurricane (unnamed) in US history kills 1,800 (Mississippi) | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 27 | Hurricane hits coast between Savannah Ga & Charleston SC. | Ref: 5 |
- 1894
| Feb 14 | Venus is both a morning star & evening star. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 22 | Dutch coast hit by hurricane. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 24 | Scheveningse fishing boats destroyed by storm. | Ref: 5 |
- 1895
| Feb 11 | -17ºF (-27.2ºC) in Braemar, Grampian (UK record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 15 | 23 cm (9") of snow falls on New Orleans. | Ref: 5 |
- 1896
| Feb 18 | Cave of Winds at Niagara Falls goes almost dry for first time in 50 years. | Ref: 5 |
| May 14 | Lowest US temperature in May recorded (-10ºF Climax CO). | Ref: 5 |
| May 15 | Tornado kills 78 in Texas. | Ref: 5 |
| May 27 | First major tornado to strike urban US (St Louis & E St Louis MO); killing 255 & leaving thousands homeless. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 15 | Tsunami strikes Shinto festival on beach at Sanriku Japan 27,000 are killed, 9,000 injured, with 13,000 houses destroyed. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 16 | Temperture hits 127øF at Fort Mojave, Calif. | Ref: 5 |
- 1897
| Jun 12 | Possibly most severe quake in history strikes Assam India. Shock waves felt over an area size of Europe. Negligible death toll. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 23 | (through the 30th) Mount Mayon, Philippines erupts. | Ref: 81 |
| Jun 24 | Hail injures 26 in Topeka Kansas. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 27 | 37.5 cm (14.75") of rainfall, Jewell, Maryland (state 24-hr record). | Ref: 5 |
- 1899
| Feb 03 | -16º F (-27º C), Minden LA (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 10 | -39ºF (-39ºC), Milligan OH (state lowest temperature record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 11 | -15ºF (-26ºC), Washington DC (district record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 11 | -61ºF (-52ºC), Montana (record low temperature). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 12 | -47ºF (-44ºC), Camp Clarke NB (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 13 | -1ºF (-18ºC) New Orleans LA. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 13 | -2ºF (-19ºC) Tallahassee FL (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 13 | -16ºF (-27ºC), Minden LA (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 18 | 80º F, San Francisco CA. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 29 | Brazo River in Texas floods 12 miles wide causing $10 mil damage. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 10 | 2nd quake in 7 days hits Yakutat Bay Alaska. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 23 | (and 24th) Avalanche in Darjeeling, India. No details. | Ref: 81 |
- 1900
| Mar 24 | Last wild passenger pigeon killed by small boy with BB gun in Ohio. | Ref: 10 |
| May 28 | Solar eclipse darkens much of Northern hemisphere. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 12 | 114ø F (46ø C), Basin, Wyoming (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 08 | Galveston, Texas was struck by the worst hurricane (and deadliest natural disaster) in American history. 23 foot waves fronting winds up to 135 mph took 6,000 lives. The storm battered Galveston for 18 hours. When the city, on an island connected to the mainland by a 2-mile long causeway, was rebuilt, it was raised 15 feet above its previous level; and a new sea wall was built six feet higher than the previous high-water mark. Hurricanes were not named until the mid-1950's. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 01 | Large brown hawk species Caracara becomes extinct as last one killed on the island of Guadaloupe. | Ref: 10 |
| Dec 20 | Giacobini discovers a comet (will be first comet visited by spacecraft). | Ref: 5 |
- 1902
| Mar 10 | Earthquake destroys Turkish city of Tochangri. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 28 | 27.9 cm precipitation at McMinnville TN (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| May 07 | (and 8th) Mount Soufriere on St. Vincent, West Indies, erupts, killing 2000 to 5000. | Ref: 81 |
| May 08 | Mount Pelée erupts, wipes out St Pierre, Martinique, kills 30,000 | Ref: 2 |
| Sep 01 | Mount Pelee volcano erupts again in Martinique after only four months; 2,000 die. (Ritchie, David, "The Encyclopedia of Earthquakes & Volcanos", © 1994, ISBN 0-8160-2659-9) | |
| Oct 24 | Mount Santa Maria in Guatamala erupts. | Ref: 81 |
- 1903
| Feb 16 | -59º F (-51º C), Pokegama Dam MN (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 22 | Due to drought the US side of Niagara Falls runs short of water. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 22 | Niagera Falls runs out of water because of a drought. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 29 | Limestone slides at Turtle Mountain kills 9 (Frank Alberta). | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 09 | 11" rainfall in 24 hrs (NYC). | Ref: 5 |
- 1904
| Jan 05 | -34ºF (-36.7ºC), River Vale NJ (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 05 | -42ºF (-41.1ºC), Smethport PA (state record). | Ref: 5 |
- 1905
| Jan 02 | Elara, a satellite of Jupiter, discovered by Perrine. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 08 | Cyclone hits Tahiti & adjacent islands, killing some 10,000 people. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 13 | -29ºF (-34ºC) Pond AR (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 13 | -40ºF (-40ºC) Lebanon KS (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 13 | -40ºF (-40ºC) Warsaw MO (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 04 | Earthquake in Kangra India, kills 370,000. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 29 | 2" rain falls in 10 minutes in Taylor TX. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 07 | 127ø F (53ø C), Parker Ariz (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 11 | 120º F (49º C), Rivadavia, Argentina (South American record). | Ref: 5 |
- 1906
| Jan 31 | Strongest instrumentally recorded earthquake, Colombia, 8.6 Richter. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 06 | Heavy storm bursts dike flooding Vlissingen, Netherlands. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 12 | Heavy storm ravages Dutch west coast. | Ref: 5 |
-
| Apr 18 | 5:13AM The San Francisco earthquake. Death toll was 3000 and property losses of $500 million in 1906 dollars. | Ref:77 |
| Apr 20 | Australian wombat oldest known marsupial, dies in London Zoo at 26. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 16 | An earthquake strikes Valparaiso, Chile, also on the Pacific coast. Valparaiso, no stranger to disaster (the Dutch destroyed it in 1600, the Spanish in 1866, the Chilean civil war in 1891, earthquakes in 1731, 1822, 1839, 1873), was once more devastated by an earthquake. This one struck after a night of unusually violent thunderstorms. It destroyed two thirds of the city, the coastline was raised three feet, and 1,500 died. | Ref: 4 |
- 1907
| Mar 19 | 18.8 cm precipitation at Lewer's Ranch NV (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 01 | -27ø F (-33ø C), Sarmiento, Argentina (South American record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 13 | Lowest temp ever in 48 US states for June, 2øF in Tamarack Calif. | Ref: 5 |
- 1908
| May 01 | World's most intense rain shower (2.47" in 3 minutes) at Portobelo Panamá. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 30 | A mysterious explosion, possibly the result of a meteorite, levels thousands of trees in the Tunguska region of Siberia with a force approaching twenty megatons. | Ref: 2 |
| Nov 27 | Pasiphaë, a satellite of Jupiter, discovered by Melotte. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | At dawn, the most destructive earthquake in European history strikes Messina, Italy. The quake, estimated at 7.5 on the Richter scale leaves 100,000 dead. | Ref: 3 |
- 1909
| Sep 11 | Halley's comet first observed at Heidelberg. | Ref: 10 |
| Oct 21 | Halley's comet sighted from Cambridge observatory. | Ref: 10 |
| Nov 23 | 18.2 cm (7.17") of rainfall, Rattlesnake Creek, Idaho (state record). | Ref: 5 |
- 1910
| Jan 26 | Heavy rains cause floods in Paris. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 01 | An avalanche in Wellington, WA kills 96 and strands a train. | Ref: 81 |
| May 10 | Halley's Comet closest approach to Earth in 1910. | Ref: 2 |
- 1911
-
| Jul 14 | 46" of rain begins to fall in Baguio, Phillipines. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 15 | 46" of rain (begining 7/14) falls in Baguio, Phillipines. | Ref: 5 |
- 1912
| Jan 04 | Smallest earth-moon distance this century, 356,375 km center-to-center. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 12 | -47ºF (-44ºC), Washta IA (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 13 | -40ºF (-40ºC), Oakland MD (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 29 | 108º F (42º C), Tuguegarao Philippines (Oceania record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 04 | Cone of Mount Katmai (Alaska) collapses. | Ref: 5 |
- 1913
| Feb 28 | Elephant seal 6.8-m, 4000-kg, killed in South Georgia (South Atlantic). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 03 | Common tern banded in Maine; found dead in 1919 in Africa (1st bird known to have crossed the Atlantic). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 10 | The highest temperature ever recorded in the continental United States was 134º in Death Valley, CA. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 09 | Storm "Freshwater Fury" sinks 8 ore-carriers on Great Lakes. | Ref: 5 |
- 1914
| Sep 01 | Martha, the last known passenger pigeon, dies at Cincinnati Zoo. | Ref: 5 |
- 1915
| Jan 13 | Earthquake in central Italy kills 29,500; 17 villages in Abruzzi destroyed. (Ritchie, David, "The Encyclopedia of Earthquakes & Volcanos", (c) 1994, ISBN 0-8160-2659-9) | |
| Jun 27 | 100ø F (38ø C), Fort Yukon, Alaska (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 25 | Hurricane kills 275 in Galveston, Texas with $50 million damage. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 29 | A hurricane claims 275 in the MS Delta. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 21 | 25.83 cm (10.17") of rainfall, Glenora OR (state record). | Ref: 5 |
- 1916
| Jan 23 | Temp falls from 44ºF (7ºC) to -56ºF (49ºC) night of 23-24, Browning MT. | Ref: 5 |
| May 20 | Codell KS hit by tornado (also on same date in 1917 & 1918). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 03 | First of 3 fatal shark attacks occurred near NJ shore (4 die). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 15 | 22.22" of rain falls in Altapass NC. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 12 | Avalanche in Marmolada, Switzerland kills 235 Austrian & Italian troops in their barracks. Between 40,000 and 80,000 will lose their lives between 1915 and 1918 in avalanches in hostilities during World War I. | Ref: 81 |
| Dec 13 | Avalanche kills 10,000 Austrian & Italian troops in 24 hours in Tyrol. | Ref: 5 |
- 1917
| Mar 23 | 4 day series of tornadoes kills 211 in Midwest US. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 30 | -32ºF (-36ºC) in Mountain City TN (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 30 | -37ºF (-38ºC) in Lewisburg WV (state record). | Ref: 5 |
- 1918
| Feb 21 | Extinction of Carolina parakeet; last green and yellow bird named Incas dies at Cincinnati Zoo. | Ref: 10 |
| Feb 22 | Robert Pershing Wadlow, the world's tallest man (recorded) at 8'11.1", is born in Alton IL. (Guiness Book of World Records, 1998) | |
| Jun 08 | Nova Aquila, brightest nova since Kepler's nova of 1604, discovered. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 15 | 1" of snow falls in Northern Pennsylvania. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 22 | Lightning kills 504 sheep in Utah's Wasatch National Park. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 12 | Cloquet Minn & 25 other communities destroyed by forest fire, 559 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1919
| May 01 | Mount Kelud (Indonesia) erupts, boiling crater lake which broke through crater wall killing 5,000 people in 104 small villages. | Ref: 5 |
| May 20 | Volcano Keluit on Java, erupts killing 550. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 18 | Hurricane tides 16 feet above normal drown 280 along Gulf Coast. | Ref: 5 |
- 1920
-
| Apr 14 | Tornadoes killed 219 people in Alabama & Mississippi. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 20 | Tornadoes kill 219 in Alabama & Mississippi. | Ref: 5 |
| May 14 | According to the Bureau of Public Health, American life expectancy is slightly over 54, up five years since the turn of the century. ("May 14, Your Birthday", Natalis Press, ©1990) | |
| Dec 16 | One of the deadliest earthquakes (estimated at 8.6) in history hits the Gansu province of mid-western China, causing massive landslides and the deaths of over 200,000 people. | Ref: 3 |
- 1921
| Jan 29 | Hurricane hits Washington & Oregon. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 14 | Largest snowfall on record 76 inches in 24 hours at Silver Lake, CO. | Ref: 10 |
| Jun 03 | A sudden cloudburst kills 120 near Pikes Peak, Colorado. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 20 | 29.2 cm (11.5") of rainfall, Circle, Montana (state record). | Ref: 5 |
- 1922
| Jan 24 | -54ºF (-48ºC), Danbury WI (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| May 24 | Record temperature in Netherlands for May (35.6ºC). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 15 | The duck-billed platypus arrived in America, direct from Australia. It was exhibited at the Bronx Zoo in NY City. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 13 | 136.4øF (58ø C), El Aziziyah, Libya in shade (world record). | Ref: 5 |
- 1923
| Feb 03 | An 8.5 earthquake hits Kamchatka. | Ref: 85 |
| Jul 10 | 2-pound hailstones kill 23 & many cattle. (Rostov, Russia). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 01 | The Japanese cities of Tokyo and Yokohama were devastated by an 8.3 earthquake that claimed some 150,000 lives. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
- 1924
| May 16 | 108ºF (42ºC) in Blitzen OR. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 28 | Tornado strikes Sandusky Ohio & Lorain Ohio, killing 93. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 23 | Mars' closest approach to Earth since the 10th century. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 07 | 160 consecutive days of 100ø at Marble Bar, Australia begins. | Ref: 5 |
- 1925
| Jan 19 | -48ºF (-44ºC), Van Buren ME (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 24 | Moving picture of a solar eclipse taken from dirigible over Long Island. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 28 | -46ºF (-43ºC), Pittsburgh NH (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 18 | (8) 60-MPH tornadoes speed through Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, & Tennessee kill 689, injure 13,000. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 24 | 88ºF highest temperature ever recorded in Cleveland OH in April. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 29 | An earthquake ravages Santa Barbara, California. | Ref: 2 |
| Sep 05 | 112ø F (44ø C), Centerville, Alabama (state record). | Ref: 5 |
- 1926
| Jan 01 | Flood in Rhine strikes Cologne. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 17 | Avalanche buries 75 in Sap Gulch Bingham UT, 40 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 19 | Dr. Lane of Princeton estimates the earth's age at one billion years. | Ref: 2 |
| Apr 07 | Forest fire burns 900 acres & kills 2 (San Luis Obispo Calif). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 22 | 105ø F (41ø C), Waterbury, Connecticut (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 22 | 108ø F (42ø C), Troy, New York (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 18 | Hurricane hits Miami, kills 250. | Ref: 5 |
- 1927
| Mar 07 | Earthquake measuring 8 on Richter scale strikes Tango, Japan. | Ref: 5 |
| May 18 | "Slide Lake" in Gros Ventre WY collapses. | Ref: 5 |
| May 22 | An 8.3 earthquate kills 230,000 near Xining, China. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 29 | Tornado strikes St Louis Missouri. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 03 | Tropical storm flooding kills 84 in Winooski River Valley (Vt). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 09 | Giant Panda discovered, China. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 17 | Tornado hit Washington DC. | Ref: 5 |
- 1928
| May 01 | 6 children die & 10 injured by hailstones in Klausenburg, Romania. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 06 | Worlds largest hailstone 1½ lbs (17') falls in Potter Nebraska. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 17 | Hurricane hits Lake Okeechobee Florida drowning 1,800-2500. | Ref: 5 |
- 1929
| May 31 | The first reindeer to be born in the United States were born on this day in North Beverly, MA. | Ref: 4 |
| Jul 22 | An avalanche occurs in Northern Anatolia, Turkey. | Ref: 81 |
| Nov 18 | Large quake in Atlantic breaks Transatlantic cable in 28 places. | Ref: 5 |
- 1930
| Jan 18 | -27ºF (-33ºC), Watts OK (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 22 | -35ºF (-37ºC), Mount Carroll IL (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| May 13 | Farmer killed by hail in Lubbock TX; this is the only known US fatality due to hail. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 13 | 22 people killed by hailstones in Siatista Greece | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 20 | 106ø F (41ø C), Washington, DC (district record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 28 | 114ø F (46ø C), Greensburg, Kentucky (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 29 | 115ø F (46ø C), Holly Springs, MS (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 03 | Hurricane kills 2,000, injures 4,000 (Dominican Republic). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 11 | Stomboli volcano (Sicily) throws 2-ton basaltic rocks 2 miles. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 25 | 690 earthquake shocks recorded in 1 day (Ito Japan). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 25 | An earthquake in Shizouka, Japan kills 187 people. | Ref: 2 |
- 1931
| Apr 01 | Earthquake devastates Managua Nicaragua, kills 2,000. | Ref: 5 |
| May 10 | Golf ball size hail falls in Burlington NJ | Ref: 2 |
| Jun 29 | 109ø F (43ø C), Monticello, Florida (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 02 | (date given as August, 1931) World's worst flood kills 3.7 million along China's Yellow River. (TWA, 1986) | Ref: 95 |
| Dec 13 | (through the 28th) Mount Merapi, Java erupts. | Ref: 81 |
- 1932
| Mar 11 | Extinction of an entire species- the last heath hen expires on Martha's Vineyard, MA. | Ref: 10 |
| Mar 31 | 150 wild swans die in Niagara waterfall | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 19 | Hailstones kill 200 in Hunan Province, China PR. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 09 | Hurricane storm wave sweeps over Santa Cruz del Sur Cuba kills 2,500. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 16 | Heavy earthquake ravages Kansu China, 70,000 killed | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 25 | An 8.7 earthquate kills 70,000 in Gansu, China. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 26 | Over 70,000 people are killed in a massive earthquake in China. | Ref: 2 |
- 1933
| Feb 06 | -90ºF (-68ºC), Oymyakon, USSR (Asian record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 06 | Highest recorded sea wave (not tsunami), 34 meters (112 feet), in Pacific hurricane near Manila. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 08 | -23ºF (-31ºC), Seminole TX (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 09 | -63ºF (-53ºC), Moran WY (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 10 | -54ºF (-48ºC), Seneca OR (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 02 | Most powerful earthquake in 180 years hits Japan. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 10 | Big earthquake in Long Beach (W.C. Fields was making a movie when it struck & the cameras kept running) | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 11 | Temp reaches 136ø F (58ø C) at San Luis Potos¡, Mex (world record). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 10 | Black Blizzard begins in Dakotas;dust storm blows soil to Atlantic. | Ref: 10 |
| Nov 11 | "Great Black Blizzard", the 1st great dust storm in the Great Plains, occurs. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 30 | -50ºF (-46ºC) in Bloomfield VT (state record). | Ref: 5 |
- 1934
| Jan 15 | 8.4 earthquake in India/Nepal, 10,700 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 09 | -14.3ºF (-25.8ºC), coldest day in New York City NY. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 09 | -51ºF (-46ºC), Vanderbilt MI (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 12 | Highest velocity wind ever recorded on Mount Washington NH, 231 mph. | Ref: 5 |
| May 07 | Pearl of Allah, 9.5 inches long, 5.5 inches in diameter, 6.4 kg, found in shell of giant clam at Palawan, Philippines. | Ref: 5 |
-
| May 23 | (through the 25th) An avalanche occurs in Kwantung Province, China. | Ref: 81 |
| May 28 | The Dionne quintuplets -- Annette, Cecile, Emilie, Marie and Yvonne -- were born to Elzire Dionne at the family farm in Ontario, Canada. | Ref: 94 |
| Jul 14 | 116ø F (47ø C), Orogrande, New Mexico (state record) | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 20 | 118ø F (48ø C), Keokuk, IA (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 21 | 113ø F (45ø C), near Gallipolis, Ohio (state record) | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 24 | First ptarmigan hatched & reared in captivity, Ithaca, NY. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 28 | 118ø F (48ø C), Orofino, Idaho (state record) | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 21 | Typhoon strikes Honshu Island Japan, kills 4,000. | Ref: 5 |
- 1935
| Jan 31 | 30.5 cm (12.0") of rain falls, Quinault RS WA (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 11 | -11ºF (-24ºC), Ifrane, Morocco (African record low). | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 14 | Sandstorm ravages US midwest (Dust Bowl). | Ref: 5 |
| May 30 | A 7.5 earthquate kills 30,000 in Quetta, Pakistan. | Ref: 5 |
| May 31 | Quake kills 50,000 in Quetta Pakistan. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 02 | A hurricane slammed into the Florida Keys, claiming 423 lives. | Ref: 70 |
| Oct 25 | Hurricane-produced floods kill 2,000 in Jeremie & Jacmel Haiti. | Ref: 5 |
- 1936
| Feb 15 | -60º F (-51º C), Parshall ND (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 17 | -58º F (-50º C), McIntosh SD (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 05 | Tupelo Mississippi virtually annihilated by a tornado, 216 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 06 | Tornado, kills 203 & injuring 1,800 in Gainesville Georgia. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 05 | 120ø F (49ø C), Gannvalley, South Dakota (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 06 | 114ø F (46ø C), Moorhead, Minnesota (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 06 | 121ø F (49ø C), Steele, North Dakota (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 10 | 109ø F (43ø C), Cumberland & Frederick, Maryland (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 10 | 111ø F (44ø C), Phoenixville, Pennsylvania (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 13 | 112ø F (44ø C), Mio, Michigan (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 13 | 114ø F (46ø C), Wisconsin Dells, Wisc. (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 14 | 116ø F (47ø C), Collegeville, Indiana (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 24 | 118ø F (48ø C), Minden, Nebraska (state record) | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 24 | 121ø F (49ø C), near Alton, KS (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 12 | 120ø F (49ø C), Seymour, Texas (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 18 | 106.5ø F-Hottest afternoon ever in Iowa. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 18 | Su-Lin arrived in San Francisco, California. She was the first giant panda to come to the U.S. from China. The bear was sold to the Brookfield Zoo for $8,750. | Ref: 4 |
- 1937
| Jan 08 | -50ºF (-45.6ºC), San Jacinto NV (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 20 | -45ºF (-43ºC), Boca CA (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 24 | "Black Sunday"in Ohio-Mississippi Valley as flood causes martial law, national emergency. | Ref: 10 |
| Jun 08 | World's largest flower blooms in NY Botonical Garden, 12' calla lily. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 05 | 117ø F (47ø C), Medicine Lake, Montana (state record) | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 04 | An Okapi (sort of half zebra, half giraffe) first imported to a zoo in America-Bronx Zoo, N.Y. | Ref: 10 |
- 1938
| Feb 01 | An 8.5 earthquake hits the Banda Sea, Indonesia. | Ref: 85 |
| Mar 02 | Landslides & floods cause over 200 deaths (Los Angeles CA). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 10 | 119ø F (48ø C), Pendleton, Oregon (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 21 | A hurricane (winds 183 MPH) struck parts of NY and New England, causing widespread damage and claiming more than 600 lives. | Ref: 70 |
| Dec 08 | Highest temperature for December in US recorded in La Mesa CA. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 13 | Los Angeles freezes at 28ºF. | Ref: 5 |
- 1939
| Jan 24 | 30,000 killed by earthquake in Concepcion Chile. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 25 | Earthquake hits Chillán Chile, 10,000 killed. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 30 | Heavy after shocks destroy some of Chile. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 10 | 17 villages damaged by hailstones in Hyderabad India. | Ref: 5 |
| May 05 | Flash floods kill 75 in Northeast Kentucky. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 26 | 7.9 earthquake in Erzincan, Turkey kills 30,000. (TWA, 1998) | Ref: 95 |
| Dec 27 | 8.0 Earthquake in Erzincam Turkey, about 50,000 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1940
| Jan 27 | -17ºF (-27ºC), CCC Camp F-16, Georgia (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 29 | The W. Atlee Burpee Seed Company displayed the first tetraploid flowers at the New York City Flower Show; and a marigold treated with colchicine produced a flower 1-1/2 times its original size. | Ref: 4 |
| Feb 14 | Porpoise first born in captivity in US (Marineland, Florida), is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 15 | Robert Wadlow was 8 feet, 11-1/10 inches tall and weighed 439 pounds when he died this day -- at the age of 22. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 12 | The Lascaux Caves in France, with their prehistoric wall paintings, are discovered by five boys lead by Marcel Ravidat. | Ref: 2 |
| Oct 11 | Blizzard strikes midwestern US killing over 100. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 11 | Blizzard strikes midwestern US killing over 100. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 12 | Blizzard strikes midwest, 154 die (69 on boat on Great Lakes). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 27 | -17ºF (-27ºC), CCC Camp F-16, Georgia (state record). | Ref: 5 |
- 1941
| Feb 22 | Gargantua, “The world’s most terrifying living creature,” was married at Sarasota FL. The gorilla wed Mitoto in ceremonies at the Ringling Brothers winter circus headquarters. And, of course, everybody threw bananas instead of rice at the happy couple. | Ref: 4 |
| Mar 15 | Blizzard in North Dakota kills 151. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 16 | Blizzard hits North Dakota & Minnesota killing 60. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 25 | British ship Britannia sinks in Atlantic Ocean; giant squid eats survivor in ocean. | Ref: 10 |
| May 25 | 5,000 drown in a storm at Ganges Delta region in India. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 01 | 31.98 cm (12.59") rainfall, Burlington, Kansas (state 24-hr record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 16 | 100ø F (38ø C) highest temperature ever recorded in Seattle Wash. | Ref: 5 |
- 1942
| Jan 11 | -23ºF (-31ºC), Kingston RI (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 27 | -19ºF (-27.4ºC), Netherlands' coldest day since 1850. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 27 | Tornado destroys Pryor OK killing 100, injuring 300. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 12 | Tornado kills 35 in Oklahoma City. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 21 | 129ø F (54ø C), Tirat Zevi, Israel (Asian record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 17 | Estimated 87.5 cm (34.5") of rainfall, Smethport, Pa. (state record), flooding kills 15. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 16 | Cyclone in Bay of Bengal kills some 40,000 south of Calcutta India. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 27 | -19ºF (-27.4ºC), Netherlands' coldest day since 1850. | Ref: 5 |
- 1943
| Jan 16 | -60ºF (-51ºC), Island Park Dam ID (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 20 | Lead SD, temp is 52ºF, while 1.5 miles away Deadwood SD records -16ºF. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 22 | Temperature rises 49ºF (9ºC) in 2 minutes in Spearfish SD. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 22 | 66.3 cm precipitation at Hoegees Camp CA (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 23 | 66.34 cm (26.12"), Hoegees Camp CA (state precipitation record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 16 | -32º F (-36º C), Falls Village CT (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 20 | New volcano Paracutin erupts in farmer's corn patch (México). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 15 | Diligenti quintuplets Buenos Aires, Argentina, is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 26 | 120ø F (49ø C), Tishmoningo, OK (state record). | Ref: 5 |
- 1944
-
| Mar 20 | Mount Vesuvius, Italy explodes. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 09 | 23 puppies (record litter) born to Lena, a foxhound, Ambler, Penn. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 23 | 4 tornadoes strike Appalachia, killing 153. | Ref: 5 |
- 1945
| Sep 16 | Barometric pressure at 856 mb (25.55") off Okinawa (record low). | Ref: 5 |
- 1946
| Apr 01 | Tsunamis generated by a quake in Aleutian Trench strike Hilo Hawaii, resulting in more than 170 deaths. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 04 | Largest solar prominence (300,000 mi/500,000 km) observed. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 24 | 29.77 cm (11.72") of rainfall, Mellen, Wisc. (state 24-hr record). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 21 | Earthquake in South Japan, kills 1,086. | Ref: 5 |
- 1947
| Feb 03 | -81ºF (-63ºC), Snag Yukon (North American record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 12 | Daytime fireball & meteorite fall seen in eastern Siberia. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 20 | 180-metric ton blue whale (record) caught in South Atlantic. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 04 | Largest group of sunspots on record. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 08 | Largest recorded sunspot (7,000) observed. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 09 | Tornadoes striking West Texas & Oklahoma kill 169, injuring 1,300. | Ref: 5 |
| May 05 | Mississippi Valley flooding kills 16 & causes $850 million in damage. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 22 | 12" rain in 42 mins (Holt, MO). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 22 | -8ø F (-13ø C), Charlotte Pass, NSW (Australian record). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 17 | NY struck by a blizzard, resulting with 27" of snow. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 26 | Heavy snow blanketed the Northeast, burying NY City under 25.8 inches of snow in 16 hours; the severe weather was blamed for some 80 deaths. That same day, Los Angeles set a record high of 84º F. | Ref: 70 |
| Dec 27 | Record twenty-six inches of snow falls on New York City; 80 dead in northeast storm. | Ref: 10 |
- 1948
| Feb 18 | Huge meteorite falls on Norton County, Nebraska. | Ref: 10 |
| Mar 12 | -5ºF lowest temperature ever recorded in Cleveland in March. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 18 | An avalanche occurs in Assanti, India | Ref: 81 |
| Oct 05 | A 7.3 earthquate kills 110,000 in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, USSR. | Ref: 85 |
| Oct 30 | 20 die & 6,000 made ill by smog in Donora PA. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 19 | 8th largest snowfall in NYC history (15.3"). | Ref: 5 |
- 1949
| Jan 11 | Snowfall first recorded in Los Angeles. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 05 | Earthquake in Pelileo, Ecuador devastates 1,500 square miles and kills 6000. (TWA, 1998) | Ref: 95 |
| Nov 25 | The gorilla, Gargantua the Great, dies in Miami at the ripe old age of 19. | Ref: 4 |
- 1950
| May 26 | ? first whooping crane hatched in captivity, is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 01 | Mauna Loa erupts from the Southwest rift 600M cubic yards of lava over 23 days | Ref: 62 |
| Jul 09 | 13.15" (33.40 cm) of rainfall, York, Nebraska (state 24-hour record). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 15 | An 8.6 earthquake hits the India-China border, killing 1000. | Ref: 85 |
| Sep 04 | D McI Hodgson of St Ann Bay, Nova Scotia catches a 997 lb tuna. | Ref: 5 |
- 1951
| Jan 08 | Thought extinct since 1615, a Cahow is rediscovered in Bermuda. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 15 | "Cloud of Death" rolls down Mount Lamington, New Guinea kills 3-5,000. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 20 | An avalanche occurs in Vals, Switzerland. | Ref: 81 |
| Jan 21 | Mount Lamington, Papau, New Guinea erupts; 3000 die. (Also: Ritchie, David, "The Encyclopedia of Earthquakes & Volcanos", (c) 1994, ISBN 0-8160-2659-9) | Ref: 81 |
| Feb 01 | -50ºF (-46ºC), Gavilan NM (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 02 | -35ºF (-37ºC), Greenburg, Indiana (state record until 1994). | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 14 | Earthquake at Euskirchen, Germany. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 23 | Most expensive US hailstorm ($1.5M crop damage & $14M property-Kansas). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 06 | Typhoon floods kill 4,800 in Manchuria | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 11 | A flood from the Mississippi River covers more than 100,000 acres in Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Illinois. | |
| Aug 17 | Hurricane winds drive 6 ships ashore, Kingston, Jamaica. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 04 | Superheated gases roll down Mount Catarman (Philippines), kills 500. | Ref: 5 |
- 1952
| Jan 14 | Snow storm in the Sierra Nevada kills 26. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 15 | Greatest 24-hour rainfall begins; 187 cm at La Réunion, Indian Ocean. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 16 | 1870 mm rain in Cilaos, Réunion (world record). | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 21 | Tornadoes in Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama & Kentucky cause 343 deaths. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 12 | 420th kitten (record) born to cat named Dusty, Bonham, TX. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 24 | 112ø F (44ø C), Louisville, Georgia (state record) | Ref: 6 |
| Aug 15 | 9" of rain fall creates a 20' wave in Lynmouth, England killing 34. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 24 | Underwater volcano explodes under research vessel Kaiyo-maru-5. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 04 | A 9.0 earthquake hits Kamchatka. | Ref: 85 |
| Dec 04 | Killer fogs begin in London England, "Smog" becomes a word. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 04 | Great London smog starts; 4,000 to die in next three weeks. "Smog" becomes a word. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 05 | London smog of 1952 worst smog in London ever, 4,000+ die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1953
| Jan 31 | A sudden ‘surge’, or wall of water, caused by a fierce storm and high spring tide, burst through the dikes and over the banks of low-lying coastal areas of eastern England, northern Belgium and southern Netherlands. 1,800 drowned in Belgium and the Netherlands. Thousands lost their homes, hundreds of animals died and farmland was unusable for years to come. The North Sea’s saltwater had left its mark. Only the receding waters of low tide had prevented the River Thames from flooding central London and killing thousands more. | Ref: 4 |
| Feb 01 | Flooding in Netherlands, kills 1,835. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 18 | Earthquake strikes West Turkey, 250 die. | Ref: 5 |
| May 11 | Tornado kills 114 in Waco TX ($39 million damage). | Ref: 5 |
| May 23 | Two Yetis sighted, Mt. Everest | Ref: 62 |
| Jun 08 | Cluster of 6 tornaodes touch down in Flint Michigan killing 113. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 09 | About 100 people died when a tornado struck Worcester, MA, destroying Assumption College. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
| Jun 25 | 86ø F in Anchorage Alaska. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 27 | Typhoon destroys 1/3 of Nagoya Japan. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 24 | Wellington-Auckland (New Zealand) express train swept away in flood kills 166. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 25 | Avalanche of lava kills 150 (Ruapehu volcano, New Zealand). | Ref: 5 |
- 1954
| Jan 09 | -87ºF (-66ºC), Northice Station, Greenland (Greenland record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 11 | 2 ton locomotive swept into ravine by avalanche 10 die (Blons, Austria). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 12 | Austria's worst avalanche-kills 200; 9 hours later a 2nd one kills 115. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 20 | -70ºF (-57ºC), Rogers Pass, Montana (state 48 record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 02 | Snow falls on Gibraltar. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 09 | -87ºF (-66ºC), Northice Station, Greenland (Greenland record). | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 01 | Earthquake/tsunami ravage Aleutians, 200 killed. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 23 | 122ø F (50ø C), Overton, Nevada (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 28 | Red deer dies in Milwaukee Zoo at 26; oldest known deer. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 14 | 117ø F (47ø C), East St. Louis, Illinois (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 14 | 118ø F (48ø C), Warsaw & Union, Missouri (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 30 | Hurricane "Carol" hit the northeastern United States, resulting in nearly 70 deaths. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
| Aug 31 | Hurricane Carol (1st major named storm) hits New England, 70 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 02 | Hurricane Edna batters NE US, killing 20. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 10 | 12 second shock kills 1,460 in Orleansville Algeria. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 14 | Hurricane Edna (2nd of 1954) hits NYC, $50 million damage. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 26 | Typhoon strikes Kakodate Bay Japan, killing over 1,600. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 05 | Hurricane Hazel hits Eastern US. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 18 | Hurricane Hazel (3rd of 1954) becomes most severe to hit US. | Ref: 5 |
-
| Nov 30 | The first modern instance of a meteorite striking a human being occurs at Sylacauga, Alabama, when a meteorite crashes through the roof of a house and into a living room, bounces off a radio, and strikes Mrs. Elizabeth Hodges on the hip. She is bruised, but suffers no permanent damage. | Ref: 3 |
- 1955
| Apr 13 | 20.33" (51.64 cm) of rainfall, Axis AL (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| May 18 | 28.7 cm rain falls at Lake Maloya NM (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| May 25 | Series of 19 twisters destroy Udall KS & most of Blackwell OK. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 09 | 100º F-Hottest day in Seattle Washington. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 18 | Sandy Allen, the world's tallest woman at 7' 7¼" ,is born in Chicago IL. (Guiness Book of World Records, 1998) | |
| Jul 04 | The first king cobra snakes born in captivity in the United States were hatched at the Bronx Zoo in New York City. A total of nine eggs hatched between July 4th and 12th of 1955. | Ref: 4 |
| Jul 14 | 2 killed, many dazed when lightning strikes Ascott racetrack, England. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 03 | Hurricane Connie begins pounding US for 11 days. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 17 | Hurricane Diane, following hurricane Connie floods Connecticut River killing 190 & doing $1.8 billion damage. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 18 | On the heels of Hurricane Connie, Hurricane Diane kills 200 people and causes $3.25billion in damage across PA, CT, MA, NY, NJ, VA and RI. This is the first billion dollar storm. (Ref: Facts on File, Vol XV, No 773, Aug 18-24, 1955) | |
| Aug 19 | Hurricane Diane kills 200 & first billion $ damage storm (N.E. US). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 26 | Extinction of Euler's Flycatcher; last two surviving birds killed in hurricane in Jamaica. | Ref: 10 |
| Nov 03 | Alabama woman bruised by a meteor. | Ref: 5 |
- 1956
-
| Mar 20 | Mount Bezymianny on Kamchatka Peninsula (USSR) explodes. | Ref: 5 |
| May 12 | East Pakistan struck by cyclone & tidal waves. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 04 | US most intense rain fall (1.23" in 1 minute) at Unionville Maryland. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 16 | 11,000 carat emerald found in northern Transvaal, South Africa by Charles Kempt and J. Botes. | Ref: 10 |
| Oct 20 | 58ø F (15ø C), Esperanza Station, Antarctica (Antarctic record high). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 12 | The largest observed iceberg, 208 by 60 miles, is first sighted. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 22 | Cojo, Columbus OH, first gorilla born in captivity, is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1957
| Mar 09 | A 9.1 earthquake hits the Andreanof Islands, Aleutian Islands. | Ref: 85 |
| Mar 22 | Earthquake gives San Francisco the shakes | Ref: 5 |
| May 24 | Heavy earthquake strikes Colombia. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 15 | 42.01 cm (16.54") of rainfall, East St Louis, Ill (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 25 | (thru the 30th) More than 500 people were killed when Hurricane "Audrey" slammed through coastal Louisiana and TX. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
| Jun 27 | More than 500 people were killed when Hurricane Audrey slammed through coastal Louisiana and Texas. | Ref: 70 |
| Jul 02 | 7.4 earthquake in northeast of Tehran, Iran kills 2,500. (TWA, 1986) | Ref: 95 |
- 1958
| Mar 20 | 50" snow across the Mason-Dixon line. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 02 | Wind speed reaches 450 kph in tornado, Wichita Falls, TX (record) | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 09 | Giant splash caused by fall of 90 million tons of rock & ice into Lituya Bay, Alaska washes 1,800 feet up the mountain. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 16 | Six inches of snow fell on Tucson, Arizona. | Ref: 4 |
- 1959
| Feb 10 | Tornado in St Louis kills 19 & injures 265. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 17 | 2,000 ft long by 1,300 foot wide section of ridge falls into Madis. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 17 | A 7.1 quake strikes Yellowstone National Park. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 17 | Typhoon kills 2,000 in Japan & Korea. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 26 | (and 27th) Typhoon Vera, hits Japanese island of Honshu, kills nearly 5,000. | Ref: 72 |
| Sep 27 | Typhoon Vera, hits Japanese island of Honshu, kills nearly 5,000. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 27 | Rare Pacific hurricane kills 2,000 in Western Mexico. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 29 | An avalanche occurs in Minatitlan, Mexico. | Ref: 81 |
| Nov 14 | The eruption of Kilauea Iki Crater (Nov 14-Dec 20, 1959) on the Big Island of Hawaii was a relatively brief event, but produced some of Kilauea’s most spectacular lava fountains of the 20th century. (The current Pu`u `O`o-Kupaianaha eruption of Kilauea began in 1983). | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 02 | Malpasset dam collapses destroying French Riviera town of Frejus. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 16 | Snow falling in Lowarai Pass West Pakistan kills 48 | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 21 | 10th largest snowfall in NYC history (13.7"). | Ref: 5 |
- 1960
| Jan 02 | First redshank old world shore bird reported in North America (Halifax). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 02 | John Reynolds sets age of solar system at 4,950,000,000 years. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 14 | Tuindorp-Oostzaan in Northern Amsterdam, flooded. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 29 | Earthquake kills 1/3 of Agadir Morocco population (12,000) in 15 seconds. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 03 | Earthquake at Havré, Belgium. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 24 | Heavy earthquake strikes South Persia, 500 killed. | Ref: 5 |
| May 22 | A 9.5 earthquake hits Chile. | Ref: 85 |
| Jun 28 | 26.42 cm (10.40") of rainfall, Dunmor, Kentucky (state 24-hour record). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 23 | World's largest frog (7.275 lbs) is caught in Equatorial Guinea. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 24 | -127 F (-88ø C), Vostok, Antarctica (world record). | Ref: 5 |
- 1961
| Jan 02 | Hawaii's, then all time low temperature, 14ºF recorded atop Haleakale. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 03 | 6th largest snowfall in NYC history (17.4" (44.2cm)). | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 13 | Landslide in USSR, kills 145. | Ref: 5 |
-
| Aug 05 | 118ø F (48ø C), Ice Harbor Dam, Washington (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 15 | Hurricane Carla strikes Texas with winds of 175 mph. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 09 | Volcano eruptions on Tristan de Cunha (South Atlantic). | Ref: 5 |
- 1962
| Jan 10 | Eruptions on Mount Huascaran in Peru destroy 7 villages & kill 3,500. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 10 | 4,000 die in avalanche, Ranrahirca, Perú. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 11 | Volcano Huascaran in Peru, erupts; 4,000 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 02 | 8 of 9 planets align for first time in 400 years. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 05 | Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter & Saturn within 16º. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 17 | Storm in Hamburg, kills 265. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 01 | An earthquake struck northwestern Iran near Ghazvin. The magnitude 7.3 quake killed some 12,000 people. | Ref: 4 |
- 1963
| Jan 25 | Wilson Kettle Newfoundland, dies at 102, leaving 582 living descendents. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 28 | -34ºF (-37ºC), Cynthiana KY (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 05 | Maarten Schmidt discovers enormous red shifts in quasars. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 09 | 7th largest snowfall in NYC history (42.4 cm, 16.7"). | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 08 | An avalanche occurs in Tempayaeta, Southern Andes. | Ref: 81 |
| Mar 17 | On the small Indonesian island of Bali in the Indian Ocean, one of the deadliest volcanic eruptions of the twentieth century occurs when Mount Agung erupts, producing ash flows that kill over 1,000 people. | Ref: 3 |
| May 28 | Cyclone hits Chittagong, Bangladesh; estimated 22,000 die & 1 million houses destroyed. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 26 | A 6.0 earthquake in Skoplje Yugoslavia kills 1,100. (TWA, 1998) | Ref: 95 |
| Sep 08 | Ines Cuervo de Priete, 34, gives birth to quintuplets, all boys. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 09 | Landslide into Vaiont Dam empties lake, kills 3000-4000 (Italy). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 14 | Mary Ann Fischer, Aberdeen, SD, gave birth to America's first surviving quintuplets, 4 girls & a boy. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 04 | (through the 8th) Killer hurricane Flora kills 6,000 in Caribbean. (TWA, 1998) | Ref: 95 |
| Oct 07 | Hurricane Flora hits Haiti & Dominican Republic, kills 7,190. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 09 | An avalanche occurs in Belluno, Italy. | Ref: 81 |
| Oct 13 | An 8.5 earthquake hits the Kuril Islands. | Ref: 85 |
| Nov 13 | (and 14th) An avalanche occurs in Grand Riviere du Nord, Haiti. | Ref: 81 |
| Nov 14 | Iceland gets a new island, later called Surtsey, when a volcano puches its way up out of the sea five miles off the southern coast. | Ref: 2 |
| Dec 18 | Muskegon MI gets 3' of snow. | Ref: 5 |
- 1964
| Mar 27 | The strongest earthquake in American history, measuring 8.4 on the Richter scale, slams into southern Alaska, killing one hundred and twenty-five people and injuring thousands. | Ref: 3 |
| Jun 16 | Quake strikes Niigata Japan. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 18 | (and 19th) An avalanche occurs in Niigata, Japan. | Ref: 81 |
| Sep 12 | Typhoon Gloria strikes Taiwan killing 330, with $17.5 million damage. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 23 | India & Ceylon hit by cyclone, about 4,850 killed. | Ref: 5 |
- 1965
| Jan 12 | Porcupine in Washington DC zoo, dies at 27; oldest known rodent. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 09 | An 8.7 earthquake hits the Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands. | Ref: 85 |
| Apr 11 | 40 tornadoes strike US midwest killing 272 & injuring 5,000. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 29 | Earthquake hits Seattle; 5 die. | Ref: 5 |
| May 11 | First of 2 cyclones in less than a month kills 35,000 (India). | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 01 | Explosion at Fukuoka, Japan kills 237 coal miners. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 02 | 2nd of 2 cyclones in less than a month kills 35,000 (Ganges R India). | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 17 | 28.14 cm (11.08") of rainfall, Holly, Colorado (state 24-hour record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 20 | 46.18 cm (18.18") of rainfall, Edgarton, Missouri (state 24-hr record). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 30 | Section of Allalin glacier wipes out construction site at Mattmark Dam near Saas-Fee, Switzerland. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 07 | (thru the 11th) Hurricane Betsy strikes Florida & Louisiana kills 75. (TWA, 1966) | Ref: 95 |
| Sep 08 | Hurricane Betsy kills 75 in Louisiana & Florida. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 12 | Hurricane Betsy strikes Florida & Louisiana kills 75. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 28 | Lava flows kill at least 350 (Taal Phillipines). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 15 | The third cyclone of year kills another 10,000 at the mouth of the Ganges River, Bangladesh. | Ref: 5 |
- 1966
| Jan 11 | Between today and February 17th, 550 die in landslides in mountains behind Rio de Janeiro after rain. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 29 | Snow storm in north east US kills 165. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 30 | -19ºF (-28ºC), Corinth MS (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 30 | -27ºF (-33ºC), New Market AL (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 03 | Twister hits Jackson MS; 3 minutes after first sighting, 57 die. | Ref: 5 |
| May 19 | Tortoise reportedly given to Tonga's king by Captain Cook (1773), dies. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 12 | 26.70 cm (10.51") of rainfall, Sandusky, Ohio (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 10 | Daylight meteor seen from Utah to Canada. Only known case of a meteor entering the Earth's atmosphere & leaving it again. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 21 | 5" of rain falls on NYC. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 21 | More than 140 people, mostly children, are killed when a coal waste landslide engulfed a school and several houses in south Wales. (TWA, 1967) | Ref: 95 |
| Nov 17 | Leonids meteor shower peaks (150,000+ per hour). | Ref: 5 |
- 1967
| Jan 14 | Earthquake in Sicily kills 231. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 01 | Severe brush fires in Tasmania destroy $11 million & 60 lives. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 17 | (through the 20th) An avalanche occurs in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. | Ref: 81 |
| Jul 29 | Moderate quake (6.5) strikes Caracas Venezuela causing severe damage. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 04 | 6.5 earthquake of Kolya Dam India, kills 200. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 20 | Hurricane Beulah hits Texas-Mexican border, kills 38. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 11 | 6.5 earthquake in West India, 170 killed. | Ref: 5 |
- 1968
| Jan 04 | Duck hunter accidentally shoots endangered whooping crane in Texas. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 31 | Record high barometric pressure (1083.8 mb, 32"), at Agata, USSR. | Ref: 5 |
| May 15 | A tornado strikes Jonesboro AR at 10 PM, killing 36. | Ref: 5 |
| May 16 | Earthquake kills 47 in Japan. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 09 | 39.83 cm (15.68") of rainfall, Columbus, Miss (state 24-hour record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 29 | Mount Arenal, Costa Rica kills 80 in Pelee-type eruption. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 20 | The last imperial pheasant in a U.S. zoo dies at the Bronx Zoo, New York. | |
| Aug 31 | 6,000 die in 7.8 quake destroys 60,000 buildings in NE Iran. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 01 | (through the 4th) An avalanche occurs in Bihar, West Bengal and Assam, India | Ref: 81 |
| Dec 30 | -48ºF (-44ºC), Mazama & Winthrop WA (state record). | Ref: 5 |
- 1969
| Jan 20 | U of Arizona reports 1st optical id of pulsar (in Crab Nebula). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 08 | Meteorite weighing over 1 ton falls in Chihuahua, México. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 14 | Tornado strikes Dacca East Pakistan killing 540. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 23 | Over 1000 square miles flooded in Shantung Province China. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 17 | (thru the 20th) 248 people were killed as Hurricane "Camille" slammed into the Gulf Coast. | Ref: 72 |
- 1970
| Feb 10 | 26.4 cm precipitation falls on Mount Washington NH (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 10 | Dry powder avalanche moving at 120 mph smashes into youth hostel killing 40 Belgian, French, & German youths (Val d'Isere, France). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 11 | 26.37 cm (10.38") of rainfall, Mt Washington NH (state 24-hour record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 24 | 29 Swiss Army officers die in avalanche (Reckingen, Switzerland). | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 28 | 1,086 die when 7.3 earthquake destroys 254 villages (Gediz Turkey). | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 16 | 70 die in a snow crush (France). | Ref: 5 |
| May 31 | At 03:23 PM, Yungay Peru levelled by 7.75 earthquake (50-70,000 die), leaves 800,000 homeless with $billions in damage. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 03 | Hurricane "Celia" becomes most expensive Gulf storm in history. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 05 | Estimated 15 cm (6") of rainfall, Bug Point, Utah (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 12 | Cyclone hits East Pakistan and the Ganges Delta islands (Bangladesh);over one million dead. | Ref: 10 |
| Nov 13 | Cyclone kills estimated 300,000 in Chittagong Bangladesh. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 17 | Benedictine [St Bernard]; becomes heaviest known dog (137 kg), is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1971
| Jan 07 | -40ºF (-40ºC), Hawley Lake AZ (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 08 | 29 pilot whales beach themselves & die at San Clemente Island CA. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 23 | -80ºF (-62ºC), Prospect Creek Camp AK (US record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 09 | Quake in San Fernando Valley kills 65 & causes over $½ billion damage. | Ref: 5 |
-
| Feb 21 | Series of tornadoes cuts through Mississippi & Louisiana killing 117. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 19 | 200 die in landslide into Lake Yanahuani, Chungar Peru. | Ref: 81 |
| Mar 21 | Vermont seasonal snowfall totals 132.2". | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 05 | Mount Etna erupts in Sicily Italy. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 26 | Heaviest rains ever in Bahia district of Brazil, 15" in 24 hours. | Ref: 5 |
| May 04 | Avalanche buries Canadian village of Saint Jean Vianney, 31 dead, $1 million damage. | Ref: 10 |
- 1972
| Mar 20 | 19 mountain climbers killed on Japan's Mount Fuji during an avalanche. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 10 | 7.0 earthquake kills 1/5 of population (5000) of Iranian province of Fars. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 06 | Explosion at world's largest coal mine kills 427 (Wankie Rhodesia). | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 09 | 14" of rain in 6 hrs burst Rapid City SD dam, flooding kills 269. (TWA, 1998) | Ref: 95 |
| Jun 19 | (through the 29th) Hurricane Agnes kills 118, 330,000 homeless $3 billion damage in Eastern states. (TWA, 1998) | Ref: 95 |
| Jun 23 | Hurricane Agnes is costliest natural disaster in American history. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 22 | 27.53 cm (10.84") of rainfall, Fort Ripley, Mn (state 24-hr record). | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 09 | Bones discovered by the Leakeys push human origins back 1 million years. | Ref: 2 |
| Dec 02 | "December Giant" largest sinkhole in US collapses (AL). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 22 | 6.25 earthquake strikes Managua Nicaragua, 12,000+ killed. | Ref: 72 |
| Dec 23 | 6.25 Earthquake destroys central Managua Nicaragua, 10,000 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1973
| Jan 23 | Helgafell, island of Heimaey Iceland erupts for first time in 7,000 years. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 18 | 54-kg octopus measuring 7 meter across captured in Hood Canal, Washington. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 30 | Observers aboard Concorde jet observe 72-min solar eclipse. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 07 | 78 drown as flash flood sweeps a bus into a river (India). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 28 | 6.8 quake centered in Oaxaca State in Mexico kills 527. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | Comet Kohoutek at perihelion. | Ref: 5 |
- 1974
| Jan 11 | Rosenkowitz sextuplets Cape Town South Africa (1st known to survive infancy), are born. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 16 | L A Landslide kills 9, Canyonville OR. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 30 | First Indian Rhinoceros born in captivity at National Zoo, Washington | Ref: 10 |
| Feb 04 | Chimpanzee Nim Chimsky signs his first word, at 2½ months. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 11 | Mount Etna in Sicily erupts. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 26 | Landslide in Huancavelica Province Peru creates a natural dam. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 14 | Charles Kowal discovers Leda, 13th satellite of Jupiter. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 18 | Hurricane Fifi strikes Honduras with 110 mph winds, 5,000 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 20 | Cyclone "Fifi" hits Honduras killing 10,000. | Ref: 18 |
| Dec 25 | Cyclone Tracy virtually destroys Darwin Australia. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | More than 5,200 people killed in a 6.8 Pakistan earthquake. | Ref: 5 |
- 1975
| Jan 02 | US Department of Interior designates grizzly bear a threatened species. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 04 | Ice thickness measured at 4776 m, Wilkes Land, Antarctica. | Ref: 5 |
| May 06 | Early warnings provided by REACT (ham radio operators) means only 3 people die in tornado that strikes Omaha NE. | Ref: 5 |
| May 13 | Hail stones as large as tennis balls hit Wernerville TN. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 16 | Randy Farland finds a 14-leaf clover near Sioux Falls, SD. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 29 | 20.57 cm (8.10") of rainfall, Litchville, N. Dakota (state 24-hr rec). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 05 | Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano erupts with lava fountains up to 200 feet high;no injuries. | Ref: 10 |
| Jul 08 | Quake damages over 2,000 temples in Pagan, Burma. 20-foot-high seated Buddha of Thandawgya decapitated. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 13 | 8.5" (21.6 cm) of rainfall, Dover, Delaware (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 17 | Modoc the elephant, dies at age 78 (oldest known nonhuman mammal) | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 06 | 6.8 quake along Anatolian Fault kills over 2,000 in Lice Turkey | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 30 | 5 drown in flash flood of sewer & water tunnel (Niagara Falls NY). | Ref: 5 |
- 1976
| Feb 04 | A 7.5 earthquake kills 22,778 in Guatemala & Honduras. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 08 | 3,902 lbs (largest observed) stony meteorite falls in Jilin, China. | Ref: 5 |
| May 17 | Earthquake in Uzbekistan: 1000's killed. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 05 | The earthen Teton Dam North of Idaho Falls collapses flooding a large valley and killing over 100 people. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 27 | 8.2 Tangshan earthquake kills estimated 240,000 Chinese. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 28 | An earthquake of magnitude 8.2 kills an estimated 255,000 people in Tangshan, China. (TWA, 1998) | Ref: 95 |
| Jul 31 | Flood in Big Thompson Canyon, Colorado, kills 139. (TWA, 1998) | Ref: 95 |
| Nov 15 | New species of giant shark discovered near Oahu; US Navy lands sea monster called "megamouth.” | Ref: 10 |
| Dec 16 | George, a goose that lived to 49 years 8 months, dies. | Ref: 5 |
- 1977
| Jan 19 | First snowfall in recorded history in South Florida West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, even Miami. | Ref: 10 |
| Feb 01 | Heavy blizzard in New England claims 100 lives. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 08 | Earthquake in San Francisco CA, at 5.0, strongest since 1966. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 09 | Gaus, an orangutan who lived to be 59, dies. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 11 | 20.2-kg lobster caught off Nova Scotia (heaviest known crustacean). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 28 | First killer whale born in captivity (Marineland, Los Angeles CA). | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 04 | Earthquake in Romania, kills 1,541. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 25 | Roy C Sullivan of VA is struck by lightening for 7th time!. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 20 | Flash flood hits Johnstown, Pa, kills 80 & causing $350 mil damage. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 06 | In Toccoa Falls, GA, the Barnes Lake Dam burst, following heavy rains, and the resulting flood destroyed the (Christian and Missionary Alliance) campus of Toccoa Falls Bible Institute. Thirty_eight students and instructors were also killed in the tragedy. | Ref: 5 |
- 1978
| Feb 06 | Snowstorm hits New England (54" (137cm)). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 01 | A 7.8 earthquake in northeastern Iran kills 15.000. (TWA, 1998) | Ref: 95 |
| Sep 16 | 25,000 die in 7.7 earthquake in Tabas, Iran. | Ref: 5 |
- 1979
| Jan 08 | Sequoyah chimpanzee (son of Washoe), is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 12 | Record blizzard struck midwest killing over 100. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 21 | Neptune becomes outermost planet (Pluto moves closer). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 07 | Neptune becomes farthest planet from the sun in our solar system (will remain that way for 20 years) | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 18 | -52º F (-47º C), Old Forge NY (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 18 | Snow falls in the Sahara Desert. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 26 | A total solar eclipse cast a moving shadow 175 miles wide from Oregon to North Dakota before moving into Canada. This is the last total eclipse of Sun in 20th century for continental US. | Ref: 5 |
| May 17 | -12ºF (-11ºC), on top of Mauna Kea HI (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 01 | Stampede Pass, Washington is covered with 6" of snow. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 26 | Estimated 109 cm (43") of rain falls in Alvin, TX (national record). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 11 | 28ø F in Embarrass Minnesota. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 14 | Rainbow seen in Northern Wales for a 3 hour duration. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 30 | First recorded occurrence-comet hits sun (energy=1 mil hydrogen bombs). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 30 | Hurricane David devastated the tiny island of Dominica as it began a rampage through the Caribbean and up the eastern seaboard of the United States that claimed some 1,100 lives. | Ref: 70 |
| Sep 03 | Hurricane David, a strong Atlantic storm kills over 1,000. | Ref: 5 |
- 1980
-
| Mar 27 | Mount St Helens becomes active after 123 years | Ref: 5 |
| May 18 | Mt. St. Helens erupts in Washington State. The top of the mountain blew off into the atmosphere, leveled 120 square miles and set off a series of fires, mud slides, and floods. About 400 people had been evacuated before the eruption, but a count in July showed 15 others dead and about 40 missing. The volcano had been dormant since 1857. (Ref: XDG, p 4A, 5/18/2000) | Ref: 83 |
| Aug 05 | Hurricane Allen batters the southern peninsula of Haiti leaving more than 200 dead. (XDG, p 4A, 8/5/2000) | Ref: 83 |
| Aug 10 | Allen, the most powerful hurricane in Caribbean hits Brownsville, TX. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 12 | First giant panda born in captivity in a Mexican zoo. | Ref: 10 |
| Oct 04 | Earthquakes of 7.7 and 6.54 kill 3500 in northwestern Algeria. (TWA, 1998) | Ref: 95 |
| Oct 10 | 4,500 die when a pair of earthquakes strike NW Algeria. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 23 | Some 4800 people are killed by a series of earthquakes (~6.9 on the Richter Scale) )that devastated southern Italy. (TWA, 1982) | Ref: 95 |
| Dec 09 | 61 F in Boston at 1 AM. | Ref: 5 |
- 1981
| Jan 12 | -35ºF (-37ºC), Chester, Massachusetts (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 25 | Dixie a mouse who lived 6½ years, dies. | Ref: 5 |
- 1982
| Jan 09 | 5.9 earthquake in New England/Canada; last one was in 1855 | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 10 | -17ºF (27.2ºC) in Braemar Grampian (equals UK record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 11 | Atlanta GA's temperature goes below zeroº F. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 22 | 75% of North America is covered by snow. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 31 | 10 Arabian oryx (extinct except in zoos) released in Oman. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 09 | 5.9 earthquake in New England & Canada; first since 1855. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 06 | Susan Birmingham makes loudest recorded human shout (120 dB). | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 10 | Sygyzy: all 9 planets aligned on same side of Sun. | Ref: 5 |
| May 24 | Baby Boy Samane South Africa, son of Christina Samane, heaviest known viable baby (22 lbs 8 oz/10.2 kg), is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 23 | -117ø F; All time low at the South Pole. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 23 | Himmy, of Australia, weighs in at domestic cat record 20.7 kg (45 lb). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 14 | 36" snow (Red Lodge, MT). | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 12 | 38.6 cm (15.2") of rainfall, Angoon, Alaska (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 03 | 77ºF highest temperature ever recorded in Cleveland in December. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 03 | 35.7 cm rainfall at Big Fork AR (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 13 | Earthquake hits Northern Yemen; 2,000 die. | Ref: 72 |
| Dec 30 | An uncommon sight in the sky this night, as a ‘blue moon’ appeared. It was not really a blue moon, but one unobstructed by pollution and haze -- appearing grayish in color. It was the second full moon of the month; a rare event that attracted many sky watchers. Now you know where the expression, “once in a blue moon” came from. | Ref: 70 |
- 1983
| Mar 01 | Tornado tears through Louisiana, injuring 33 people. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 30 | ? California condor chick, San Diego CA, first born in captivity hatches | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 31 | Earthquake in Colombia kills some 5,000 people. | Ref: 5 |
| May 02 | 6.7 earthquake injures 487 in Coalinga CA. | Ref: 5 |
| May 11 | Comet C/1983 H1 (IRAS-Araki-Alcock) approaches 0.0312 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 22 | -128ø F (-89ø C) recorded, Vostok, Antarctica (world record). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 18 | Hurricane "Alicia" slammed into the TX coast, leaving 22 dead and causing more than a billion dollars' worth of damage. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
| Oct 28 | 7.2 earthquake hits Northwestern states and Canada. | Ref: 10 |
| Dec 23 | Journal Science publishes first report on nuclear winter. | Ref: 5 |
- 1984
| Mar 25 | A summit eruption on Mauna Loa was spotted at 1:25 AM. The Northeast rift zone was fountaining by 4:30 PM. During the next 21 days lava would flow almost to the city of Hilo | Ref: 62 |
| Apr 19 | Nemesis, death star of dinosaurs first appears in print (Nature magazine). | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 27 | Over 70 inches of snow falls on Red Lake MT. | Ref: 5 |
| May 26 | Tulsa OK gets 13" of rain, 14 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1985
| Jan 20 | Cold front strikes US, at least 40 die (-27ºF (-33ºC) in Chicago). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 21 | -19ºF (-28ºC), Caesar's Head SC (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 21 | -34ºF (-37ºC), Mt Mitchell NC (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 22 | -30ºF (-34ºC), Mountain Lake Bio Station, Virginia (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 22 | Cold wave damages 90% of Florida's citrus crop. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 01 | -69ºF (-56ºC), Peter's Sink UT (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 01 | -61ºF (-52ºC), Maybell CO (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 10 | -61ºF (-52ºC), Maybell CO (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| May 21 | Frustaci Septuplets California, Patricia Frustaci gives birth to 7 | Ref: 5 |
| May 24 | Cyclone hits Bangladesh; about 10,000 die. | Ref: 5 |
| May 25 | Cyclone ravages Bangladesh; 11,000 killed. | Ref: 5 |
| May 31 | 41 Tornados in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York & Canada kill 88 & injure more than 1,000. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 05 | 117ø F (47ø C), St George, Utah (state rec) (103ø spread, UT 1985). | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 19 | The first of two killer earthquakes hit Mexico City. This one, 8.1 on the Richter scale, followed the next day by a 7.5er, crumbled buildings (damages were estimated at more than one billion dollars) and killed almost 6,000 people. (XDG, p. 4A, 9/19/2000) | Ref: 83 |
| Sep 26 | Shamu, aka Kalina, is born at Sea World in Orlando, Florida. She is the first killer whale to be born in captivity and survive. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 27 | Hurricane Gloria's 130 MPH wind hits the Atlantic coast. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 09 | Halley's comet crosses the ecliptic | Ref: 62 |
| Nov 13 | A mudslide triggered by the Nevado del Ruiz volcano buried the city of Armero, Colombia, killing some 23,000 people. | Ref: 70 |
| Dec 09 | Phoenix AZ, gets 3" of snow. | Ref: 5 |
- 1986
| Feb 03 | The United States Weather Bureau made it official. January had been a warm month. The average U.S. temperature was 38 degrees -- making it the warmest first month of the year since 1953. | Ref: 4 |
| Mar 10 | Halley's Comet passes back across the ecliptic | Ref: 62 |
| Mar 20 | 228 KPH gust of wind strikes Cairngorm (UK record). | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 29 | Halley's comet returns to perihelion (the point in its orbit where it is nearest to the sun). | Ref: 10 |
| May 13 | 11 members of a high school class lost in snowstorm on Mount Hood. 2 walk to safety. Of the 9 found in a snow cave 2 days later only 2 were alive | Ref: 62 |
| Jul 20 | Kilauea begins a long eruption that as of May 1990 had not stopped. In the process over 650M cubic yards of lava will be released | Ref: 62 |
| Aug 21 | More than 1700 people died when toxic gas erupted from a volcanic lake in the West African nation of Cameroon. | Ref: 17 |
| Oct 10 | 7.5 Earthquake strikes San Salvador, El Salvador. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 30 | Discover magazine reported that almost 43 million tons of dust settle on the United States each year. | Ref: 4 |
- 1987
| Jan 12 | Europe was snowed-in with a pounding of white stuff and record low temperatures as a ‘Siberian Express’ spread across the continent. | Ref: 4 |
| Feb 21 | The first snow in recorded history falls on desert near Persian Gulf, 18 inches falls on Abu Dhabi and melts in four hours. | Ref: 62 |
| Feb 23 | A supernoval explosion (1987A) was first observed in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The last local supernova was in 1604 | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 06 | 6.8 earthquake hits Ecuador, kills 100. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 19 | Last wild condor captured on California wildlife reserve. | Ref: 5 |
| May 07 | 105º F in Sacramento CA. | Ref: 5 |
| May 22 | 30 killed in a Texas tornado. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 10 | A moderate earthquake rattled 15 states from IA to South Carolina. “It was not an aftershock,” geologists reported. | Ref: 4 |
| Jun 16 | Species extinct last dusky seaside sparrow dies at Walt Disney World. | Ref: 10 |
| Jul 17 | 10 teens die in Guadalupe River flood (Comfort, TX). | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 16 | Thousands of people prayed and meditated for universal peace, as the much publicized Harmonic Convergence, the exact alignment of planets in the solar system, happened. Ancient prophecies were to come true, along with some alien visits. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 27 | Mudslides caused by torrential rains 183, injure 200 with 500 missing and presumed dead in the area of Medellin, Columbia. Only 117 survive. | Ref: 81 |
| Oct 01 | An earthquake in Los Angeles (eleven miles southeast of Pasadena) killed eight people and injured 200. The quake caused $358 millon in property damage and measured 5.9 on the Richter scale. | Ref: 4 |
| Oct 16 | 175-kph winds cause blackout in London, much of southern England. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 12 | Heavy snow closes schools from DC to Maine. | Ref: 5 |
- 1988
| Feb 20 | 500 die in heavy rains in Rio de Janeiro Brazil. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 10 | Avalanche at Swiss Ski resort "Klosters" nearly kills Prince Charles. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 15 | Meteorite explode above Indonesia. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 30 | Molloko San Diego Zoo, first California condor chick conceived in captivity | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 21 | More than 1,000 people were killed in an earthquake at Bihar, India, the Himalayan region and Nepal. Registering 6.5 on the Ritcher scale, it killed more than 850 people and left 15,000 injured. | Ref: 4 |
| Aug 25 | The skies of Northern and Central Colorado get an orange haze from smoke of the giant Yellowstone National Park forest fires that have burned over 300,000 acres. | Ref: 62 |
| Sep 12 | Hurricane Gilbert slammed into Jamaica with torrential rains and winds of 145 mph, killing 45 people and causing damage estimated at up to $1 billion. | Ref: 70 |
| Sep 13 | Hurricane Gilbert becomes strongest (26.13 barometer) hurricane in Western Hemisphere. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 24 | Typhoon Ruby sinks Philippine ferry; hundreds drown. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 08 | 900 die as earthquake hits China. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 10 | China confirms the earthquake death toll of two days ago will rise above current 938. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 25 | Widespread earthquake hits NE US, Canada; no damage reported. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 01 | 596 dead after cyclone hits Bangladesh, half a million homeless. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 07 | At 11:41AM local time an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale shook Soviet Armenia killing over 55000 people and leaving half a million homeless. (Ritchie, David, "The Encyclopedia of Earthquakes & Volcanos", (c) 1994, ISBN 0-8160-2659-9) | |
| Dec 10 | Massive Earthquake in Armenia kills 100,000 in cities of Leninakan & Spitak. | Ref: 5 |
- 1989
| Jan 04 | Comet Tempel 1 at perihelion. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 06 | Baby lion-tailed macaques at Woodland Park Zoo (Seattle) | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 12 | 6 claim to survive in rubble, 35 days after Armenian quake (hoax). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 14 | 29 year old French woman gives birth to sextuplets in Paris. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 01 | Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 at perihelion. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 02 | 0ºF (-18ºC) or below in 15 US states. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 08 | 5 cm of snow falls in outskirts of Los Angeles. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 17 | 6-week study of Arctic atmosphere shows no ozone "hole". | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 19 | L A Baby orangutan at Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle WA | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 20 | Total eclipse of the Moon. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 25 | Lowest barometric pressure in Netherlands (956.7 mbar at De Bilt). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 26 | Lowest barometric pressure in Netherlands (95.5 hPa). | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 01 | Comet du Toit at perihelion. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 07 | Partial eclipse of the Sun (Hawaii, NW North America, Greenland). | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 27 | Hurricane in Bangladesh, kills 500. | Ref: 5 |
| May 11 | Kenya announces worldwide ban on ivory to preserve its elephant herds. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 09 | Rare tornado in Philadelphia kills 1. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 18 | Comet Churyunov-Gerasimenko at perihelion. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 20 | 93ø F, highest overnight low ever recorded in Phoenix Arizona. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 23 | Winds gust to 85 MPH at Fort Smith Arkansas. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 22 | First complete ring around Neptune discovered. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 28 | A tornado strikes an area southwest of Chicago, Illinois and kills 27 people and injures 300. | |
| Sep 17 | Hurricane Hugo begins 4 day sweep through Caribbean, killing 62 | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 18 | Hurricane Hugo causes extensive damage in Puerto Rico. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 21 | Hurricane Hugo, packing winds of up to 135 mph, crashed into Charleston, S.C. causing $8B in damage. | Ref: 70 |
| Oct 17 | An earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale struck northern CA, killing 67 people and causing $7 billion worth of damage. | Ref: 70 |
| Oct 21 | Rescue workers in Oakland, California, pull longshoreman Buck Helm alive from the wreckage of the Nimitz Freeway, part of which had collapsed during the October 17th earthquake. (However, Helm dies less than a month later.) | Ref: 6 |
| Nov 22 | Conjunction of Venus, Mars, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn & the Moon. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 22 | Cold wave: -4ºF in Oklahoma City OK, -6ºF in Tulsa OK, -12ºF in Pittsburgh PA, -18ºF in Denver CO, -23ºF in Kansas City MO, -42ºF in Scottsbluff NE, -47ºF in Hardin MT & -60ºF in Black Hills SD. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | Earthquake at Newcastle Australia, 11 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1990
| Jan 25 | West-Europe's strongest hurricane. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 26 | Annular eclipse visible over Antarctica & South Atlantic. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 26 | 126 die in a (6.9) earthquake in China. | Ref: 5 |
| May 29 | An earthquake hits Peru, killing 56. | Ref: 5 |
| May 30 | Earthquake (6.4) hits Peru, killing 135 | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 06 | Half of Limon Colorado was destroyed by a force three Tornado | Ref: 62 |
| Jun 20 | Worst earthquake ever in Northern Iran; 7.7 quake levels villages, kills 40,000, injures 60,000. (TWA, 1998) | Ref: 95 |
| Jun 25 | 120ø F in Phoenix Arizona. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 26 | The Arizona Republic reported it was 122ø F in Phoenix, hot enough to cancel some flights at the airport. | Ref: 4 |
| Jul 16 | An earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale devastated the Philippines, killing over 1600 people. A thousand more were missing. Damage was reported in Manila, Cabanatuan, Baguio and Luzon. It was the worst earthquake in that part of the world since 1976. | Ref: 4 |
| Aug 30 | First recorded occurrence of a comet hitting the sun (energy=1 mil hydrogen bombs). | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 01 | An earthquake in southwestern Turkey kills about 90 people. (XDG, p 4A, 10/1/2000) | Ref: 83 |
| Oct 15 | The first swarm of killer bees to be found in the US was destroyed in Texas | Ref: 62 |
| Oct 29 | 30 die in a (5.7) earthquake in Algeria | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 13 | Heavy earthquake strikes Sicily, 18 die. | Ref: 5 |
- 1991
| Feb 01 | Afghanistan/Pakistan hit by earthquake, 1,200 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 23 | 20 Tornadoes kill 5 in Tennessee. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 22 | Earthquake strikes Costa Rica & Panamá, kills 95. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 26 | Twenty-three people were killed as four dozen tornadoes raked Kansas & Oklahoma. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
| Apr 29 | More than 100 people were killed and some 100,000 were left homeless when a strong earthquake struck Soviet Georgia. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 29 | Cyclone strikes Bangladesh, 139,000 die/10 million homeless. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 30 | In Bangladesh a cyclone kills over 131,000 & leaves 9 million homeless. | Ref: 5 |
| May 11 | President Bush dispatches an amphibious task force with thousands of Marines and dozens of helicopters to help cyclone-ravaged Bangladesh with disaster relief efforts. | Ref: 6 |
| Jun 03 | The Mount Unzen volcano in southern Japan erupted, killing about 40 people. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 15 | Mount Pinatubo (Phillipines) erupts for first time in 600 years with a vengeance in the Philippines killing 435 people. The volcano covered the surrounding area with ash which turned into mud following severe rainstorms. Villages and US military bases (Clark Air Force Base and Subic Bay Naval Base) were evacuated. Clark Air Force Base was subsequently closed. | Ref: 72 |
| Jun 22 | Underwater volcano, Mount Didicas, erupts in Phillipines | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 25 | 3,000 dead as Huai River in China floods wiping out Anhui agricultural region. | Ref: 10 |
| Jul 11 | Total solar eclipse is seen in Hawaii | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 16 | Shamu the Whale dies at 16, from respiratory failure. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 19 | Hurricane Bob was located 30-35 miles east of Cape Hatteras NC, and was at its peak intensity of 115 mph. Damage from Bob was estimated at $1.5 billion, making it the 15th most costly hurricane in US History. A total of 18 people died in the storm: six in Connecticut, three in both NY and Maine, two in both Nova Scotia and New Hampshire, and one in both North and South Carolina. | Ref: 4 |
| Oct 20 | Hot wind gusts, called Diablo winds, twisted through the East Bay hills near Oakland, CA. The winds, coupled with drought-weary vegetation, sparked the Oakland Hills fire. The fire claimed 25 lives and destroyed more than 2,700 structures and 1500 acres. The blaze took three days to control and did more than $1 billion in property damage. | Ref: 4 |
| Nov 05 | Tropical storm Samar and Leyte floodwaters sweep towns and villages in central Philippines killing 7000+. (TWA, 1998) | Ref: 95 |
- 1992
| Mar 13 | 570 die in a Turkish earthquake. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 12 | Earthquake rocks Germany. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 13 | The Great Chicago Flood took place as the city's century-old tunnel system and adjacent basements filled with water from the Chicago River. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 13 | 5.5 earthquake hits Netherlands. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 22 | 6.0 earthquake in California. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 25 | A 7.1 earthquake shakes northern California. (XDG, p 4A, 4/25/2002) | Ref: 83 |
| May 21 | Mrithi gorilla (Gorilla in the Mist), dies at 24. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 28 | A very strong earthquake shook the high desert of Southern CA at 4:57 a.m. The M7.3 earthquake was centered on the eastern side of the San Bernardino Mountains near the town of Landers. The quake was the largest to strike CA since the Kern County M7.7 earthquake in 1952. Vigorous rocking and rolling was felt 100 miles away in L.A. and the quake was felt as far away as Central CA and Las Vegas, NV. Property damage: $56 million, including collapsed buildings, ruptured utility lines and widespread nonstructural damage. Human toll: One killed, 25 seriously injured, 372 treated for some sort of earthquake-related injuries, millions awakened with nightmares for weeks. | Ref: 4 |
| Aug 22 | Andrew becomes a hurricane. It will become one of only 3 Force 5 hurricanes in the last 100 years to hit the US coastline. (USA Today, p 3A, 8/23/2002) | Ref: 13 |
| Aug 24 | One of the worst natural disasters to hit the United States occurred on this day as Hurricane Andrew crashed into southern Florida. Andrew left a trail of destruction that killed 43 people, left over 50,000 without homes and caused billions of dollars in property damage. | Ref: 4 |
| Aug 26 | Hurricane Andrew hits the Louisiana coast two days after devastating southern Florida. (USA Today, p 3A, 8/23/2002) | Ref: 13 |
| Oct 12 | An earthquake, measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale, hit Dahshur, near Cairo, Egypt. More than 500 people were killed and about 6500 others were injured. | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 11 | Nor'easter storm hits NY, doing $650 million+ worth of damage. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 12 | 6.8-7.5 earthquake strikes Flores Island (tsunami kills 3,000). | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 30 | Ling-Ling first panda China gave US, dies at 23. | Ref: 5 |
- 1993
| Jan 06 | Jim and Jennifer Stolpa were stranded by a blizzard on a desolate Nevada road with their five-month-old son, Clayton. Jennifer huddled in a tiny cliffside cave with Clayton while Jim trudged 48 miles through hip-deep snow to find help. Jennifer, who, like Jim, lost all her toes to frostbite as a result of the ordeal, says, “I can’t wear heels, I can’t wear sandals. I have to wear tennis shoes all the time. It kind of sucks.” Says Jim, “We really miss our toes.” | Ref: 4 |
| Jan 06 | Jean Mueller discovers comet Mueller/1993a. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 15 | 7.5 earthquake strikes northern Japan, 2 die. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 12 | On 105th anniversary of Great Blizzard, worst killer storm in century hits East and South US. | Ref: 10 |
| Mar 13 | Blizzard of '93 hits north-east US. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 20 | Uranus passes Neptune (this occurs once every 171 years). | Ref: 5 |
| May 09 | Landslide in Nambija Ecuador, kills 300. | Ref: 5 |
| May 20 | A 10 meter meteor comes within 150,000 km of Earth (1993KA). | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 12 | 196 people were killed when a 7.8 earthquake struck northern Japan. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
| Jul 14 | A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck northern Japan, killing 196 people. | Ref: 70 |
| Aug 02 | Great flood of 1993 peaks; St. Louis spared from devastation of rampaging Mississippi River. | Ref: 10 |
| Sep 06 | President Clinton visits south Florida where he met with residents recovering from Hurricane Andrew. (XDG, p 4A, 9/06/2003) | Ref: 83 |
| Sep 30 | 7,928 people were killed when an earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale, struck southern India. 130,000 were left homeless by the pre- dawn temblor. It was the worst earthquake to hit India in 50 years, flattening 52 villages and damaging hundreds more. | Ref: 4 |
-
| Dec 08 | Storm hits West Europe, 11 killed in England. | Ref: 5 |
- 1994
| Jan 06 | Morty the Moose (Northern Exposure), dies at 6. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 17 | A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Southern California, killing at least 61 people and causing $20 billion worth of damage. | Ref: 70 |
| Jan 19 | -36ºF (-38ºC) in New Whiteland IN (state record). | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 22 | 5.5 earthquake strikes Sumatra. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 01 | Large meteorite falls near Kusaie, Pacific Ocean. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 10 | The Senate approves $8.6B in relief for victims of the Los Angeles earthquake. (The House approved the measure on the 11th and President Clinton signs it on the 12th.) (XDG, p 4A, 2/10/2004) | Ref: 83 |
| Feb 12 | President Clinton signs an $8.6B relief package for victims of the Northridge earthquake in southern California. (XDG, p 4A, 2/12/2004) | Ref: 83 |
| Feb 15 | At least 217 people were killed when a powerful earthquake shook Indonesia's Sumatra island. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
| Feb 16 | 6.5 earthquake strikes SE Sumatra, kills 200. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 27 | Church in Piedmont AL collapses in tornado, 19 killed | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 01 | A memorial service is held at the site of the Goshen United Methodist Church in Alabama for the 20 people who were killed when a tornado leveled the building a week earlier. (XDG, p 4A, 4/03/2004) | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 25 | 14" of snow in Southern California. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 26 | 26.9ºC in Prestebakke Norway (Norwegian April high temp record). | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 27 | 29.0ºC in Genevad Sweden (Swedish April high temperature record). | Ref: 5 |
| May 01 | Tornado & hail storms hit Jiangxi China, 95 killed. | Ref: 5 |
| May 29 | Great comet-iceball seen above North Sea. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 30 | The temperature at Death Valley, California reached 128 degrees (Fahrenheit). The only other time it has been that hot (since 1961 when weather data was first recorded) was on July 14, 1972. In case you are wondering, the coldest day was at Death Valley was January 30, 1988, when it reached zero. | Ref: 4 |
| Jul 16 | 100,000 mph giant comet collides with Jupiter in the biggest cosmic explosion ever witnessed. | Ref: 10 |
| Jul 17 | Parts of Comet Shoemaker-Levy continue to plow into planet Jupiter in huge cosmic explosions. | Ref: 10 |
| Dec 09 | 5 meter meteor 1994 XM1 passes within 100,000 km of Earth. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 31 | First snowless December in Baltimore MD. | Ref: 5 |
- 1995
| Jan 17 | More than 6000 people are killed when a 7.2 earthquake devastates the city of Kobe, Japan. (Time Magazine, p.26, 1/30/1995) | |
| Feb 08 | 6.4 earthquake at Trujillo, Colombia (46+ killed). | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 08 | -26ºF (-32.2ºC) in Bismarck ND. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 08 | -44ºF (-42.2ºC) in Chosedacharad, Komi-district, on 67ºN. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 11 | -36.8ºF (-38.2ºC) in Chosedachar, Komi-district, on 67ºN. | Ref: 5 |
| May 13 | 6.5 earthquake hits Greece. | Ref: 5 |
| May 28 | Earthquake hits Russian town of Khabarovsk, killing 2,000 people. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 13 | The temperature in Chicago, Illinois reached its all-time high -- 106 degrees (Fahrenheit) -- recorded at Midway Airport. | Ref: 4 |
| Aug 02 | Hurricane Erin comes ashore near Vero Beach FL killing 11 people. (XDG, p 4A, 8/2/2000) | Ref: 83 |
| Sep 15 | Hurricane Marilyn, the third major storm to hit the Carribean in less than a month, hits the Virgin Islands with 100 mph winds. (XDG, p 4A, 9/15/2000) | Ref: 83 |
| Oct 09 | A 7.6 earthquake shakes the west coast of Mexico killing 51 people. (XDG, p 4A, 10/9/2000) | Ref: 83 |
| Nov 03 | Typhoon Angela ripped through the Philippines, killing more than 880 people. | Ref: 70 |
| Nov 10 | Searchers in Katmandu, Nepal rescue 549 hikers after a massive avalanche struck the Himalayan foothils, killing 24 tourists and 32 Nepalese. (XDG, p 4A, 11/10/2000) | Ref: 83 |
| Dec 10 | Worst snowstorm in Buffalo history, 37.9" in 24 hours (Starting Dec 9 at 7 PM, breaks previous record of 25.3" in 1982. | Ref: 5 |
- 1996
| Jan 07 | A major blizzard paralyzed the Eastern United States. More than 100 deaths were later blamed on the severe weather. | Ref: 70 |
| Jan 08 | Blizzard buries eastern US causing at least 50 deaths. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 10 | The third day of the ‘Blizzard of ’96’ saw the northeastern U.S. buried under 1.5 to 3 feet of snow. The big storm caused $1 billion in damage and killed 100 people. New York City had the heaviest snowfall in 48 years. | Ref: 4 |
| Mar 25 | Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) approaches within 0.1018 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 31 | Stargazers across the country scanned the skies in hopes of seeing Hyakutake, the brightest comet to pass by the Earth in two decades. | Ref: 6 |
| May 13 | A tornado killed more than 600 people in Bangladesh. | Ref: 6 |
| May 14 | A tornado flattened 80 villages in nothern Bangladesh, killing more than 440 people. | Ref: 70 |
| Jul 12 | Hurricane "Bertha" slapped North Carolina's Cape Fear, then moved on to batter a string of coastal towns. | Ref: 6 |
| Jul 13 | After battering the Carolina coast, the weakened remnants of Hurricane "Bertha" moved north, spawning tornadoes and dumping rain from Maryland to Massachusetts. | Ref: 6 |
| Aug 07 | A flash flood at a Pyrenees mountain campsite in Spain claimed at least 86 lives. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
| Sep 06 | Hurricane "Luis" moved away from the Caribbean after lashing resort islands. | Ref: 6 |
| Oct 01 | A 6.0 earthquake in southwestern Turkey killed about 90 people. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
| Oct 04 | Hurricane "Opal" batters the Florida panhandle. | Ref: 6 |
| Oct 09 | A 7.6 earthquake shook the west coast of Mexico, killing 51 people. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
- 1997
| Jan 02 | Rain and melting snow swamped the West, trapping visitors in Yosemite National Park, closing casinos in Reno, Nev., and forcing the evacuation of 50,000 CAns. | Ref: 64 |
| Feb 10 | Comet Shoemaker-Holt 2 Closest Approach to Earth (1.9245 AU). | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 28 | Earthquake in Pakistan, kills 45. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 04 | Comet Hale-Bopp directly above the Sun (1.04 AU). | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 22 | Comet Hale-Bopp Closest Approach to Earth (1.315 AU). | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 01 | Comet Hale-Bopp Perihelion (0.914 AU). | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 19 | More than 50,000 residents abandoned Grand Forks, North Dakota, as the rising Red River overran sandbags. (XDG, p. 4A, 4/19/2002) | Ref: 83 |
| May 10 | An earthquake in northeastern Iran killed at least 2,400 people. | Ref: 70 |
| May 12 | Tornado narrowly misses downtown Miami | Ref: 5 |
| May 28 | Tornado in Jarrell TX kills at least 28. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 10 | Scientists in London said that DNA from a Neanderthal skeleton supported a theory that all humanity descended from an "African Eve" 100,000 to 200,000 years ago. (XDG, p 4A, 7/10/2002) | Ref: 83 |
| Aug 04 | Jeanne Calment, oldest person in the world at 122 dies in Arles, France; b. 2/21/1875; disliked Van Gogh. (TWA, 1998) | Ref: 95 |
| Nov 19 | The world’s first surviving septuplets were born by Cesarean section to Bobbi McCaughey of Carlisle, IA. She claimed her place in the record books by giving birth to septuplets: four boys (Kenneth, Brandon, Nathan and Joel) and three girls (Alexis, Natalie and Kelsey). The seven newcomers joined a family that already included one daughter, Mikayla. The infants ranged in weight from 2 pounds, 5 ounces to 3 pounds, 4 ounces and were born over a period of six minutes. The father was Kenny McCaughey, a billing clerk at a car dealership. (also TWA, 1999) | Ref: 4 |
| Dec 06 | Asteroid called 1997 XF11 discovered by Jim Scotti at University of Arizona; may hit earth in 2028. | Ref: 10 |
| Dec 14 | In constellation Ursa Major 12 bn years away, star explodes-energy equal to 10 billion trillion stars. | Ref: 10 |
| Dec 16 | Record wind speed measured at Guam 236 mph - during Typhoon Paka. | Ref: 10 |
| Dec 31 | More Swedes died than were born in 1997, first time since 1809. | Ref: 5 |
- 1998
| Jan 05 | Ice storm knocks out electricity in Québec & Ontario. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 04 | An earthquake, measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale, hit Takhar, near the Tajik-Afghan border of Northeastern Afghanistan. The quake left 5,000 dead and over 30,000 homeless, while thousands more were missing. The rumbling lasted under ten minutes and was centered about 150 miles north of the Afghan capital, Kabul. Some 15,000 homes were destroyed. | Ref: 4 |
| Feb 23 | Tornadoes in Florida kills at least 31 | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 26 | Total solar eclipse in Venezuela-Pacific Ocean (4m09) | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 14 | An earthquake killed at least five people and left some 10,000 people homeless in southeastern Iran. (XDG, p 4A, 3/14/2003) | Ref: 83 |
| Jul 17 | Just after seven in the evening, the inhabitants of the West Sepik area of Papua New Guinea felt the tremors from a magnitude 7.1 earthquake. Eye-witnesses reported that minutes later the villages were hit in quick succession by three tsunami (tidal waves) reaching heights of 14 meters (45 feet: taller than a four-story building), followed by two smaller waves. More than 2,000 people were killed and some 10,000 left homeless. In addition, many of the survivors were badly injured, with broken bones and bruising. Costas Synolakis, a researcher at UCLA and co-leader of a science team that visited PNG in early August 1998: “We were in a state of shock. It was really something we had not seen before. It was sort of a new threshold in terms of what a wave can do.” | Ref: 4 |
| Jul 18 | A 23-foot tidal wave along the coast of Papua New Guinea killed nearly 3,000 people. (TWA, 2001) | Ref: 95 |
| Sep 24 | Hurricane Georges charges toward the Florida Keys after killing hundreds in the Carribean. (XDG, p 4A, 9/24/2003) | Ref: 83 |
| Sep 25 | Hurricane Georges crossed the Florida Straits with 105 MPH winds, passed over Key West and took aim on the northern Gulf coast. On September 26, hurricane warnings went up from Panama City to Morgan City, Louisiana. | Ref: 4 |
| Oct 29 | Hurricane Mitch (Oct 22-Nov 4, 1998), one of the strongest Atlantic storms ever, made landfall, slamming into Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and other Central American countries. The real story was not the wind but the rain. Slow movement of the storm caused heavy rain, resulting in widespread flooding and mudslides. Over 10,000 people were killed, another 10,000 were missing, and some two million people were affected in some way by the storm. | Ref: 4 |
- 1999
| Jan 02 | Chicagoans dug out from their biggest snowstorm in more than 30 years. Diggers measured 22 inches at O’Hare International Airport when the last of the flakes had settled. | Ref: 70 |
| Jan 03 | Chicagoans dug out from their biggest snowstorm in more than 30 years. Diggers measured 22 inches at O’Hare International Airport when the last of the flakes had settled. | Ref: 4 |
| Jan 25 | A powerful earthquake of a magnitude of 6 on the Richter scale rocked the Colombian Zona Cafetera, the coffee growing region. In 32 seconds 150 buildings collapsed and 1,500 houses were destroyed. Other facts & figures: 1,052 dead; 4,500 injured; 205,000 homeless; 138,000 in improvised shelters; 51,600 houses destroyed or damaged; 80% of schools destroyed. | Ref: 4 |
| Feb 11 | Pluto is once again the farthest planet from the sun in our solar system. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 23 | The first of two avalanches that claimed 38 lives over two days struck in Austria. | Ref: 70 |
| Mar 15 | Pluto again becomes the outermost planet. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 15 | A magnitude 6.7 earthquake in central Mexico kills at least 17 people. (XDG, p 4A, 6/12/2004) | Ref: 83 |
| Jul 31 | The U.S. heat wave -- linked to at least 94 deaths -- continued. As Chicago baked in 100-degree weather, thousands of hot and sweaty residents were forced to endure the heat without air conditioning or fans, due to sporadic power outages and brownouts. | Ref: 4 |
| Aug 11 | Total eclipse today, Wednesday, at 11:11 a.m. in England, first time Moon blots out Sun since 1927. | Ref: 10 |
| Aug 11 | A rare tornado touched down in downtown Salt Lake City, killing one person (the first recorded tornado death in the state’s history). | Ref: 4 |
| Aug 17 | A 7.4 earthquake hits northwestern Turkey, 65 miles east of Istanbul. Tallies indicate 17,000 dead and 34,000 injured. (TWA, 2000) | Ref: 95 |
| Aug 18 | A day after a deadly earthquake strikes western Turkey, survivors denounce the rescue effort as sluggish and disorganized. The death toll eventually exceeded 17,000. (XDG, p 4A, 8/18/2000) | Ref: 83 |
| Aug 21 | Hua Mei, the giant panda cub, was born at the San Diego Zoo weighing a not-so-giant 4-5 ounces. Her parents are Bai Yun and Shi Shi (they arrived at the zoo on Sep 10, 1996 on a 12-year conservation study). Hua Mei was the first panda born in the US in ten years. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 08 | A 5.9 earthquake hits Athens, Greece. | |
| Sep 16 | Hurricane Floyd stormed ashore, pounding North Carolina with 110 mph winds, dumping more than a foot of rain, damaging 12,000 homes and claiming more than 50 lives. Floyd also caused the largest peacetime evacuation in U.S. history, with 2.6 million people ordered away from the shores in the hurricane's path. | Ref: 4 |
| Sep 21 | A 7.6 earthquake struck Taiwan, killing at least 2,400 people. Epicenter: Sun Moon Lake. (also TWA, 2000) | Ref: 70 |
| Oct 22 | A 6.4 earthquake hits Taiwain causing about 200 injuries. It is unrelated to the September 21st quake. | Ref: 9 |
| Oct 30 | A cyclone hits Bhubaneshwar, India off the Bay of Bengal with 188 mph winds, 33 ft tidal waves and a climbing death toll of 1500. | Ref: 9 |
| Nov 12 | A magnitude-7.2 quake strikes the town of Duzce, 115 miles (185 km) east of Istanbul. At least 800 are dead with 3000 injured. | Ref: 9 |
| Nov 15 | Next transit of Mercury visible in North America | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 28 | Hsing-Hsing, a giant panda who arrived at the National Zoo in 1972 as a symbol of U.S.-China detente, was euthanized at age 28 because of his deteriorating health. | Ref: 70 |
| Dec 16 | Days of torrential rains and mudslides in Caracas and surrounding states in Venezuela left tens of thousands of people dead, missing or homeless (150,000 were forced to flee). | Ref: 4 |
- 2000
| Mar 17 | Iceberg B-15A breaks off Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf. It is 100 miles long by 30 miles wide and rises 100 to 150 feet above the surface of the ocean. It may take 10 to 20 years to melt. (USA Today, p 7D, 2/20/2001) | Ref: 13 |
| May 05 | Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and our Sun and moon line up on one side of the earth. | Ref: 10 |
| Jun 04 | A 7.9 earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing at least 100 people. (TWA, 2001) | Ref: 95 |
| Aug 22 | Hurricane "Bret" rumbled ashore on the TX Gulf Coast with winds over 100 miles-an-hour. | Ref: 6 |
| Aug 29 | Hurricane "Dennis" wallowed along the coast toward the Carolinas, prompting evacuation orders for the fragile Outer Banks barrier islands. | Ref: 6 |
| Sep 07 | A 5.9 earthquake in Athens, Greece, claimed 143 lives. (TWA, 2001) | Ref: 95 |
| Dec 19 | A volcano outside Mexico City spewed a fiery fountain of ash and rock in its most spectacular eruption in more than a millennium. It left towns around the mountain’s base deserted as frightened residents fled. The eruption of the 17,886-foot mountain was its biggest show in 1,200 years, as the mountain, known locally as ‘Popo’, filled nearby valleys with lava. | Ref: 4 |
- 2001
| Jan 01 | A 7.5 earthquake hits Mindanao, Philippines. | Ref: 85 |
| Jan 09 | A 7.0 earthquake hits the Vanuatu Islands. | Ref: 85 |
| Jan 10 | A 7.1 earthquake hits the Kodiak Island region, Alaska. | Ref: 85 |
| Jan 13 | A 7.7 earthquake kills 852 in El Salvador. | Ref: 85 |
| Jan 26 | A devastating 7.9 earthquake hit the Indian subcontinent, killing more than 13,000 people. | Ref: 70 |
| Feb 13 | A 7.4 earthquake hits southern Sumatera, Indonesia. | Ref: 85 |
| Feb 13 | A 6.6 magnitude earthquake shook El Salvador, killing at least 402 people one month to the day after another quake killed more than 800 people. | Ref: 70 |
| Feb 17 | A 4.1 earthquake kills 1 in El Salvador. | Ref: 85 |
| Feb 23 | A 5.6 earthquake kills 3 in Sichuan, China. | Ref: 85 |
| Feb 24 | A 7.1 earthquake hits the Northern Molucca Sea. | Ref: 85 |
| Feb 28 | A 6.2 earthquake centered outside Seattle causes no reported injuries. (CNN, 2/28/2001) | |
| Mar 24 | A 6.8 earthquake kills 2 in W. Honshu, Japan. | Ref: 85 |
| Apr 19 | A 5.6 earthquake kills 2 in Yunnan, China. | Ref: 85 |
| May 08 | A 5.4 earthquake kills 1 in El Salvador. | Ref: 85 |
| May 23 | A 5.3 earthquake kills 2 in Sichuan, China. | Ref: 85 |
| Jun 01 | A 5.0 earthquake kills 4 in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan. | Ref: 85 |
| Jun 03 | A 7.2 earthquake hits the Kermadec Islands, New Zealand. | Ref: 85 |
| Jun 21 | A 4.2 earthquake kills 1 in Germany. | Ref: 85 |
| Jun 23 | An 8.4 earthquake kills 139 near the coast of Peru. | Ref: 85 |
| Jul 07 | A 7.6 earthquake kills 1 near the coast of Peru. | Ref: 85 |
| Jul 07 | A 4.7 earthquake kills 4 in Northern Italy. | Ref: 85 |
| Jul 24 | A 6.3 earthquake kills 1 in northern Chile. | Ref: 85 |
| Aug 09 | A 5.5 earthquake kills 4 in central Peru. | Ref: 85 |
| Aug 21 | A 7.0 earthquake hits east of North Island, New Zealand. | Ref: 85 |
| Oct 12 | A 7.0 earthquake hits south of the Mariana Islands. | Ref: 85 |
| Oct 19 | A 7.5 earthquake hits the Banda Sea. | Ref: 85 |
| Oct 27 | A 5.7 earthquake kills 1 in Yunnan, China. | Ref: 85 |
| Nov 14 | A 7.8 earthquake hits Qinghai-Xinjiang, China. | Ref: 85 |
| Dec 04 | A 5.8 earthquake kills 2 in southern Peru. | Ref: 85 |
| Dec 12 | A 7.1 earthquake hits south of Australia. | Ref: 85 |
- 2002
| Jan 02 | A 7.3 earthquake hits the Vanatu Islands. | Ref: 85 |
| Jan 09 | A 5.2 earthquate kills 3 in Tajikistan. | Ref: 85 |
| Jan 10 | A 6.7 earthquate kills 1 in near the northern coast of New Guinea. | Ref: 85 |
| Jan 20 | A 4.7 earthquate kills several in Democratic Republic of the Congo. | Ref: 85 |
| Jan 21 | A powerful earthquake shakes west-central Mexico, killing 28 and leaving 10,000 homeless. (XDG, p 4A, 1/21/2004) | Ref: 83 |
| Jan 22 | A 6.3 earthquate kills 1 in Crete. | Ref: 85 |
| Feb 03 | A 6.5 earthquate kills 44 in Turkey. | Ref: 85 |
| Feb 17 | A 5.4 earthquate kills 1 in Southern Iran. | Ref: 85 |
| Mar 05 | A 7.5 earthquake kills 15 Mindanao, Philippines. | Ref: 85 |
| Mar 25 | A powerful earthquake rocked Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan, killing up to 1,000 people. | Ref: 70 |
| Mar 31 | A 7.1 earthquake kills 5 in the Taiwan region. | Ref: 85 |
| Apr 01 | A 5.9 earthquake kills 36 in Eastern New Guinea. | Ref: 85 |
| Apr 12 | A 5.9 earthquake kills 50 in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan. | Ref: 85 |
| Apr 22 | A 4.4 earthquake kills 1 near the coast of Peru. | Ref: 85 |
| Apr 24 | A 4.7 earthquake kills 1 in the northwestern Balkan region. | Ref: 85 |
| Apr 24 | Two earthquakes, a 4.9 and a 5.2, kill 3 in western Iran. | Ref: 85 |
| Apr 25 | A 4.7 earthquake kills 5 in the northwestern Caucasus. | Ref: 85 |
| Apr 26 | A 7.1 earthquake hits the Mariana Islands. | Ref: 85 |
| May 03 | Tornados kill 43 in Oklahoma and Kansas. (USA Today, p.1A, 11/12/2002) | Ref: 13 |
| Jun 13 | Asteroid large enough to obliterate London passes earth at only 75,000 miles-2nd closest miss ever. | Ref: 10 |
| Jul 11 | USA Today reports the find of a 6M to 7M year old skull that may force paleontologists to abandon the "missing link" theory. The "Tourmai" skull is the size of a chimps skull but more akin to human features. The skull was found in central Africa by a team led by Michel Brunet of the Univeristy of Poiters in France. (USA Today, p. 1A, 7/11/2002) | Ref: 13 |
| Oct 28 | USA Today reports on page 8A that Mount Etna is spewing lava and ash on Catania, Italy. The area has been evacuated and sealed off, but there are no injuries. | Ref: 13 |
| Nov 03 | A 7.9 earthquake rocks a sparsely populated area of Alaska along the Denali fault, 75 miles north of Anchorage. No injuries reported. (USA Today, p.7D, 11/12/2002) | Ref: 13 |
| Nov 10 | Approximately 30 tornados strike the southeast from Alabama to Pennsylvania, killing at least 35 people and doing massive damage. (USA Today, p 3A, 11/12/2002) | Ref: 13 |
| Nov 11 | More than 70 tornados killed at least 35 people from Pennsylvania to Louisiana in the largest series of tornados in 10 years. (USA Today, p.1A, 11/12/2002) | Ref: 13 |
| Nov 16 | (and 17th) Bangor and Caribou, Maine receive record snowfalls of 7 and 6.9 inches respectively. Previous snows were 1 inch in Bangor in 1969 and 3.9 inches in Caribou in 1966. (USA Today, p22A, 11/19/2002) | Ref: 13 |
| Nov 24 | A minor earthquake (3.9) rattles San Francisco. There are no reports of injuries or damage. (USA Today, p 3A, 11/25/2002) | Ref: 13 |
- 2003
| Jan 03 | Scott Sheppard of the University of Hawaii found Jupiter's 40th moon (dubbed S/2002 J1), using the school's 2.2-meter telescope atop Mauna Kea. The veteran moon hunter also took part in the discovery of 22 previous Jovian satellites. The moon has an estimated diameter of 2.2 miles (3.5 km) and a 748-day orbit around Jupiter. (Ref) | |
| Jan 03 | NASA announces that a 200-ft asteroid (named 2002 AA29) playing a cat-and-mouse game with Earth will pull to its closest point in almost a century on Monday before swinging away for another 95 years, NASA said in a statement. In about 600 years, the little asteroid could start looping around Earth like a distant mini-moon for about 40 years before returning to its cat-and-mouse ways, the astronomers said. (Ref) | |
| Jan 16 | Rains in Belo Horizonte, Brazil cause mudslides resulting in at least 14 deaths. (NY Times, p A4, 1/17/2003) | |
| Apr 27 | Ozzy, the male osprey of a breeding pair that lived for years on a Jackie Robinson Ballpark's left field light pole, dies at the Audubon Birds of Prey Center as a result being hit by a baseball being thrown trying to knock it off its perch he shared with his mate Harriet and a brood of chicks. Class A Daytona Cubs hurler Jae Kuk Ryu was charged with second-degree misdemeanor by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for harming a protected bird. | Ref: 1 |
| May 21 | The death toll of a 6.8 earthquake near Algiers, Algeria exceeds 1000. (USA Today, p 9A, 5/23/2003) | Ref: 13 |
| Aug 27 | Mars approaches to within 34,600,000 miles of Earth, closer than it has been in nearly 60,000 years. (Time, p 33, 9/01/2003) | |
| Sep 03 | (Hurricane Isabel) Isabel forms as a tropical wave off the western coast of Africa. (USA Today, p 2A, 9/19/2003) | Ref: 13 |
| Sep 06 | (Hurricane Isabel) Isabel forms into a tropical storm. (USA Today, p 2A, 9/19/2003) | Ref: 13 |
| Sep 07 | (Hurricane Isabel) Isabel gains hurricane strength. (USA Today, p 2A, 9/19/2003) | Ref: 13 |
| Sep 11 | (Hurricane Isabel) (through the 14th) Isabel graduates to a Category 5 hurricane. (USA Today, p 2A, 9/19/2003) | Ref: 13 |
| Sep 18 | (Hurricane Isabel) Hurricane Isabel comes hits the North Carolina shore as predicted, as a Category 2 hurricane. It's size (about the size of Colorado) more significant than its strength. Three deaths are blamed on the storm. (USA Today, p 2A, 9/19/2003) | Ref: 13 |
| Sep 19 | USA Today reports the discovery of the fossil remains of a giant guinea pig that lived 6,000,000 years ago in the then-lush marshes of Venezuala. The 1500-pound Phoberomys (FOE-ber-o-mees) stood 4.2 feet high and 9 feet long and is the largest rodent every found. (USA Today, p 1A, 9/19/2003) | Ref: 13 |
| Sep 28 | Yukichi Chuganji, a retired silkworn breeder and claimant to the title of the world's oldest man, dies of natural causes in his home in Japan at age 114. (XDG, p 3A, 9/30/2003) | Ref: 83 |
| Oct 04 | An extremely rare limbless lizard, the Barkudia skink, was found in a brackish lagoon on Badakuda Island in the Indian state of Orissa. This is the first sighting since the discovery of the reptile in 1917. (Columbus Dispatch, p A6, 10/04/2003) | |
| Oct 04 | Hundreds are injured on Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido when an 8.0 earthquake hits the area. (Columbus Dispatch, p A6, 10/04/2003) | |
| Oct 04 | A terrifying celestial fireball rattles windows and illuminates the sky above eastern India's Orissa state before breaking apart and raining down on a populated area. Several people were treated for injuries from falling debris, temporary blindness or falling. A 13-pound "stonelike object" was found in a rice field nearby. Geologists have been dispatched to the area. (Columbus Dispatch, p A6, 10/04/2003) | |
| Oct 04 | Hurricane Juan, the most powerful to lash Nova Scotia in decades, kills two people and knocks out power to thousands. (Columbus Dispatch, p A6, 10/04/2003) | |
| Oct 16 | A 6.1 earthquakes strikes Dayao County in Yannan province in China at 8:28PM killing three. (XDG, p 6B, 10/18/2003) | Ref: 83 |
| Oct 19 | A solar flare causes radio blackouts. A sunspot the size of Jupiter now faces the earth and may disrupt cell phones and radio signals. (USA Today, p 8D, 10/23/2003) | Ref: 13 |
| Oct 29 | The fourth most powerful solar flare and the most powerful since 1989 (according to NASA) disrupts some airline communications but causes no power outages. (WSJ, p D5, 10/30/2003) | Ref: 33 |
| Nov 04 | The most powerful solar flare ever recorded erupts on the sun. This flare was pointed away from the Earth. (USA Today, p 7D, 11/18/2003) | Ref: 13 |
| Nov 13 | The oldest person in the world, Mitoyo Kawate, of Hiroshima, Japan, dies of pneumonia at age 114. She was born May 15, 1889. (XDG, p 5A, 11/14/2003) | Ref: 83 |
| Nov 18 | (actual date unstated) Scientists at Japan's High Energy Accelerator Research organization announce the discovery of a tetraquark (a 4-quark combination) after finding a pentaquark (a 5-quark combination) in July, 2003. The significance of these sub-atomic particles is not yet understood. (USA Today, p 7D, 11/18/2003) | Ref: 13 |
| Dec 22 | A 6.5 earthquake hits central California. There are no reported deaths. (USA Today, p 3A, 12/24/2003) | Ref: 13 |
| Dec 22 | A 6.5 quake rocks California's central coast, killing at least two people. (XDG, p 1, 12/23/2003) | Ref: 83 |
| Dec 23 | California Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger declares a quake emergency for central California. (USA Today, p 3A, 12/24/2003) | Ref: 13 |
| Dec 26 | An earthquate hits Bam in southeastern Iran. The death toll of 28,000 could rise to 50,000. Iranians have welcomed US military relief flights into the area. (USA Today, p 7A, 12/31/2003) | Ref: 13 |
- 2004
| Jan 07 | A 57-year old man known only as "Jahil" is found alive after being buried for 13 days in the rubble of an Iranian earthquake. (USA Today, p 6A, 1/09/2004) | Ref: 33 |
| Jun 08 | Transit of Venus (between Earth & Sun) occurs. | Ref: 5 |
- 2012
| May 06 | Transit of Venus (between Earth & Sun) occurs. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 06 | Transit of Venus (between Earth & Sun) occurs. | Ref: 5 |
- 2017
| Aug 21 | Next total solar eclipse visible from North America. | Ref: 5 |
- 2028
| Oct 26 | 6:30pm GMT asteroid named 1997 XF11 will pass 'dangerously' close to earth; 30,000 miles? | Ref: 10 |
- 2030
| Sep 21 | Small asteroid-like object, designated 2000 SG344 may hit the earth and wipe out millions. | Ref: 10 |
- 2061
| Jul 28 | 31st recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet | Ref: 5 |
- 2084
| Nov 10 | Transit of Earth as seen from Mars. | Ref: 5 |
- 2126
| Aug 14 | Comet expected to hit earth; end of the world worries some. | Ref: 10 |
- 2134
| Mar 27 | 32nd recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. | Ref: 5 |
- 2161
| May 19 | Syzygy: 8 of 9 planets aligned on same side of sun. | Ref: 5 |
|
Natural History Chronology