FIVE HUNDRED AND ONE MOST DEVASTATING DISASTERS

This collection of 501 of the world's worst disasters spans almost 2.500 years of history. It includes natural calamities like the eruption of Vesuvius or the Indian Ocean Tsunami, unstoppable diseases such as the Black Death and AIDS, and terrible accidents like the sinking of the Titanic. Most shocking of all are the disasters that need never happened, caused by the sheer savagery and negligence of man ? the devastation wrought by war, genocide and massacre, the tragedy of Chernobyl or Bhopal. And then there are the all-too-frequent about by the folly and greed of a few but which wreak havoc on the lives of the many.

501 Most Devastating Disasters is a reminder of how hazardous the world is, how little control we really ever have over our own destiny, and how anyone can suddenly find themselves plunged into a desperate situation by the inexorable hand of fate. Much of what you read here may be grim. Yet this collection is also a testament to human resilience, demonstrating mankind's ability to suffer catastrophe time and time again only to get back up carry on ? a triumph of the spirit of endurance against overwhelming odds.