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Still of the 3D Imagery film of the Titanic wreck on the seabed. Source: Atlantic Productions/Magellan

See The Titanic as Never Seen Before in ‘Largest Underwater Scanning Project in History’

History’s most famous shipwreck of the iconic liner, the R.M.S. Titanic, which caused the death of 1,500 people when it sank in 1912, has now been the subject of the largest underwater scanning...
Humanity is no stranger to catastrophe, and some ancient disasters can help put current issues in perspective.            Source: yamonstro/ Adobe Stock

Seven Earth-Shaking Ancient Disasters that Changed Our World

When studying ancient history, it's sometimes surprising humanity ever made it to the 20th century. Ancient civilizations were repeatedly hit by disasters, both natural and man-made, the likes of...
An evidence-based depiction of the cosmic impact which had the power of 1,000 Hiroshimas. Source: Allen West and Jennifer Rice / CC BY-ND 4.0

Scientists Conclude Cosmic Impact Destroyed Jordanian City

Approximately 3,600 years ago, there was a catastrophic event in the modern-day Middle East that completely destroyed the city of Tall el-Hammam in present-day Jordan. Up to now, the source of this...
Dragon, Broncefigur, Golden Dragon, Thailand

The Devil’s Sea: Bermuda Triangle of the Pacific

The Devil’s Sea, otherwise known as the Dragon’s Triangle, is a region in the Pacific Ocean that has come to be associated with numerous accounts of disappearing ships and planes, sightings of ghost...
The Last of the Clan’ (1865) by Thomas Faed. Attempts for a Scottish colony in Panama were futile. Source: Public Domain

The Caledonian Dream: A Scottish Colony’s American Nightmare

The conquest of the New World was devastating for its ancient cultures; its aftershocks are still deeply felt today in communities across the Americas. Soon after Spain’s subjugation, other European...
Merciless Ancient Flood Carried 300,000 Lives Away

Merciless Ancient Flood Carried 300,000 Lives Away

A 2019 paper brought us evidence that a historic Yellow River flood in China killed an estimated 300,000 people, suggesting the city of Kaifeng was to killer floods, what Pompeii was to mega-...
The scene at Victoria Hall, the grief-stricken parents having to identify the bodies of their children. Source: wearsideonline / Public Domain

The Deadly Victoria Hall Stampede Tragedy

The Victoria Hall Stampede was a tragedy that occurred in Sunderland, in the northeast of England, in 1883. The unfortunate incident happened in a concert hall at the end of a children’s...
The Great Fire of London on the evening of Tuesday, 4 September 1666. To the left is London Bridge; to the right, the Tower of London. St. Paul's Cathedral is in the distance, surrounded by the tallest flames. Source: BevinKacon / Public Domain.

Fighting the Flaming Wrath - The Great Fire of London, 1666

1666. “London was, but is no more.” It was a year with a special number. A year that carried a lot of ominous superstitions. And for thousands of Londoners who lived in that very year, it would prove...
The famous Lions Gate into the hill fortress where Mycenaean armies originated.

The Fall of a Civilization: The Mysterious Collapse of the Mycenaean Bronze Age

"In most cases, collapse results from multiple, 'cascading' stress factors—politico-economic, demographic, and sociocultural as well as environmental…relational aspects, arguing that factors such as...
 Large asteroid hitting Earth

Ancient Cataclysms: 9 Catastrophes That Rocked the World

Ancient cultures around the world have passed down their tales of devastating natural disasters in oral traditions, folklore, historical accounts, pictorial representations, and through myths...
Indus priest/king statue found at Mohenjo–Daro, Pakistan. Some ancient Indus Valley technology could solve practical problems in today’s world.

The Helpful Harappan Explains How Ancient Indus Valley Technology Could Solve Many of Today’s Problems

What was life like in the Indus Valley Civilization? How could someone who lived so long ago teach us anything about how we should manage our lives today? The following is a historical fiction...
A tsunami stone.

Japanese Tsunami Stones: These Centuries-Old Monuments Save Lives Today

Japan is often struck by earthquakes due to its position on the Pacific Ring of Fire. At times, these seismic activities result in tsunamis - a ‘seismic or tidal sea wave’. Although such a deadly...
‘End of the World’ artistic representation.

Ancient Fears to Keep You Up at Night - The End Really, Really is Nigh

Historians often declare that at least 3500 end of world prophecies have appeared over the same number of years. And those are only the written ones! Eschatology is theology concerned with the final...
Two views of the broken skull of a young girl who was a probable victim of human sacrifice

Dismembered Remains Tell Horrifying Tale of Ritual Human Sacrifice in Ancient Crete

In the distant past, earthquakes shook not only lands, but also the ancient perspective on how to interact with the world, the gods, and each other. During a recent lecture at the Archaeological...
‘The Deluge’ (1805) by J.M.W. Turner.

The Comet that Sparked a Worldwide Flood ‘Myth’

It seems that Noah’s Great Biblical Flood was caused by comet fragments striking the earth. Isaac Newton was the first one to come up with a theory connecting the flood to a comet strike, in 1680...
Main: A giant wave (public domain) Inset: This is the skull of a person who lived in what's now Papua New Guinea, 6,000 years ago.

6,000-Year-Old Skull is Earliest Known Victim of a Tsunami

Tsunamis spell calamity. These giant waves, caused by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and underwater landslides, are some of the deadliest natural disasters known; the 2004 tsunami in the Indian...
Artist’s depiction of an Ancient Egyptian girl kneeling by the Nile River.

Volcanic Eruptions and Climate Change Incited Upheaval in Ancient Egypt - and Historians Warn of Repetition

The Nile river was the lifeblood of ancient Egypt. When the waterway flooded nearby lands things were good, but a lack of that precious water caused serious issues. Now, historians have found that...
Hurricane Irma centered over the island of Barbuda.

Hurricane Irma Leaves Island of Barbuda Uninhabited for the First Time in 4,000 Years

2017 is a turning point in the history of Barbuda. Due to the devastation of Hurricane Irma, this small Caribbean island currently has no human inhabitants. As Ambassador Ronald Sanders, Antigua and...
Priestess of Delphi (1891) by John Collier. (Public Domain) Drawing of the Tholos of Delphi, Greece.

Earthquake Faults May Have Shaken up the Cultural Practices of Ancient Greece

The Ancient Greeks may have built sacred or treasured sites deliberately on land previously affected by earthquake activity, according to a new study by the University of Plymouth. Professor of...
his head of indurated limestone is a fragment from a group statue that represented Amun seated on a throne, and Tutankhamun standing or kneeling in front of him. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

The Hunt for Ankhesenamun: A Murderess, Vixen or Helpless Child in this Ancient Egyptian Soap Opera? Part II

Ankhesenamun, wife of the boy-king Tutankhamun , is portrayed in many ways; as a terrified and hapless youngster; a power-hungry murderess; or a loathsome vixen who will stop at nothing to achieve...
Cataclysmic natural disasters frame indelible human stories.

No Smoke Without Fire: The Existence of Xia Dynasty and the Great Flood Legend

The Xia Dynasty is traditionally regarded as the first dynasty of China. This dynasty is believed to have been founded by Yu the Great towards the end of the 3 rd millennium BC, and lasted until...
Tsunami. Image copyright © Dustin Naef. Mount Shasta's Legends & Forgotten History, 2016.

Cascadia: A Vast, Dark Green Land of Mystery – Part II

[Read Part I] The twenty-first century is turning out to be a bad time for people who want certainty about our past human origins and history. All of the solid information we thought we possessed...
Mount Shasta. (Image credit copyright © Dustin Naef.)

Cascadia: The Other “Lost Continent” – Part I

It was said that the end came without warning... Once, long ago, as the people slept, the sun came out at night. It shot a flaming arrow across the heavens which burst into thousands of fragments,...
Cataclysmic natural disasters frame indelible human stories.

First Evidence of Legendary Great Flood in China May Rewrite History

David R. Montgomery / The Conversation Modern people have long wondered about ancient stories of great floods. Do they tell of real events in the distant past, or are they myths rooted in imagination...

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