13 Disasters That Changed History In Unexpected Ways

Occurring in 1942 in Boston, the Cocoanut Grove Nightclub fire led to a significant loss of life, with almost 500 people dying as a result of the flame. A number of factors contributed to the high death toll. The club was both incredibly overcrowded and there was only one entrance, making it almost impossible for many of those who were caught unawares by the blaze to escape. 

As is so often the case with such terrible events, however, there was an unexpected benefit to this tragedy. The hospitals where the victims were taken perfected strategies for dealing with those who had suffered traumatic burn injuries. 

At Mass General, in particular, the hospital went against common medical wisdom of the time and covered the burns rather than using debridement. This practice proved to be effective in reducing infection, and it would set the stage for many other advancements in the care of serious burns.

Before COVID-19 upended the world, the Spanish Flu was the pandemic most people thought of when they reflected on the ability of a pathogen to sweep across the world. The disease that would become known as the Spanish Flu swept the globe in 1918-1919, ultimately taking the lives of 50 million people and infecting many, many more - and it was especially deadly among younger people. 

In addition to the tremendous impact on those who were adults at the time the Spanish Flu hit, the disease also seems to have impacted those who were born shortly thereafter. Though it wouldn’t become clear until many years after the Flu abated, those who were born in 1919 were significantly more likely to develop heart disease and diabetes in their later years. 

It has also been postulated that the flu somehow triggered an outbreak of encephalitis lethargica, a bewildering sleeping sickness that emerged during the same time period (particularly among the young), though no direct link has been found.

In addition to being devastating in the immediate term, volcanic eruptions have often had a significant impact on the unfolding of events far away. The 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia, the deadliest in human history, was a truly cataclysmic event, and it is estimated to have killed 100,000 people during its initial blast. However, it wasn’t long before its impact was felt across the globe. 

In addition to causing a weather disturbance that lasted for three years, it also led to numerous crop failures. As if all this wasn’t enough, a new strain of cholera - enabled by the reduced temperatures caused by the eruption - formed in the Bay of Bengal. Soon it was spreading across the world, causing tens of millions of deaths. 

Though it lasted for less than 20 minutes, the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire would have tremendous consequences for American labor. What started out as a small fire soon engulfed the building and, because the doors were locked (in order to keep the workers from leaving on unauthorized breaks), the results were predictably catastrophic. In desperation, many workers jumped to their deaths.  

In addition to various labor reforms, the fire would have a significant impact on one Frances Perkins, who, after witnessing the fire, would go on to become Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor - and the first woman to hold a Cabinet position. When she came to Washington, she would become a tireless advocate for the rights of workers. Her famous quote is, “I came to Washington to work for God, FDR, and the millions of forgotten, plain common workingmen."

Perkins was also a key voice in the creation of social security, which would itself fundamentally transform the relationship of American citizens to their government.

San Francisco has endured a significant number of seismic effects during its history, thanks to its location on the San Andreas Fault. Few, however, have had such wide-ranging consequences as the one that occurred in 1906, which led not only to significant loss of life but also to major property damage. In an increasingly globalized world, however, the impact of the damage soon spread beyond San Francisco. 

Of particular importance was the amount of money paid out by British insurance companies to their customers in California. This, in turn, led to significant financial strain that produced the conditions that engendered the Knickerbocker Trust Company crisis and the subsequent Panic of 1907. 

The resultant financial chaos led to an increased demand for an overhaul of the financial system and, after several pieces of legislation, the foundation of the Federal Reserve.

Few pandemics have been as devastating as the Black Death. When it rampaged through Europe in the 14th century, its mortality was truly devastating, and the disease spared neither the high nor the low, felling both peasants and princesses. 

Given its extraordinary mortality, it’s unsurprising to find the disease fundamentally reshaped many aspects of life in Europe. What’s more surprising, however, is the extent to which some of these changes were actually a net positive.

Most notably, the Black Death created a remarkable labor shortage. Recent research has demonstrated the extent to which this gave laborers, particularly serfs, greater economic and political agency. They soon began to agitate for better working conditions and, in those areas that had been most potently affected by the Black Death, the long-standing institution of serfdom began to crumble. 

The effects of the Black Death could be felt, experts often argue, well into the 19th century.