Ann Elizabeth Hodges was taking a nap on this day when she was rudely awakened by a meteorite crashing through her roof.
All in Accidents
The Westfield Ferry
In 1871, 125 lives were lost when one of the Staten Island ferries exploded.
Empire State Disaster
A B-25 bomber on a routine transport mission slammed into the Empire State Building.
Wingfoot Air Express
A dirigible burst into flames and crashed through the skylight of a Chicago bank.
Hero Boiled Alive
Others warned him not to dive in, but he told them, "Like hell I won't!"
Bad Idea
Garry Hoy's fatal plunge is now a gold standard in the realm of urban legends.
Howard Hughes Crashes
Howard Hughes took one of the fastest planes ever built on a maiden flight that almost killed him.
All-American Hero
One by one, three boys fell off the underwater cliff. None of them could swim, and neither could Joe Delaney.
Exxon Valdez
Estimates are that as many 250,000 sea birds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 247 bald eagles and billions of salmon eggs were killed.
The Agony of Defeat
Today was the day that Yugoslavian ski jumper, Vinko Bogataj, wiped out in spectacular fashion during a competition in Oberstdorf, West Germany.
Casey Jones
Today is the birthday of John Luther Jones, or as history remembers him, Casey Jones.
The Lakeview Gusher
It would flow out of control for 18 months. Over 9 million barrels of crude oil were spilled before the well could finally be contained. At its peak, the spill formed a 60-acre lake of oil.
U.S.S Princeton
An exploding cannon killed 8 people, including members of President John Tyler's cabinet.
Quebec Bridge
In 1907 two massive sections of the bridge snapped off and plunged over 300 feet into the Saint Lawrence River.
Death by Cornflake
Lon Chaney is most remembered for his iconic roles as Quasimodo, the deformed bell ringer in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and as Erik in The Phantom of the Opera.
Adios Amigo
Jim Reeves was one of the smoothest crooners on the airwaves in the fifties and early sixties. His velvety voice helped establish the Nashville Sound.
Death at the Hyatt
114 people were killed and over 200 were injured when an elevated walkway collapsed at the Hyatt Regency in Kansas City, Missouri.