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TimeLines of Disaster |
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Hurricanes - Ancient -
Through the 1800s
Ancient - 1500s -
1600s - 1700s
- 1800s
20th Century -
1900 - 1999 -
21st. Century
- 2000 - 2011 |
About Hurricanes
- Hurricane
Safety -
Hurricane Legends
Earthquakes -
Tsunamis - Volcanoes
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The primary focus is on U.S.
hurricanes of the Atlantic hurricane seasons, although some others
will show. |
Flat Earth
Times |
My
Musings |
Through
the researching of the Hurricanes, primarily the accounts of
Christopher Columbus, I have began to formulate a theory. The
Ancient sailors at sea helped to solidify the belief of the
earth being flat. There were stories of monsters and harsh
storms. Most likely the storms and monsters were hurricanes or
even the tropical size storms that had so amazed and frightened
the sailors that they simply assumed them monsters, not being
surprised to find such horrors as they approached the 'edge of
the earth.' |
|
1000+
BC |
(myth of)
hurricane |
The Epic
of Gilgamesh is a story of the clashing of tumultuous warm and
cold forces, nature and human nature and archetypal devastation
and suffering. The epic is man's earliest known account of a
natural disaster. |
|
© 2005, 2010 Roger W Hancock,
TimeLines.PoetPatriot.com |
|
BC & AD Demarcation
- Before
Christ &
Anno
Domini (Latin: 'Year
of our Lord' for the current era) |
|
1500s |
1502
500 Deaths |
Columbus
hurricane |
Columbus
encounters a hurricane on his fourth voyage to the New World.
Columbus sailed a fleet of 4 caravels from Spain and on June
15th came across a forming hurricane. At the end of June
Columbus shelters his four ships in an estuary surviving the
storm. He had warned the governor of Santo Domingo not to put a
treasure fleet to sea. The treasure fleet of caravels had a
cargo of Aztec Gold. The Hurricane sank 20 ships drowning 500
sailors. Among the lost were Bobadillo, Roldan, and the gold
destined for the Spanish Crown. The Spanish settlement of Santo
Dimingo on the Island of Hispanola was hit and nearly
destroyed. Columbus would later state, "nothing but the service
of God and the extension of the monarchy" would force his
exposure to such danger. |
|
1527 |
Mississippi
hurricane |
The
Mississippi River was almost discovered on October 23rd, 1527
when Panifo de Navaez fled from Florida with 5 boats heading
west along the coast of the gulf. Just as he and his crew of
less than 250 reached near the mouth of the Mississippi River
they encountered a hurricane that "tossed them like driftwood"
(Chapman in reference to the barges) The Mouth of the
Mississippi would not be discovered for over 150 years when La
Salle will take his historic trip down the Mississippi. |
1553
2k Deaths |
New Spain Fleet
hurricane |
New Spain
sent a fleet of 20 vessels, loaded with Aztek gold out along the
Texas coast. The three heaviest vessels sank soon after
encountering a hurricane. The remaining 17 ships were scattered,
grounded or capsized near Padre Island. 1,700 people were lost.
The 300 survivors had then to fight the Karankawa natives who
had earlier encounters with Spaniards. Reports were from the
only 2 survivors. |
1559
1.8k Deaths |
Spanish
hurricane |
73 ships
were destroyed out of a Spanish fleet of 74,
that were to recapture Florida, when they sailed into a
hurricane. Assuming a minimum crew of 25 for each ship, at least
1,825 people lost their lives. The crew of the one remaining ship founded a colony near
Pensacola, Florida. |
|
1565 |
French Fleet
hurricane |
The bid to control the Atlantic coast of North
America is lost by the French when their fleet is destroyed by a
storm. Without the added French support the Spanish capture Fort
Carolina, near today's Jacksonville, Florida. |
1590
1k Deaths |
Gulf of Mexico
hurricane |
Early in
November of 1590 a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. One of the
region's worst maritime disasters occured when a ships are
tossed about and 1000 people are killed. |
|
© 2005, 2010 Roger W Hancock,
TimeLines.PoetPatriot.com |
|
1600s |
1600
60 Deaths |
1600 Gulf
hurricane |
On
September 12th off the coast of Mexico a hurricane tosses a ship
about, killing 60 people at sea. |
1609
15est
Deaths |
Bermuda
hurricane |
The 'Sea Venture', while in route to Virginia with
supplies for the starving Jamestown colonists, becomes damaged by
a hurricane on July 8th. Most of the 150 aboard; men, women and children
found safety in the Somers Islands; later named the Bermuda Islands. |
1615
45est
Deaths |
1615 Gulf
hurricane |
A
hurricane on August 30th in 1615 sinks the San Miguel off the
coast of Mexico. All onboard perished. |
1631
300 Deaths |
1631 Gulf
hurricane |
In the
Gulf of Mexico an October 21st hurricane kills 300 people at
sea. |
|
1635 |
Great Colonial
Hurricane
Meteotsunami |
The eye of the Great Colonial Hurricane passes
between Boston and Plymouth, Massachusetts causing a 20-foot
high meteotsunami in Boston. A report that thousands of trees and many houses
were blown down was given by Governor William Bradford. |
|
© 2005, 2010 Roger W Hancock,
TimeLines.PoetPatriot.com |
|
1700s |
1722
200+Deaths |
New Orleans
hurricane |
A
hurricane passes through the Lesser Antilles on September 11th
making landfall just west of the Mississippi on the 23rd. It
passes through central Louisiana then curves northeast into
South Carolina with 3 days of rain and flooding about the 27th.
Hurricane winds lasted 15 hours the night of the 22nd.
Meteotsunamis (storm surges) of 3ft are reported at Bayou St.
John and 8 feet in the Mississippi River. Buildings were
destroyed including the St. Louis church. Ships were sank in the
harbor and in lakes. Also destroyed was a levee that was
constructed in 1718, to protect New Orleans from river and tidal
flooding. Over 200 estimated deaths occured. |
|
1722 |
New Orleans
studied |
The 1722
New Orleans hurricane was the first well documented hurricane to
hit Louisiana.
Investigative:
1722,
1743,
1772,
1779,
1780,
1819,
1873,
1943,
1953,
1975 &
1979 |
|
1740 |
hurricane |
Colonists
are again left without shelter and food when a hurricane makes
landfall on September 23 at the Mississippi River. The
settlement of La Balize is destroyed removing all traces. A new
island is created and La Balize is re-established on the new
site. |
|
1743 |
hurricane
study |
A lunar eclipse study by Benjamin Franklin in
September was foiled by a nearby hurricane. Franklin had been
surprised when a friend had reported clear skies for the viewing
of the lunar eclipse and that the storm arrived the next day.
"This puzzled me," wrote Franklin, "because the storm began with
us so soon as to prevent an observation; and being a north-east
storm, I imagined it must have begun rather sooner in places
farther to the north-eastward than it did in Philadelphia." With
aroused curiosity
he collected more details learning how the storm moved up
the seaboard against the surface winds. Science takes the
first step to understanding the basic nature of hurricanes.
Investigative:
1722,
1743,
1772,
1779,
1780,
1819,
1873,
1943,
1953,
1975 &
1979 |
|
1749 |
Virginia
hurricane |
Fort George in Virginia, where Fort Monroe is
now, was destroyed by a hurricane in 1749 that altered the
shoreline. One record, "A
sand spit of 800 acres was washed up," explains the creation of
the Willoughby Spit in Norfolk. |
|
1752 |
Charleston
hurricane |
A hurricane's 17-foot storm surge destroys 500
homes and the fortifications in Charleston, South Carolina in
1752. |
1766
25+ Deaths |
Constante
hurricane
meteotsunami |
A Hurricane hits
near Galveston, Texas on September 4th. The mission San
Augustine de Ahumando was destroyed and a meteotsunami (storm
surge) of 7 feet flooded the area. 45 miles east of Calcasieu
Pass the vessel Constante was lost at sea during the storm. The
(Bayu del Constante) Constance Bayou was named in memoriam for
the loss of the Constante. |
1772
50+ Deaths |
Hamilton
hurricane |
On August
28th a hurricane originated near Jamaica and whirled north and
northwest into the Gulf of Mexico destroying wharves in
Pensacola. Most of the damges were in the area of Mobile and the
Pasca Oocola River. The hurricane cut new channels in the Grand
Gozier, and Breton Isles. New Orleans was spared, allowed to
enjoy light breezes and a sunny day. It is resonable to estimate
a minimum of 50 people lost during the storm. 15 year old
Alexander Hamilton lived in Christiansted on the island of
St. Croix when the hurricane passed over. |
|
1772 |
Alexander Hamilton
Observations |
In a
September 6th letter to his father 15 year old Alexander
Hamilton gives the following account of the 1772 hurricane:
"... It began about dusk,
at north, and raged very violently till ten o'clock. Then ensued
a sudden and unexpected interval which lasted about an hour.
Meanwhile the wind was shifting round to the south west point ,
from whence it returned with redoubled fury and continued till
nearly three in the morning. Good God! what horror and
destruction - it's impossible for me to describe - or you to
form any idea of it. It seemed as if a total dissolution of
nature was taking place. The roaring of the sea and wind - fiery
meteors flying about in the air - the prodigious glare of almost
perpetual lightning - the crash of falling houses - and the
ear-piercing shrieks of the distressed were sufficient to strike
astonishment into Angels. A great part of the buildings
throughout the island are leveled to the ground - almost all the
rest very much shattered - several persons killed and numbers
utterly ruined - whole families wandering about the streets,
unknowing where to find a place of shelter - the sick exposed to
the keenness of water and air - without a bed to lie upon - or a
dry covering to their bodies - and our harbors entirely bare. In
a word, misery, in its most hideous shapes, spread over the
whole face of the country ...".
Investigative:
1722,
1743,
1772,
1779,
1780,
1819,
1873,
1943,
1953,
1975 &
1979 |
|
1776 |
1776
10.1k Deaths |
2nd Deadliest
Season |
The
events of the 1776 Atlantic hurricane season are not fully known
but records were made in areas of population to give a fairly
accurate account. Of the two hurricanes with records showing
more than 10,100 people were killed.
Most Deadly Seasons: 1776,
1780,
1900,
1928,
1974,
2004 &
2005 |
1776
4.1k Deaths |
Hurricane of
Independence |
The "Hurricane of Independence"
ravages the Atlantic coast from North Carolina to Nova Scotia
from September 2nd to the 9th. Supply ships for the
Revolutionary war were sank in the Chesapeake Bay area. Over 4100 Americans and Canadians
are thought have been killed. |
1776
6k Deaths |
Martinique
hurricane |
A
hurricane in 1776
hits Martinique killing more than 6,000 people. It then moved
through the gulf to cause some damage in New Orleans. |
|
1778 |
|
1778 |
hurricane
meteotsunami |
From October 7th to the 10th a
hurricane generated a great meteotsunami (storm surge) that
destroyed the setlements of Balize, Bayou St. John and Tigouyou
in Louisiana. All structures were completely destroyed. |
|
1779 |
1779
1k Deaths |
Louisiana
hurricane of 1779
|
On August
18th a hurricane made landfall at New Orleans, Louisiana. Crops,
homes, boats and buildings were destroyed. Spain had declared
war on Great Britain but the fleet was decimated foiling plans
to take the British fort at Baton Rouge. More than 1000 people
are estimated to have died. |
|
1779 |
hurricane
study |
It was during the
1779 Louisiana hurricane that William Dunbar had made the
observation that hurricanes progressively moved forward with
winds that revolved around a vortex in the center. His studies
were presented to the American Philosophical Society in 1801.
Investigative:
1722,
1743,
1772,
1779,
1780,
1819,
1873,
1943,
1953,
1975 &
1979 |
|
1780 |
1780
27k Deaths |
Most Deadly
Season |
The 1780
Atlantic hurricane season was the deadlies in recorded history
that included the deadliest Atlantic Hurricane in recorded
history. Three different hurricanes have each contributed to
1000 deaths. Total toll for the season is 27,000 deaths.
Most Deadly Seasons: 1776,
1780,
1900,
1928,
1974,
2004 &
2005 |
1780
1k Deaths |
Louisiana
hurricane of 1780 |
On August
24th a hurricane had stormed over Louisiana striking New
Orleans, destroying crops, buildings and sinking every ship and
boat on the Mississippi and nearby lakes. More than 1000 people
are estimated to have died. |
|
1780 |
hurricane
study |
It was during the
1780 Louisiana hurricane that William Dunbar had made the
observations that tropical storms did not last more than 5 to 10
minutes and caused the formation of tornadoes.
Investigative:
1722,
1743,
1772,
1779,
1780,
1819,
1873,
1943,
1953,
1975 &
1979 |
1780
23k - 2nd Deadliest
Storm |
Great
Hurricane
of 1780 |
The Great Hurricane of 1780 kills an
estimated 22,000 in the Caribbean and destroys the British and French fleets
killing a thousand more. Between October 10th and 16th the
hurricane havocked its way across Martinique, St. Eustatious,
and Barbados. This hurricane holds the record as the deadliest
storm in recorded Atlantic history.
Deadliest Storms: 1780,
1900,
1963,
1974,
1994 &
1998 |
|
1781 |
New Orleans
hurricane |
A
Hurricane had hit New Orleans in 1781. |
|
1791 |
Padre Island
hurricane
meteotsunami |
A
hurricane strikes the lower coast of Texas. A meteotsunami
submerged Padre Island and some of the mainland killing a herd
of 50,000 cattle that belonged to a Spanish cattle baron. |
|
1793 |
Tropical
Storm |
In August
a strong tropical storm hits New Orleans devastating rural areas
of the province. Crops that were ready for harvest were
destroyed. |
1794
50+
Deaths |
Avoyelles
hurricane
meteotsunami |
A
hurricane moves throught Cuba on August 27th and 28thto hit New
Orleans on the 31st causing crop damage. Nine hours of high
winds were experienced at the site now called Avoyelles Parish
on September 1st. As the hurricane stormed northward many lives,
cattle, and horses perished. The meteotsunami hit along the
shore from Balize west toward the Plaquemines. The depth
of the surge was as deep as 10 feet in places and totally
engulfed Fort St. Philip. |
|
© 2005, 2010 Roger W Hancock,
TimeLines.PoetPatriot.com |
|
1800s |
|
1800 |
|
1800 |
1800
hurricane |
A Hurricane had made landfall near
New Orleans in 1800. |
|
1815 |
|
1815 |
Great
Sep. Gale
hurricane |
"The Great September Gale" makes landfall on Long
Island, New York and then again in Connecticut. Providence Rhode
Island is flooded and extensive damage throughout New England is
left behind. |
|
1819 |
|
1819 |
hurricane
study |
A Harvard professor published an article in 1819
concluding that a hurricane "appears to have been a moving
vortex and not the rushing forward of a great body of the
atmosphere." Years later William C. Redfield was published
in the American Journal of Science where he says the hurricane
is a progressive whirlwind. Redfield came to his conclusion by
studying the trees and other objects scattered by the storms.
Lt. Col. William Reid a Royal Engineer in the Barbados had built
upon the theory by studying logs of ships that experienced the
Great Hurricane of 1780.
Investigative:
1722,
1743,
1772,
1779,
1780,
1819,
1873,
1943,
1953,
1975 &
1979 |
|
1837 |
|
1837 |
Racer's Storm
hurricane |
Racer's
Storm was first seen in the northwest Caribbean. Forming near
Jamaica it crossed the Yucatan Penisula then making landfall
somewhere along the Texas coast to move over Louisiana,
Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina arriving just
off the coast of North Carolina on October 9th. As one of the
most destructive storms of the 19th century it left a 2000 mile
long path of destruction. Racer's Storm was named for the
British sloop of war that made the first observation of the
storm. |
|
1846 |
|
1846 |
Outer Banks
hurricane |
A
Hurricane in September cuts two inlets on the Outer Banks of
North Carolina. Inlets come and go; the sandy soil of the narrow
islands of the Outer Banks allow an easy shifting of land by
storm or sea. |
|
1846 |
Florida Keys
hurricane |
The
Florida Keys are severely hit by a hurricane in November,
destroying all but eight of the the 600 houses in Key West. Some
meteorologists estimate this storm as a Category 5 hurricane. |
|
1848 |
|
1848 |
Fort Brooke
hurricane
meteotsunami |
Two hurricanes within the same month in 1848 nearly destroy Fort
Brooke located at today's Tampa, Florida. One of the storms
pushed a tide of 15 feet through the town. |
|
1856 |
1856
400 Deaths |
Last Island
hurricane |
Last Island in Louisiana is hit by a
category 4 hurricane killing 400 people. |
|
1873 |
|
1873 |
hurricane
Warning |
The first hurricane warning in the U.S. is issued by the U.S.
Army Signal Corps. A hurricane approaching the coast was
expected to come ashore between Cape May, New Jersey and New
London, Connecticut, but never made landfall.
Investigative:
1722,
1743,
1772,
1779,
1780,
1819,
1873,
1943,
1953,
1975 &
1979 |
|
1878 |
|
1878 |
Florida 3 day
hurricane |
The Florida Keys was hit by a slow-traveling hurricane that for
three days crept up
the center of the state. |
|
1881 |
1881
700 Deaths |
South Carolina
hurricane
meteotsunami |
An August, 1881 hurricane ends up in South Carolina after first making
landfall, causing destruction, at Savannah and Augusta, Georgia
and submerging several barrier islands by the meteotsunami (storm surge) in
South Carolina. 700 people were killed. |
|
1886 |
|
1886 |
Indianola
hurricane |
In
Alexandria, Louisiana 21.4 inches of rain is dumped from a June
category 4 hurricane. The coast of Louisiana is flooded and
after moving into Texas the city of Indianola was destroyed,
never to be rebuilt. |
|
1887 |
1887
2k Deaths |
Long
&
3rd Busiest
Season |
19 Storms from May
15th to December 12 were recorded for the 1887 Atlantic
hurricane season. 11 of the storms became hurricanes.1887 had 5
storms outside the normal hurricane season. The 1887 season is
the 3rd busiest on record tied with the
1995 season.
Most Active Seasons 1887,
1933,
1969,
1995,
2005
&
2008
Long Seasons: 1887,
1908,
1952,
1992 &
2003 |
|
1893 |
1893
2k Deaths |
August
hurricane |
A Storm that hits Georgia and South
Carolina submerging the barrier islands on August 28th and kills
between 1000 and 2000 people. |
1893
2k Deaths |
October
hurricane |
An October hurricane floods the Louisiana bayou, killing 2000
people. |
|
© 2005, 2010 Roger W Hancock,
TimeLines.PoetPatriot.com |
TimeLine of Disaster
Hurricanes - Ancient - Through
the 1800s
Ancient - 1500s -
1600s - 1700s
- 1800s
20th Century -
1900 - 1999 -
21st. Century - 2000
- 2011 |
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