Black Saturday bushfires2009 Australian firesThe Black Saturday bushfires were a series of bushfires that either ignited or were already burning across the Australian state of Victoria on Saturday, 7 February 2009, and was one of Australia's all-time worst bushfire disasters. The fires occurred during extreme bushfire weather conditions and resulted in Australia's highest-ever loss of human life from a bushfire, with 173 fatalities. Many people were left homeless and without families as a result.
Bombing of Hamburg in World War IIBelligerentsUnited KingdomUnited StatesAustraliaCanada New Zealand South AfricaGermanyCasualties and losses Up to 104 aircraft shot down Up to 40,000 people killedThe Allied bombing of Hamburg during World War II included numerous attacks on civilians and civic infrastructure. As a large city and industrial centre, Hamburg's shipyards, U-boat pens, and the Hamburg-Harburg area oil refineries were attacked throughout the war.
FirebombingFirebombing is an aerial bombing technique designed to damage a target, generally an urban area, through the use of fire, caused by incendiary devices, rather than from the blast effect of large bombs. In popular usage, any act in which an incendiary device is used to initiate a fire is often described as a "firebombing".
Peshtigo fireThe Peshtigo Fire was a wildfire on October 8, 1871, in northeastern Wisconsin, United States, including much of the southern half of the Door Peninsula and adjacent parts of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The largest community in the affected area was Peshtigo, Wisconsin, which had a population of approximately 1,700 residents.
Great Hinckley FireThe Great Hinckley Fire was a conflagration in the pine forests of the U.S. state of Minnesota that ignited on September 1, 1894, which burned an area of at least 200,000 acres (810 km; 310 sq mi) (perhaps more than 250,000 acres [1,000 km; 390 sq mi]), including the town of Hinckley. The official death count was 418; the actual number of fatalities was likely higher. Other sources put the death toll at 476.
WildfireA wildfire, forest fire, brushfire or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Some natural forest ecosystems depend on wildfire. Modern forest management often engages in prescribed burns to mitigate fire risk and promote natural forest cycles. Controlled burns can turn into wildfires if they escape containment lines.
ConflagrationA conflagration is a particularly large and destructive fire. In the environment, this may describe a fire that spreads via structure to structure, ignition due to radiant or convective heat, or ember transmission. Conflagrations often damage human life, animal life, health, and/or property. A conflagration can begin accidentally or be intentionally created (arson).
2021 British Columbia wildfiresThe 2021 British Columbia wildfires burned across the Canadian province of British Columbia. The wildfires burned an area of about 8,600 square kilometres. A wildfire destroyed most of the Village of Lytton and a nearby First Nation, taking two lives. The BC Wildfire Service attributed the severity of the 2021 wildfire season to a combination of extreme heat, lower than normal rainfall, and "repeated severe thunderstorms and lightning events."
CompassA modern military compass, with included sight device for aligningA compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It typically consists of a magnetized needle or another element, such as a compass card or compass rose, that pivots to align itself with magnetic north. Other methods may be used, including gyroscopes, magnetometers, and GPS receivers.
ExplosiveSubstance that can explode Demonstration of the explosive properties of three different explosives; four explosions are demonstrated. Three are conducted on a solid marble base, and one is conducted on the demonstrator's hand; each is initiated by a splint. An explosive is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure.
Bombing of DresdenAerial bombing attacks in 1945BelligerentsUnited KingdomUnited States GermanyStrength769 RAF Lancasterheavy bombers9 RAF Mosquito medium bombers527 USAAF B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers784 USAAF P-51 Mustang fighters28 Messerschmitt Bf 110 night fightersAnti-aircraft gunsCasualties and losses 7 aircraft (1 B-17 and 6 Lancasters, with crews) Up to 25,000 people killedDestruction visible from the Rathaus ('townhall') in 1945In four raids between 13 and 15 February 1945, 772 heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force (RAF) and 527 of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) dropped more than 3,900 tons of high-explosive bombs and incendiary devices on the German city of Dresden.
Beaufort scaleThe Beaufort scale ( ) is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale. It was devised in 1805 by Francis Beaufort, a hydrographer in the British Royal Navy. It was officially adopted by the Royal Navy and later spread internationally.
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