You’ve heard of the Titanic. But what about the disaster that killed more people just weeks after the Civil War ended?
America’s history holds devastating tragedies that have vanished from memory—disasters rooted in greed and cut corners. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), worker deaths have dropped from 38 per day in 1970 to 15 per day in 2023.
The safety standards we take for granted today were written in blood.
The steamboat deadlier than the Titanic (1865)
It was supposed to be a joyous journey home. On April 27, 1865, the steamboat Sultana carried Union soldiers freed from Confederate prison camps.
The Sultana was carrying 2,137 people—more than five times its legal capacity. According to the Sultana Association, 1,169 people died, hundreds more than on the Titanic.
Why? Money.
The government paid $5 per soldier. Captain Mason rushed a critical boiler repair for the lucrative contract. Around 2 a.m., the boiler exploded, killing 400 instantly.
The disaster was buried by bigger news—Lincoln’s assassination dominated headlines.
The firestorm that burned 1.2 million acres (1871)
While Chicago burned, a deadlier fire raged 250 miles north.
The Peshtigo Fire burned 1.2 million acres and killed 1,500 to 2,500 people—five times Chicago’s toll. The logging industry was partially to blame.
They left massive debris piles that an unusually dry summer turned into tinder. A cold front brought 100 mph winds, creating 2,000-degree temperatures.
According to the History Channel, witnesses said the fire moved like a tornado, consuming oxygen so fast that people burst into flames.
Many drowned in the frigid Peshtigo River while the air above burned.
The tunnel that killed 764 workers (1930-1931)
Desperate men came to West Virginia for work that would kill them within months.
Nearly 3,000 workers drilled the Hawk’s Nest Tunnel for Union Carbide through pure silica rock. According to NPR, at least 764 people died from silicosis.
The company used dry drilling, creating a white cloud so thick that workers couldn’t see ten feet. Safety measures existed but were ignored.
Two-thirds were African American migrants who were paid less and forced to work in the deadliest conditions.
According to HeinOnline’s research, the company paymaster said: I knew they were going to kill them… but I didn’t know they were going to kill them so quickly.
The company hired an undertaker for mass burials in unmarked graves. Neither Union Carbide nor its contractor faced consequences.
The rich men’s dam that killed 2,209 (1889)
The wealthy’s playground became a working-class tomb.
On May 31, 1889, the South Fork Dam collapsed, unleashing 20 million tons of water on Johnstown, Pennsylvania. According to the National Park Service, 2,209 people died.
The dam was owned by an exclusive club that counted Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick as members.
To improve their resort, they lowered the dam, removed discharge pipes and sold them for scrap, and installed fish screens that clogged with debris. The flood wave picked up 33 train engines.
A 2016 hydraulic analysis confirmed the club’s modifications severely reduced the dam’s ability to withstand storms.
Their lawyers argued it was an Act of God.
Boston’s molasses tsunami (1919)
On January 15, 1919, a 50-foot tank exploded, releasing 2.3 million gallons of molasses at 35 mph. According to Boston.gov, 21 people died and 150 were injured.
Why so deadly? According to engineer Dr. Sharp, molasses is 1.5 times denser than water.
The Boston Post reported horses died like so many flies on sticky fly paper. The tank, rushed for WWI munitions production, leaked from day one. The company painted it brown to hide the leaks.
After six years and 45,000 pages of testimony, the company paid $600,000.
The disaster created regulations requiring engineers to sign plans.
The explosion that gave gas its smell (1937)
With ten minutes left in the school day, New London School exploded.
According to the Texas Historical Association, 295 students and teachers died on March 18, 1937. The wealthy school illegally tapped into odorless residue gas to save $300 monthly.
Gas built up for weeks undetected. At 3:17 p.m., a spark ignited the mixture, instantly destroying the building.
One survivor recalled fathers fighting over dead children like dogs over a bone, yelling, ‘That’s mine. ‘
Within weeks, Texas required a rotten-egg smell to be added to all gas, which is now federal law.
The factory with locked doors (1911)
On March 25, 1911, fire engulfed the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.
According to the Labor Department, 146 workers died in 18 minutes, mostly young immigrant women and girls. The deaths came from locked doors.
Owners locked exits to prevent breaks and theft. The fire escape collapsed. Ladders couldn’t reach high enough.
According to AFL-CIO, 62 workers jumped from ninth-story windows—a reporter described: Thud-dead, thud-dead, thud-dead.
Owners were fined $75 per life but collected $400 per death from insurance. The outrage sparked 30+ new workplace safety laws.
America’s deadliest industrial accident (1947)
On April 16, 1947, Texas City’s port was obliterated.
The SS Grandcamp, loaded with 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate, caught fire. The captain sealed the hatches and added steam—catastrophic for an oxidizer.
According to the State History Museum, 581 people died at 9:12 a.m. when it detonated. The blast created a 15-foot tidal wave and shattered windows 40 miles away.
It killed all but one firefighter. Fifteen hours later, a second ship exploded even more powerfully.
The explosion that helped end segregation (1944)
On July 17, 1944, two ammunition ships exploded at Port Chicago Naval Magazine.
According to the National Park Service, 320 men died in WWII’s worst home-front disaster. The disaster exposed military racism.
All 1,400 enlisted munitions loaders were Black. All officers were white. According to the WWII Museum, they received no training and were forced to race for faster loading.
After the blast, 258 refused to resume under deadly conditions. Fifty were convicted of mutiny. Thurgood Marshall fought for them.
The injustice helped spark the 1948 military desegregation. In 2024, the Navy finally exonerated all 256 men.
When the circus became an inferno (1944)
On July 6, 1944, fire erupted at a Ringling Bros. circus in Hartford.
According to reports, 167 died and 700 were injured. Two-thirds were children. The tent was coated with 1,800 pounds of paraffin wax dissolved in 6,000 gallons of gasoline.
Flaming paraffin rained down on 7,000 spectators. The tent collapsed in eight minutes.
Survivor Carol Tillman Parrish recalled: Until this day, I can smell the stench of human flesh. The NFPA created strict safety codes for public venues—flame-retardant materials, clear exits, and fire safety personnel.
Key Takeaway
From the Sultana to Hartford, these disasters reveal how tragedy is born from negligence and greed—especially when victims are poor, immigrants, or minorities.
But they also show that public outrage forces change. The safety regulations protecting us today were written in the ashes of these tragedies.
Safety is never an accident. It’s a choice, paid for in blood, that someone fought to make mandatory.
Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information. It is not intended to be professional advice.
How to save on international money transfers: What banks don’t tell you
How to Save on International Money Transfers
Normally, I’d question the secret fees that are hidden in my bank’s international money transfer services. While banks sometimes advertise low transfer fees, they usually do not mention the substantial exchange rate margins that quietly siphon money out of your funds. It shouldn’t be expensive to send money overseas.
I’ve discovered seven practical strategies anyone can use to save on international money transfers. Whether you’re sending a hundred dollars to a family member or paying for a service in a foreign country, these tactics will help you hold onto more of your hard-earned cash.
16 grocery staples to stock up on before prices spike again
16 Grocery Staples to Stock Up On Before Prices Spike Again
I was in the grocery store the other day, and it hit me—I’m buying the exact same things I always do, but my bill just keeps getting higher. Like, I swear I just blinked, and suddenly eggs are a luxury item. What’s going on?
Inflation, supply-chain delays, and erratic weather conditions have modestly (or, let’s face it, dramatically) pushed the prices of staples ever higher. The USDA reports that food prices climbed an additional 2.9% year over year in May 2025—and that’s after the inflation storm of 2022–2023.
So, if you’ve got room in a pantry, freezer, or even a couple of extra shelves, now might be a good moment to stock up on these staple groceries—before the prices rise later.
