History of disasters part 2

DISASTERS OF HISTORY: EPISODE 2

Welcome to the second episode of disasters of history. Incase you missed the first episode of this article so you won't be left behind. This second episode is a continuation of the previous article.

GREAT FAMINE (Ireland: 1845-1852)

Potato blight decimated potato crops throughout Europe but it's effect on Ireland was catastrophic as it was particularly dependent on them. When the crops failed in 1845, mass starvation began. Charitable donations and initiatives eased Irish suffering a little, but the reaction of the British government was negligible, even allowing Irish landlords to export food. Around one million people died and a million more emigrated, leading to a fall in the Irish population of 20 to 25 percent and permanently souring Irish-British relations.

CHURCH OF THE COMPANY FIRE (Santiago, Chile - 1863)

Preparing for mass at the church of the company of Jesus in Santiago on 8th December, 1863. Father Ugarte set up thousands of candles and oil lamps, draped muslin and gauze curtains from the ceiling and scattered ribbons and paper flowers, hoping to impress the prominent members of Santiago society. The church was packed with around 3000 people to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate conception. As mass was about to begin, at the altar, oil lamps positioned behind a painting were lit, the flames ignited the painting. The fire quickly spread. Once the roof started to burn, the oil lamps hanging from it dropped to the crowd beneath, turning the floor of the church into a lake of fire. The church burned to the ground in just over an hour and some 2500 died.

TITANIC (North Atlantic, 1912)

Titanic was feted as the biggest, fastest and most luxurious ocean liner built when it was launched in 1912, but all went wrong on the fifth day of it's maiden voyage to New York. When the captain ignored ice warnings in the hope that Titanic might arrive ahead of schedule. The builder of the ship boasted that nothing can make the Titanic to sink or capsize, not even God/Allah. He blasphemed against the Almighty God/Allah. The ship scrapped along an iceberg, puncturing the hull with a series of holes. Too many watertight compartments were flooded. Three hours later, Titanic lay at the bottom of the Atlantic ocean. More than 1,500 lives were lost, partly because the ship did not carry enough life boats for all on board.