In all over 118 New York firefighters claimed they heard explosions just before the collapse of both Towers. ibid.
Around the world high-rise steel buildings have remained standing despite the most intense fire damage. ibid.
‘The missing evidence is the aircraft.’ ibid. professor of materials
Molten aluminium can be one of the most explosive substances in the world. ibid.
The presence of aircraft debris in the fires could provide a solution to the outstanding question of why so many people heard explosions prior to the collapse. ibid.
Cleveland was rapidly becoming the bombing capital of the world. The following year – 1977 – 37 explosions rocked the city and surrounding area. Mobsters: Danny Greene, FYI 21010
At exactly 8.15 an American bombardier above them pulled a lever. The commuters may have seen a flash of light but within seconds they and the city of Hiroshima were engulfed in the largest man-made explosion in history. James Fox, The Art of Japanese Life II: Cities, BBC 2017
A daring expedition makes its way to one of the most remote places on Earth: Bikini Atoll. It’s here to explore the world’s most extraordinary ship graveyard: giant Japanese and American warships rest side by side on the ocean floor. These once proud ships were sacrificed in one of the most spectacular experiments of all time. Ghost Fleet of Bikini Atoll, National Geographic 2018
The Bikinians had barely left in 1946 when Operation Crossroads Taskforce One descended on their Atoll. ibid.
Goats, sheep, rats and pigs were placed aboard the target vessels. ibid.
The first [Bikini] atomic test codenamed Able ... It would be the first atomic bomb to explode in peacetime. ibid.
But few of the large ships ... had sunk. The disappointment was enormous. Especially for the Air Force who had hoped for much more spectacular results. ibid.
The military finally had their spectacle. ibid.
What impact did this have on marine and island life? ibid.
Banished from their home a second time. ibid.
By 1958 the United States had tested twenty-three nuclear bombs on Bikini, climaxing with the Hydrogen bomb test – codenamed Bravo. ibid.
Radiation is still dangerously present in the eco-system. No-one knows for sure how this will affect island and marine wildlife in the long run. ibid.
The Big Bang: the most violent explosion there has ever been brought everything into existence. This early universe was hot – so hot it contained only raging energy. After just one second some energy was transformed into the seeds of matter, and the universe filled with a dense fog. 400,000 years passed as the universe grew, and eventually the fog settled to form atoms. Horizon: Is Everything We Know About the Universe Wrong? BBC 2010
30th June 1908, Siberia: The region of Tunguska sees the biggest explosion in human history. In one hour the explosion and the great fire that followed destroy a region of forest the size of Greater London. They say that the Tunguska explosion had the force of more than 1,000 Hiroshimas. Big Bang in Tunguska, Netflix 2008
There is still no conclusive evidence. And no shortage of explanations. ibid.
‘My favourite theory is that it was a spacecraft from another planet.’ ibid. scientist
Miner: There’s been an explosion on 15s!
Above ground: Message received and understood. Play for Today: The Price of Coal II: Back to Reality, explosion in pit, BBC 1977
There’s been an accident and we’ve all got to come home. ibid. son to mum, dad missing
On April 25th 1986 Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev has been in power for only one year … Chernobyl is a symbol of the Soviet Union’s industrial and technological muscle. Soviet nuclear scientists consider it to be the cream of the nation’s nuclear plants. Seconds from Disaster s1e7: Meltdown in Chernobyl
Chernobyl has four reactors all running at the same time. ibid.
A safety drill – but from the start, problems develop, and now something seems to be going very wrong. The young men who work the night shift struggle to prevent a major nuclear accident. ibid.
Chernobyl’s number four reactor explodes. The force of the explosion blows the reactor’s 2,000-ton steel roof sideways. 8 tons of highly reactive fuel blast into the night sky. ibid.
Guadalajala, Mexico: What lies beneath its streets is a labyrinth of pipes, cables and tunnels … The unthinkable happens: 206 citizens lose their lives. Seconds from Disaster s1e8: Inferno in Guadalajala
April 21st 1992: A foul smell has been hanging in the air for two days … People report seeing gas plumes coming out of manhole covers. Something is wrong underground … Residents now discover gasoline in their water supply. ibid.
The blast tears underground along the sewer line … Like a bomb zone … and still the blasts continue … The scale of destruction is immense. ibid.
15,000 people are homeless, 1,440 injured, and 206 dead. ibid.
Gasoline in the sewers … ‘an erosion takes place; the wall of the gasoline pipe decreases and the leak of gasoline takes place.’ ibid. expert
Piper Alpha, one of the most productive oil platforms in the North Sea. It’s a city anchored in the ocean supporting more than 200 workers and pumping oil 24 hours a day. Then a routine day ends in disaster. 167 men perish in 1 hour and 30 minutes. Seconds from Disaster s1e10: Explosion in the North Sea
Piper Alpha has been in service for 12 years. Its main job is processing oil. ibid.
July 6th 1988: 10 p.m. Piper Alpha is shaken by a second colossal explosion captured on this video. A large section of the rig is engulfed in a roaring fireball. ibid.
By 12.45 a.m. the 20,000-ton Piper Alpha platform is gone. ibid.
The slumbering volcanic peak of Mount St Helens. In its shadow one of America’s most beautiful national forests, a magnet for vacationers seeking the great outdoors. But then, without warning, the volcano erupts; in just 4 minutes the blast flattens 220 square miles. Huge muds flows surge down 150 miles of river valleys. 57 people die. Seconds from Disaster s2e4: Mount St Helens
Mount St Helens spews smoke and ash higher than a mile into the sky. The volcano has woken up from a 123-year sleep. ibid.
October 2002, Bali: Hundreds of young tourists enjoy a tropical island resort. Then massive explosions rip through the packed nightclubs. The bombings claim 202 lives. It’s the worst act of terror since 9/11. Seconds from Disaster s2e8: The Bali Bombing
At a rented house 11 kilometres away terrorist mastermind Samudra calls a strategy meeting. The five men present are part of an Islamic terrorist network … trained by al-Qaeda. ibid.
15 seconds after the first black a second colossal explosion … kills dozens inside and outside the Sari Club instantly … a scene of carnage and devastation. ibid.
An ordinary day in San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1996. Christmas is coming and the city is packed with shoppers. Then a massive blast rips through the streets overturning vehicles and causing widespread disaster. Seconds from Disaster s2e13: Puerto Rico Gas Explosion
33 people are dead and more than 80 are injured. ibid.
Rescuers spend days clambering through the shattered building. ibid.
What if it was gas? If that’s true, who knows how many other lives are still as stake … A massive buildup of some kind of flammable gas must have ignited … Propane is heavier than air so will sink and gather in invisible pools near the floor. ibid.
Russia, August 2000, Kursk: She’s at the cutting-edge of Russia defences: powered by two nuclear reactors, she’s 150-metres long and as high as a six-storey building. More than twice the size of a jumbo jet. Seconds from Disaster s2e16: Russia’s Nuclear Sub Nightmare
A shockwave bursts through the command centre; the crew are slammed to the floor. Toxic smoke pours into the room. An explosion tears through the torpedo room of the giant Russian submarine … Another detonation rips through the front of Kursk … All 118 men are dead. ibid.
The Russian Navy has documented 25 cases of submarine collisions since 1967. ibid.
The chilling truth is that Kursk was on the brink of nuclear disaster. ibid.
The first small explosion … The torpedo is Tube 4 was the first thing to explode ... When certain metals or even rust come into contact with HTP they act as a catalyst: the hydrogen peroxide breaks down into oxygen and steam … ibid.