The complete archive
Every published Chaos File, arranged for fast scanning. Choose a subject or open whatever catches your eye.
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2–6 September 1666
Pudding Lane and the medieval City of London, United Kingdom
A fire that began in a Pudding Lane bakery spread across the densely built City of London during dry, windy weather. Over four days it consumed most …
August–September 1854
The former Broad Street pump, now Broadwick Street, Soho, United Kingdom
During a severe cholera outbreak in Soho, physician John Snow mapped deaths and interviewed residents about where they obtained water. The concentration of cases among people who …
18–21 April 1906
San Francisco and the San Andreas Fault rupture zone, United States
At 5:12 a.m. on 18 April, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake ruptured hundreds of kilometers of the San Andreas Fault. Severe shaking damaged communities across northern California. In …
30 June 1908
Forest near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River, Russia
A brilliant fireball and immense atmospheric explosion occurred over a remote part of central Siberia. The blast flattened trees across a vast area but left no obvious …
25 March 1911
The Asch Building, now NYU’s Brown Building, United States
Fire swept through the upper floors of the Triangle Waist Company near Washington Square, killing 146 workers. Many victims were young immigrant women. Inadequate exits, crowded work …
15 January 1919
Former Purity Distilling tank site on Commercial Street, United States
A steel storage tank holding about 2.3 million gallons of molasses failed in Boston’s North End, sending a fast-moving wave through streets, buildings, and an elevated railway. …
27 March 1964
Prince William Sound rupture zone and south-central Alaska, United States
A magnitude 9.2 earthquake ruptured the Alaska–Aleutian subduction zone for roughly four and a half minutes, making it the most powerful earthquake recorded in United States history. …
28 June–3 July 1969
Stonewall Inn, Christopher Park, and surrounding Greenwich Village streets, United States
After police raided the Stonewall Inn in the early hours of 28 June 1969, patrons and a growing crowd resisted rather than dispersing. Confrontations and demonstrations continued …
26 April 1986
Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 4, Ukraine
During a low-power safety test, Unit 4 of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant became unstable and was destroyed by explosions and fire. Radioactive material spread across large …
9 November 1989
Bornholmer Straße border crossing and crossings across Berlin, Germany
After months of peaceful demonstrations, emigration, and mounting pressure on East Germany’s government, an unclear announcement about new travel rules drew crowds to Berlin’s border crossings. At …
11 March 2011
Pacific coast of Tōhoku, northeastern Honshu, Japan
A magnitude 9.1 megathrust earthquake off northeastern Honshu generated a tsunami that reached the coast within about 30 minutes. The water overtopped defenses, destroyed communities, and caused …
11–13 July 2014
Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel, United States
DashCon was an independently organized convention aimed at Tumblr fandom communities. Payment disputes, canceled appearances, an emergency appeal for attendee money, and frustrated guests overtook the program. …
27–28 April 2017
Festival site near Rokers Point, Great Exuma, The Bahamas
Fyre Festival was sold through celebrity-heavy social media marketing as an exclusive music event in The Bahamas. Guests arriving on Great Exuma instead found unfinished infrastructure, canceled …
19–22 September 2019
Rachel and the approaches to the Nevada Test and Training Range, United States
A satirical Facebook event inviting people to ‘storm’ Area 51 drew millions of online responses and forced officials in rural Lincoln County to plan for an unknowable …
7 November 2020
Four Seasons Total Landscaping, 7347 State Road, United States
Attorneys and supporters of President Donald Trump held a post-election press conference in the back lot of Four Seasons Total Landscaping in northeast Philadelphia. Earlier announcements using …