World disasters : tragedies in the modern age / Keith Eastlake, Henry Russel, Mike Sharpe.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 396) and index.

This fascinating book looks at some of the most horrifying and noteworthy disasters that have occurred around the world from the dawn of the twentieth century to the present day. With vivid color photographs throughout,World Disastersexamines more than 200 catastrophic events, ranging from accidents caused by human error to calamities brought about by earthquakes and other natural phenomena. Many of these tragedies involve transportation, including ocean liners, passenger trains, and jumbo jets. Stories range from local rail collisions-in locations as diverse as Lebus, East Germany; Aamodt, Norway; and Rennert, North Carolina-to the accounts of vessels whose names alone have become synonymous with disaster, such as Hinesburg, Lusitania, and Titanic. Other recountings shed light on explosions, such as the methane blasts that killed 78 West Virginia miners in 1968; fires, like the one that felled London's Crystal Palace in 1936; and bombings, including the World War II aerial campaign thatleft Dresden in ruins.