List of disasters in the United States by death toll
201 to 400 deaths
Table:
Year

Type

Fatalities

Damage (US$)

Article

Location

Comments

1857

Shipwreck

400

SS Central America, 1857

Off the coast of Georgia

Fatalities estimated

1860

Accident – shipwreck

400

PS Lady Elgin

Chicago, Illinois

1888

Blizzard

400

Great Blizzard of 1888

Northeastern United States

Fatalities estimated

1937

Flood

385

$5,000,000,000

Ohio River flood of 1937

Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois

1944

Accident – explosion

372

USS Mount Hood[11]

New Guinea

Ammunition ship explosion.

1907

Accident – coal mine

362

Monongah mining disaster

Monongah, West Virginia

1913

Flood

361

Great Dayton Flood

Dayton, Ohio

Flood was created by a series of three winter storms that hit the region in March, 1913

1950

Blizzard

353

$66,700,000
(1950)

Great Appalachian Storm of November 1950

Eastern United States

2011

Tornado outbreak

348

~$11,000,000,000
(2011)

2011 Super Outbreak

Midwestern United States, Southern United States, Eastern United States

360 tornadoes, with one of the deadliest in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, Alabama. 324 tornadic deaths, with another 24 from related weather.

1932

Tornado outbreak

330

$4,340,000

1932 Deep South tornado outbreak

Southern United States

At least 36 tornadoes, including 10 violent (F4 or F5) storms, resulting in 268 deaths in Alabama alone.

1930

Fire (building)

322

Ohio Penitentiary

Columbus, Ohio

1944

Accident – explosion

320

Port Chicago disaster

Port Chicago, California

World War II ammunition ignited

1974

Tornado outbreak

319

$3,500,000,000
(2005)

1974 Super Outbreak

Ontario, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and New York

148 tornadoes

1993

Cyclonic blizzard

318

$6,650,000,000
(2008)

1993 Storm of the Century

Eastern United States

1865

Accident – explosion

300

Mobile magazine explosion

Mobile, Alabama

Civil War ammunition

1921

Race riot

300

Tulsa race riot

Tulsa, Oklahoma

White mob attacks affluent black neighborhood

1890

Mass murder, Mass shooting

150-300

Wounded Knee Massacre

Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota

White U.S. Cavalry troops went to a Native American reserve and shot and killed between 150-300 Native Americans.

1937

Accident – explosion

296–319

$13,000,000
(2003)

New London School explosion

New London, Texas

Gas leak

1960

Blizzard

286

December 1960 nor'easter

Northeastern United States

1881

Wildfire (rural)

282

$2,347,000

Thumb Fire

Michigan

Drawing on the following table as well as the background passages provided at the end.

State the answer to the question: Which location was affected by a most recent disaster characterised as a severe snowstorm ? Respond with the correct answer (omit explanations) in JSON format as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Do not introduce information beyond the provided sources.

A shipwreck is the remains of a ship that has wrecked , which are found either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water . Shipwrecking may be deliberate or accidental . In January 1999 , Angela Croome estimated that there have been about three million shipwrecks worldwide ( an estimate rapidly endorsed by UNESCO and other organizations ) .
SS Central America , known as the Ship of Gold , was a 280-foot ( 85 m ) sidewheel steamer that operated between Central America and the eastern coast of the United States during the 1850s . She was originally named the SS George Law , after Mr. George Law of New York . The ship sank in a hurricane in September 1857 , along with 425 of her 578 passengers and crew and 30,000 pounds ( 14,000 kg ) of gold , contributing to the Panic of 1857 .
Georgia ( /ˈdʒɔːrdʒə/ ) is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States . Georgia is the 24th largest in area and 8th-most populous of the 50 United States . Georgia is bordered to the north by Tennessee and North Carolina , to the northeast by South Carolina , to the southeast by the Atlantic Ocean , to the south by Florida , and to the west by Alabama . Its 2019 estimated population was 10,617,423 , according to the U.S. Census Bureau . Atlanta , a beta ( + ) global city , is both the state 's capital and its largest city . The Atlanta metropolitan area , with an estimated population of 5.9 million people in 2018 , is the 9th most populous metropolitan area in the United States and contains about 56% of the entire state population . Founded in 1733 as a British colony , Georgia was the last and southernmost of the original Thirteen Colonies to be established . Named after King George II of Great Britain , the Colony of Georgia covered the area from South Carolina south to Spanish Florida and west to French Louisiana at the Mississippi River . On January 2 , 1788 , Georgia became the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution . From 1802 to 1804 , western Georgia was split to form the Mississippi Territory , which later was admitted as the U.S. states of Alabama and Mississippi . Georgia declared its secession from the Union on January 19 , 1861 , and was one of the original seven Confederate States . Following the Civil War , it was the last state to be restored to the Union , on July 15 , 1870 .
An accident is an unplanned event that sometimes has convenient or undesirable consequences , other times being inconsequential . The term implies that such an event may not be preventable since its antecedent circumstances go unrecognized and unaddressed . Most scientists who study unintentional injury avoid using the term accident and focus on factors that increase risk of severe injury and that reduce injury incidence and severity .
The PS Lady Elgin was a wooden-hulled sidewheel steamship that sank in Lake Michigan off the fledgling town of Port Clinton , Illinois , whose geography is now divided between Highland Park and Highwood , Illinois , after she was rammed in a gale by the schooner Augusta in the early hours of September 8 , 1860 . The passenger manifest was lost with the collision , but the sinking of Lady Elgin resulted in the loss of about 300 lives in what was called one of the greatest marine horrors on record . Four years after the disaster , a new rule required sailing vessels to carry running lights . The Lady Elgin disaster remains the greatest loss of life on open water in the history of the Great Lakes . In 1994 , a process began to list the shipwreck on the National Register of Historic Places . After it was determined to be eligible for listing in 1999 , the process ended after an objection by the owner , so the shipwreck is not listed on the Register .
Chicago ( /ʃɪˈkɑːɡoʊ/ ( listen ) , locally also /ʃɪˈkɔːɡoʊ/ ) , officially the City of Chicago , is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois , and the third-most-populous city in the United States . With an estimated population of 2,705,994 ( 2018 ) , it is also the most populous city in the Midwestern United States . Chicago is the county seat of Cook County , the second-most-populous county in the US , with a small portion of the northwest side of the city extending into DuPage County near O'Hare Airport . Chicago is the principal city of the Chicago metropolitan area , often referred to as Chicagoland . At nearly 10 million people , the metropolitan area is the third most populous in the United States . Located on the shores of freshwater Lake Michigan , Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837 near a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed and grew rapidly in the mid-19th century . After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 , which destroyed several square miles and left more than 100,000 homeless , the city made a concerted effort to rebuild . The construction boom accelerated population growth throughout the following decades , and by 1900 , less than 30 years after the great fire , Chicago was the fifth-largest city in the world . Chicago made noted contributions to urban planning and zoning standards , including new construction styles ( including the Chicago School of architecture ) , the development of the City Beautiful Movement , and the steel-framed skyscraper . Chicago is an international hub for finance , culture , commerce , industry , education , technology , telecommunications , and transportation . It is the site of the creation of the first standardized futures contracts , issued by the Chicago Board of Trade , which today is the largest and most diverse derivatives market in the world , generating 20% of all volume in commodities and financial futures alone . Depending on the particular year , the city 's O'Hare International Airport is routinely ranked as the world 's fifth or sixth busiest airport according to tracked data by the Airports Council International .
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds of at least 56 km/h ( 35 mph ) and lasting for a prolonged period of time - typically three hours or more . A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow is not falling but loose snow on the ground is lifted and blown by strong winds . Blizzards can have an immense size and usually stretch to hundreds or thousands of kilometres .
The Great Blizzard of 1888 , Great Blizzard of '88 , or the Great White Hurricane ( March 11-14 , 1888 ) was one of the most severe recorded blizzards in American history . The storm paralyzed the East Coast from the Chesapeake Bay to Maine , as well as the Atlantic provinces of Canada . Snow fell from 10 to 58 inches ( 25 to 147 cm ) in parts of New Jersey , New York , Massachusetts , Rhode Island , and Connecticut , and sustained winds of more than 45 miles per hour ( 72 km/h ) produced snowdrifts in excess of 50 feet ( 15 m ) . Railroads were shut down and people were confined to their homes for up to a week . Railway and telegraph lines were disabled , and this provided the impetus to move these pieces of infrastructure underground . Emergency services were also affected .
The Northeastern United States , also referred to as simply the Northeast , is a geographical region of the United States bordered to the north by Canada , to the east by the Atlantic Ocean , to the south by the southern United States , and to the west by the midwestern United States . The Northeast is one of the four regions defined by the United States Census Bureau for the collection and analysis of statistics . The Census Bureau-defined region has a total area of 181,324 sq mi ( 469,630 km2 ) with 162,257 sq mi ( 420,240 km2 ) of that being land mass . Although it lacks a unified cultural identity , the Northeastern region is the nation 's most economically developed , densely populated , and culturally diverse region . Of the nation 's four census regions , the Northeast has the second-largest percentage of residents living in an urban setting , with 85 percent , and is home to the nation 's largest metropolitan area . The Northeast is home to most of the Northeast megalopolis , the most economically significant and second most-populated of eleven megaregions within the United States , accounting for 20% of US GDP .
A flood is an overflow of water that submerges land that is usually dry . In the sense of flowing water , the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide . Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrology and are of significant concern in agriculture , civil engineering and public health . Flooding may occur as an overflow of water from water bodies , such as a river , lake , or ocean , in which the water overtops or breaks levees , resulting in some of that water escaping its usual boundaries , or it may occur due to an accumulation of rainwater on saturated ground in an areal flood . While the size of a lake or other body of water will vary with seasonal changes in precipitation and snow melt , these changes in size are unlikely to be considered significant unless they flood property or drown domestic animals . Floods can also occur in rivers when the flow rate exceeds the capacity of the river channel , particularly at bends or meanders in the waterway . Floods often cause damage to homes and businesses if they are in the natural flood plains of rivers . While riverine flood damage can be eliminated by moving away from rivers and other bodies of water , people have traditionally lived and worked by rivers because the land is usually flat and fertile and because rivers provide easy travel and access to commerce and industry . Some floods develop slowly , while others can develop in just a few minutes and without visible signs of rain . Additionally , floods can be local , impacting a neighborhood or community , or very large , affecting entire river basins .
The Ohio River flood of 1937 took place in late January and February 1937 . With damage stretching from Pittsburgh to Cairo , Illinois , 385 people died , one million people were left homeless and property losses reached $ 500 million ( $ 8.723 billion when adjusted for inflation as of January 2019 ) . Federal and state resources were strained to aid recovery as the disaster occurred during the depths of the Great Depression and a few years after the beginning of the Dust Bowl .
Ohio /oʊˈhaɪoʊ/ ( listen ) is a state in the East North Central region of the Midwestern United States . Of the fifty states , it is the 34th largest by area , the seventh most populous , and the tenth most densely populated . The state 's capital and largest city is Columbus . Ohio is bordered by Lake Erie to the north , Pennsylvania to the east , West Virginia to the southeast , Kentucky to the southwest , Indiana to the west , and Michigan to the northwest . The state takes its name from the Ohio River , whose name in turn originated from the Seneca word ohiːyo ' , meaning good river , great river or large creek . Partitioned from the Northwest Territory , Ohio was the 17th state admitted to the Union on March 1 , 1803 , and the first under the Northwest Ordinance . Ohio is historically known as the Buckeye State after its Ohio buckeye trees , and Ohioans are also known as Buckeyes . Ohio rose from the wilderness of Ohio Country west of Appalachia in colonial times through the Northwest Indian Wars as part of the Northwest Territory in the early frontier , to become the first non-colonial free state admitted to the union , to an industrial powerhouse in the 20th century before transitioning to a more information and service based economy in the 21st . The government of Ohio is composed of the executive branch , led by the governor ; the legislative branch , which comprises the bicameral Ohio General Assembly ; and the judicial branch , led by the state Supreme Court . Ohio occupies 16 seats in the United States House of Representatives . Ohio is known for its status as both a swing state and a bellwether in national elections . Seven presidents of the United States have been elected who had Ohio as their home state .
Kentucky ( UK : /kɛnˈtʌki/ ken-TUK-ee , US : /kən-/ ( listen ) kən- ) , officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky , is a state located in the Southern United States . Although styled as the State of Kentucky in the law creating it , ( because in Kentucky 's first constitution , the term state was used ) , Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth ( the others being Virginia , Pennsylvania , and Massachusetts ) . Originally a part of Virginia , in 1792 Kentucky split from it and became the 15th state to join the Union . Kentucky is the 37th most extensive and the 26th most populous of the 50 United States . Kentucky is known as the Bluegrass State , a nickname based on the bluegrass , a species of grass found in many of its pastures . One of the major regions in Kentucky is the Bluegrass Region in central Kentucky , which houses its two largest cities , Louisville and Lexington . It is a land with diverse environments and abundant resources , including the world 's longest cave system , Mammoth Cave National Park , one of the greatest lengths of navigable waterways and streams in the contiguous United States , and the two largest man-made lakes east of the Mississippi River . Kentucky is also known for horse racing , bourbon , moonshine , coal , My Old Kentucky Home historic state park , automobile manufacturing , tobacco , bluegrass music , college basketball , Kentucky Fried Chicken , and the Kentucky colonel .
Indiana /ˌɪndiˈænə/ ( listen ) is a U.S. state in the Midwestern and Great Lakes regions of North America . Indiana is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 United States . Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis . Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th U.S. state on December 11 , 1816 . Indiana borders Lake Michigan to the northwest , Michigan to the north , Ohio to the east , Kentucky to the south and southeast , and Illinois to the west . Before becoming a territory , various indigenous peoples and Native Americans inhabited Indiana for thousands of years . Since its founding as a territory , settlement patterns in Indiana have reflected regional cultural segmentation present in the Eastern United States ; the state 's northernmost tier was settled primarily by people from New England and New York , Central Indiana by migrants from the Mid-Atlantic states and from adjacent Ohio , and Southern Indiana by settlers from the Southern states , particularly Kentucky and Tennessee . Indiana has a diverse economy with a gross state product of $ 359.12 billion in 2017 . Indiana has several metropolitan areas with populations greater than 100,000 and a number of smaller industrial cities and towns . Indiana is home to professional sports teams , including the NFL 's Indianapolis Colts and the NBA 's Indiana Pacers , and hosts several notable athletic events , including the Indianapolis 500 .
Illinois ( /ˌɪləˈnɔɪ/ ( listen ) IL-ə-NOY ) is a state in the Midwestern and Great Lakes Regions of the United States . It has the fifth largest gross domestic product ( GDP ) , the sixth largest population , and the 25th largest land area of all U.S. states . Illinois has been noted as a microcosm of the entire United States . With Chicago in northeastern Illinois , small industrial cities and immense agricultural productivity in the north and center of the state , and natural resources such as coal , timber , and petroleum in the south , Illinois has a diverse economic base , and is a major transportation hub . Chicagoland , Chicago 's metropolitan area , encompasses over 65% of the state 's population . The Port of Chicago connects the state to international ports via two main routes : from the Great Lakes , via the Saint Lawrence Seaway , to the Atlantic Ocean and from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River , via the Illinois Waterway to the Illinois River . The Mississippi River , the Ohio River , and the Wabash River form parts of the boundaries of Illinois . For decades , Chicago 's O'Hare International Airport has been ranked as one of the world 's busiest airports . Illinois has long had a reputation as a bellwether both in social and cultural terms and , through the 1980s , in politics . The capital of Illinois is Springfield , which is located in the central part of the state . Although today Illinois 's largest population center is in its northeast , the state 's European population grew first in the west as the French settled lands near the Mississippi River , when the region was known as Illinois Country and was part of New France . Following the American Revolutionary War , American settlers began arriving from Kentucky in the 1780s via the Ohio River , and the population grew from south to north .
An explosion is a rapid increase in volume and release of energy in an extreme manner , usually with the generation of high temperatures and the release of gases . Supersonic explosions created by high explosives are known as detonations and travel via supersonic shock waves . Subsonic explosions are created by low explosives through a slower burning process known as deflagration .
USS Mount Hood ( AE-11 ) was the lead ship of her class of ammunition ships for the United States Navy in World War II . She was the first ship named after Mount Hood , a volcano in the Cascade Range in Oregon . On 10 November 1944 , shortly after 18 men had departed for shore leave , the rest of the crew were killed when the ship exploded in Seeadler Harbor at Manus Island in Papua New Guinea . The ship was obliterated while also sinking or severely damaging 22 smaller craft nearby .
New Guinea ( Tok Pisin : Niugini ; Hiri Motu : Niu Gini ; Indonesian : Papua , historically , Irian ) is a large island separated by the shallow Torres Strait from the rest of the Australian continent . It is the world 's second-largest island , after Greenland , covering a land area of 785,753 km2 ( 303,381 sq mi ) , and the largest island wholly or partly within the Southern Hemisphere and Oceania . The eastern half of the island is the major land mass of the independent state of Papua New Guinea . The western half , known as Western New Guinea or West Papua , forms a part of Indonesia and comprises the provinces of Papua and West Papua .
Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground . Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s , has been widely used to generate electricity . Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production . In the United Kingdom and South Africa , a coal mine and its structures are a colliery , a coal mine - a pit , and the above-ground structures - a pit head . In Australia , colliery generally refers to an underground coal mine . In the United States , colliery has been used [ when ? ] to describe a coal mine operation , but this usage is less common today . Coal mining has had many developments over the recent years , from the early days of men tunneling , digging , and manually extracting the coal on carts to large open cut and long wall mines . Mining at this scale requires the use of draglines , trucks , conveyors , hydraulic jacks and shearers .
The Monongah mining disaster of Monongah , West Virginia , occurred on December 6 , 1907 , and has been described as the worst mining disaster in American history . The explosion occurred in Fairmont Coal Companys No . 6 and No . 8 mines , and was one of the contributing events leading to the creation of the United States Bureau of Mines .
Monongah is a town in Marion County , West Virginia , USA , situated where Booths Creek flows into the West Fork River . The population was 1,044 at the 2010 census . Monongah was chartered in 1891 based on Chapter 47 of West Virginia code . Its name is derived from the nearby Monongahela River .
The Great Dayton Flood of 1913 resulted from flooding by the Great Miami River reaching Dayton , Ohio , and the surrounding area , causing the greatest natural disaster in Ohio history . In response , the General Assembly passed the Vonderheide Act to enable the formation of conservancy districts . The Miami Conservancy District , which included Dayton and the surrounding area , became one of the first major flood control districts in Ohio and the United States . The Dayton flood of March 1913 was caused by a series of severe winter rain storms that hit the Midwest in late March . Within three days , 8-11 inches ( 200-280 mm ) of rain fell throughout the Great Miami River watershed on already saturated soil , resulting in more than 90 percent runoff . The river and its tributaries overflowed . The existing levees failed , and downtown Dayton was flooded up to 20 feet ( 6.1 m ) deep . This flood is still the flood of record for the Great Miami River watershed . The volume of water that passed through the river channel during this storm equaled the monthly flow over Niagara Falls . The Great Miami River watershed covers nearly 4,000 square miles ( 10,000 km2 ) and 115 miles ( 185 km ) of channel that feeds into the Ohio River . Other Ohio cities also had flooding from these storms but none as extensive as the cities of Dayton , Piqua , Troy , and Hamilton , along the Great Miami River .
Dayton ( /ˈdeɪtən/ ) is the sixth-largest city in the state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County . A small part of the city extends into Greene County . The 2018 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 140,640 , while Greater Dayton was estimated to be at 803,416 residents . This makes Dayton the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Ohio and 63rd in the United States . Dayton is within Ohio 's Miami Valley region , just north of Greater Cincinnati . Ohio 's borders are within 500 miles ( 800 km ) of roughly 60 percent of the country 's population and manufacturing infrastructure , making the Dayton area a logistical centroid for manufacturers , suppliers , and shippers . Dayton also hosts significant research and development in fields like industrial , aeronautical , and astronautical engineering that have led to many technological innovations . Much of this innovation is due in part to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and its place in the community . With the decline of heavy manufacturing , Dayton 's businesses have diversified into a service economy that includes insurance and legal sectors as well as healthcare and government sectors . Along with defense and aerospace , healthcare accounts for much of the Dayton area 's economy . Hospitals in the Greater Dayton area have an estimated combined employment of nearly 32,000 and a yearly economic impact of $ 6.8 billion . It is estimated that Premier Health Partners , a hospital network , contributes more than $ 2 billion a year to the region through operating , employment , and capital expenditures .
The Great Appalachian Storm of November 1950 was a large extratropical cyclone which moved through the Eastern United States , causing significant winds , heavy rains east of the Appalachians , and blizzard conditions along the western slopes of the mountain chain . Hurricane-force winds , peaking at 110 miles per hour ( 180 km/h ) in Concord , New Hampshire and 160 miles per hour ( 260 km/h ) in the New England highlands , disrupted power to 1,000,000 customers during the event . In all , the storm impacted 22 states , killing 353 , injuring over 160 , and creating US $ 66.7 million in damage ( 1950 dollars ) . At the time , U.S. insurance companies paid more money out to their policy holders for damage resulting from this cyclone than for any other previous storm or hurricane . The cyclone is also one of only twenty-six storms to rank as a Category 5 on the Regional Snowfall Index .
The Eastern United States , commonly referred to as the American East or simply the East , is the region of the United States lying to the east of the Mississippi River . In 2011 the 26 states east of the Mississippi ( in addition to Washington , D.C. but not including the small portions of Louisiana and Minnesota east of the river ) had an estimated population of 179,948,346 or 58.28% of the total U.S. population of 308,745,358 ( excluding Puerto Rico ) .
A tornado outbreak is the occurrence of multiple tornadoes spawned by the same synoptic scale weather system . The number of tornadoes required to qualify as an outbreak typically are at least six to ten . The tornadoes usually occur within the same day , or continue into the early morning hours of the succeeding day , and within the same region . Most definitions allow for a break in tornado activity ( time elapsed from the end of last tornado to the beginning of next tornado ) of six hours . If tornado activity indeed resumes after such a lull , many definitions consider the event to be a new outbreak . A series of continuous or nearly continuous tornado outbreak days is a tornado outbreak sequence . Tornado outbreaks usually occur from March through June in the Great Plains of the United States and Canada , the Midwestern United States , and the Southeastern United States in an area colloquially referred to as Tornado Alley . Tornado outbreaks do occur during other times of the year and in other parts of the world , however . A secondary less active and annually inconsistent tornado season in the U.S. occurs in late autumn . The largest tornado outbreak on record was the 2011 Super Outbreak , with 362 tornadoes and about $ 10 billion in direct damages . It surpasses the 1974 Super Outbreak , in which 148 tornadoes were counted . Both occurred within the United States and Canada .
The 2011 Super Outbreak was the largest , costliest , and one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks ever recorded , taking place along the Southern , Midwestern , and Northeastern United States and leaving catastrophic destruction in its wake . The event not only affected Alabama and Mississippi the most severely , but also produced destructive tornadoes in Arkansas , Georgia , Tennessee and Virginia , and affected many other areas throughout the Southern and Eastern United States . In total , 360 tornadoes were confirmed by NOAA 's National Weather Service ( NWS ) and Government of Canada 's Environment Canada in 21 states from Texas to New York to southern Canada . Widespread and destructive tornadoes occurred on each day of the outbreak , with April 27 being the most active day with a record of 216 tornadoes touching down that day from midnight to midnight CDT ( 0500 - 0500 UTC ) . Four of the tornadoes were destructive enough to be rated EF5 , which is the highest ranking possible on the Enhanced Fujita scale ; typically these tornadoes are only recorded about once each year or less . In total , 348 people were killed as a result of the outbreak , which includes 324 tornado-related deaths across six states and an additional 24 fatalities caused by other thunderstorm-related events such as straight-line winds , hail , flash flooding or lightning . In Alabama alone , 238 tornado-related deaths were confirmed by the Storm Prediction Center ( SPC ) and the state 's Emergency Management Agency . April 27 's 317 fatalities were the most tornado-related fatalities in the United States in a single day since the Tri-State outbreak on March 18 , 1925 ( when at least 747 people were killed ) . Nearly 500 preliminary local storm reports were received for tornadoes over four days , including 292 in 16 states on April 27 alone . This event was the costliest tornado outbreak and one of the costliest natural disasters in United States history ( even after adjustments for inflation ) , with total damages of approximately $ 11 billion ( 2011 USD ) .
The Midwestern United States , also referred to as the American Midwest , Middle West , or simply the Midwest , is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau ( also known as Region 2 ) . It occupies the northern central part of the United States . It was officially named the North Central Region by the Census Bureau until 1984 . It is located between the Northeastern United States and the Western United States , with Canada to its north and the Southern United States to its south . The Census Bureau 's definition consists of 12 states in the north central United States : Illinois , Indiana , Iowa , Kansas , Michigan , Minnesota , Missouri , Nebraska , North Dakota , Ohio , South Dakota , and Wisconsin . The region generally lies on the broad Interior Plain between the states occupying the Appalachian Mountain range and the states occupying the Rocky Mountain range . Major rivers in the region include , from east to west , the Ohio River , the Upper Mississippi River , and the Missouri River . A 2012 report from the United States Census put the population of the Midwest at 65,377,684 . The Midwest is divided by the Census Bureau into two divisions . The East North Central Division includes Illinois , Indiana , Michigan , Ohio , and Wisconsin , all of which are also part of the Great Lakes region . The West North Central Division includes Iowa , Kansas , Minnesota , Missouri , North Dakota , Nebraska , and South Dakota , several of which are located , at least partly , within the Great Plains region . Chicago is the most populous city in the American Midwest and the third most populous in the entire country .
The Southern United States , also known as the American South or simply the South , is a geographic and cultural region of the United States . It is located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Western United States , with the Midwestern United States and Northeastern United States to its north and the Gulf of Mexico and Mexico to its south . The South does not fully match the geographic south of the United States but is commonly defined as including the states that fought for the Confederate States of America in the American Civil War . The Deep South is fully located in the southeastern corner . California , Arizona and New Mexico , which are geographically in the southern part of the country , are rarely considered part , while West Virginia , which separated from Virginia in 1863 , commonly is . Some scholars have proposed definitions of the South that do not coincide neatly with state boundaries . While the states of Delaware and Maryland , as well as the District of Columbia , permitted slavery prior to and during the Civil War , they remained with the Union . Since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s , they became more culturally , economically , and politically aligned with the industrial Northern states , and are often identified as part of the Mid-Atlantic or Northeast by many residents , businesses , public institutions , and private organizations ; however , the United States Census Bureau continues to define them as in the South with regard to census regions . Usually , the South is defined as including the southeastern and south-central United States . The region is known for its culture and history , having developed its own customs , musical styles , and cuisines , which have distinguished it in some ways from the rest of the United States . The Southern ethnic heritage is diverse and includes strong European ( mostly English , Italian , Scottish , Scotch-Irish , Irish , German , French , Portuguese and Spanish American ) , African and some Native American components . Some other aspects of the historical and cultural development of the South have been influenced by the institution of slave labor on plantations in the Deep South to an extent seen nowhere else in the United States ; the presence of a large proportion of African Americans in the population ; support for the doctrine of states ' rights , and the legacy of racism magnified by the Civil War and Reconstruction Era , as seen in thousands of lynchings ( mostly from 1880 to 1930 ) , the segregated system of separate schools and public facilities known as Jim Crow laws , that lasted until the 1960s , and the widespread use of poll taxes and other methods to frequently deny black people of the right to vote or hold office until the 1960s .
Tuscaloosa ( /tʌskəˈluːsə/ TUS-kə-LOO-sə ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama ( in the southeastern United States ) . Located on the Black Warrior River at the Atlantic Seaboard fall line of the Piedmont , it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama , with an estimated population of 100,287 in 2017 . The city was originally known as Tuskaloosa until the early 20th century . Incorporated as a town on December 13 , 1819 , it was named after Tuskaloosa , the chief of a band of Muskogean-speaking people . They battled and were defeated by forces of Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto in 1540 in the Battle of Mabila , thought to have been located in what is now central Alabama . Tuscaloosa served as Alabama 's capital city from 1826 to 1846 . Tuscaloosa is the regional center of industry , commerce , healthcare , and education for the area of west-central Alabama known as West Alabama . It is the principal city of the Tuscaloosa Metropolitan Statistical Area , which includes Tuscaloosa , Hale and Pickens counties . In 2013 its estimated metro population was 235,628 . Tuscaloosa is also the home of The University of Alabama , Stillman College and Shelton State Community College . While the city attracted international attention when Mercedes-Benz announced it would build its first automotive assembly plant in North America in Tuscaloosa County , the University of Alabama remains the dominant economic and cultural engine in the city , making it a college town . Tuscaloosa has been traditionally known as the Druid City because of the numerous water oaks planted in its downtown streets since the 1840s .
Birmingham ( /ˈbɜːrmɪŋhæm/ BUR-ming-ham ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama . With an estimated 2018 population of 209,880 , it is the most populous city in Alabama . Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County , Alabama 's most populous and fifth largest county . As of 2018 , the Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 1,151,801 , making it the most populous in Alabama and 49th-most populous in the United States . Birmingham serves as an important regional hub and is associated with the Deep South , Piedmont , and Appalachian regions of the nation . Birmingham was founded in 1871 , during the post-Civil War Reconstruction era , through the merger of three farm towns , most notably Elyton . The new city was named for Birmingham , England , the United Kingdom 's second largest city and then a major industrial city . The Alabama city annexed its smaller neighbors as it developed into a major industrial center based on mining , the iron and steel industry , and rail transport . Most of the original settlers were of English ancestry . The city was developed as a place where low paid , non-unionized immigrants ( mainly Irish and Italian ) , along with African-Americans from rural Alabama , who worked in the city 's steel mills and blast furnaces and gave it a competitive advantage over unionized industrial cities of the Midwest and Northeast . :14
The 1932 Deep South tornado outbreak was a deadly tornado outbreak that struck the Southern United States on March 21-22 , 1932 . At least 36 tornadoes - including 27 killers and several long-lived tornado families - struck the Deep South , killing more than 330 people and injuring 2,141 . Tornadoes affected areas from Mississippi north to Illinois and east to South Carolina , but Alabama was hardest hit , with 268 fatalities ; the outbreak is considered to be the deadliest ever in that U.S. state , and among the worst ever in the United States , trailing only the Tri-State Tornado outbreak in 1925 , with 747 fatalities , and the Tupelo-Gainesville outbreak in 1936 , with 454 fatalities . The 1932 outbreak produced 10 violent tornadoes , classified F4 or F5 on the Fujita scale of tornado intensity , eight of which occurred in Alabama alone , and is surpassed only by the March 1952 tornado outbreak , with 11 violent tornadoes ; the 2011 Super Outbreak , with 15 ; the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak , with 17 ; and the 1974 Super Outbreak , with 30 .
Alabama ( /ˌæləˈbæmə/ ) is a state in the southeastern region of the United States . It is bordered by Tennessee to the north , Georgia to the east , Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south , and Mississippi to the west . Alabama is the 30th largest by area and the 24th-most populous of the U.S. states . With a total of 1,500 miles ( 2,400 km ) of inland waterways , Alabama has among the most of any state . Alabama is nicknamed the Yellowhammer State , after the state bird . Alabama is also known as the Heart of Dixie and the Cotton State . The state tree is the longleaf pine , and the state flower is the camellia . Alabama 's capital is Montgomery . The largest city by population is Birmingham , which has long been the most industrialized city ; the largest city by land area is Huntsville . The oldest city is Mobile , founded by French colonists in 1702 as the capital of French Louisiana . The Greater Birmingham metropolitan area is Alabama 's most populous urban area . From the American Civil War until World War II , Alabama , like many states in the southern U.S. , suffered economic hardship , in part because of its continued dependence on agriculture .
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the exothermic chemical process of combustion , releasing heat , light , and various reaction products . Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition . Fire is hot because the conversion of the weak double bond in molecular oxygen , O2 , to the stronger bonds in the combustion products carbon dioxide and water releases energy ( 418 kJ per 32 g of O2 ) ; the bond energies of the fuel play only a minor role here . At a certain point in the combustion reaction , called the ignition point , flames are produced . The flame is the visible portion of the fire . Flames consist primarily of carbon dioxide , water vapor , oxygen and nitrogen . If hot enough , the gases may become ionized to produce plasma . Depending on the substances alight , and any impurities outside , the color of the flame and the fire 's intensity will be different . Fire in its most common form can result in conflagration , which has the potential to cause physical damage through burning . Fire is an important process that affects ecological systems around the globe . The positive effects of fire include stimulating growth and maintaining various ecological systems . The negative effects of fire include hazard to life and property , atmospheric pollution , and water contamination .
The Ohio Penitentiary , also known as the Ohio State Penitentiary , was a prison operated from 1834 to 1984 in downtown Columbus , Ohio , in what is now known as the Arena District . The state had built a small prison in Columbus in 1813 , but as the state 's population grew the earlier facility was not able to handle the number of prisoners sent to it by the courts . When the penitentiary first opened in 1834 , not all of the buildings were completed . The prison housed 5,235 prisoners at its peak in 1955 . Conditions in the prison have been described as primitive , and the facility was eventually replaced by the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility , a maximum security facility in Lucasville . During its operation , it housed several well-known inmates , including General John H. Morgan , who famously escaped the prison during the Civil War , Bugs Moran , O. Henry , Chester Himes , and Sam Sheppard , whose story is said to have inspired the movie The Fugitive . A separate facility for women prisoners was completed within the walls of the Ohio Penitentiary in 1837 . The buildings were demolished in 1998 .
Columbus is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio . With a population of 892,533 as of 2018 estimates , it is the 14th-most populous city in the United States and one of the fastest growing large cities in the nation . This makes Columbus the second-most populous city in the Midwest ( after Chicago , Illinois ) . It is the core city of the Columbus , OH Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses ten counties . With a population of 2,078,725 , it is Ohio 's second-largest metropolitan area . Columbus is the county seat of Franklin County . The municipality has also annexed portions of adjoining Delaware and Fairfield counties . Named for explorer Christopher Columbus , the city was founded in 1812 , at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers , and assumed the functions of state capital in 1816 . The city has a diverse economy based on education , government , insurance , banking , defense , aviation , food , clothes , logistics , steel , energy , medical research , health care , hospitality , retail , and technology . The metropolitan area is home to the Battelle Memorial Institute , the world 's largest private research and development foundation ; Chemical Abstracts Service , the world 's largest clearinghouse of chemical information ; NetJets , the world 's largest fractional ownership jet aircraft fleet ; and Ohio State University , one of the largest universities in the United States . As of 2018 , the city has the headquarters of five corporations in the U.S. Fortune 500 : American Electric Power , Cardinal Health , L Brands , Nationwide , and Big Lots , just out of the top 500 . In 2016 , Money Magazine ranked Columbus as one of The 6 Best Big Cities , calling it the best in the Midwest , citing a highly educated workforce and excellent wage growth .
The Port Chicago disaster was a deadly munitions explosion that occurred on July 17 , 1944 , at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in Port Chicago , California , United States . Munitions detonated while being loaded onto a cargo vessel bound for the Pacific Theater of Operations , killing 320 sailors and civilians and injuring 390 others . Most of the dead and injured were enlisted African American sailors . A month later , unsafe conditions inspired hundreds of servicemen to refuse to load munitions , an act known as the Port Chicago Mutiny . Fifty men‍ - ‌called the Port Chicago 50‍ - ‌were convicted of mutiny and sentenced to 15 years of prison and hard labor , as well as a dishonorable discharge . Forty-seven of the 50 were released in January 1946 ; the remaining three served additional months in prison . During and after the trial , questions were raised about the fairness and legality of the court-martial proceedings . Owing to public pressure , the United States Navy reconvened the courts-martial board in 1945 ; the court affirmed the guilt of the convicted men . Widespread publicity surrounding the case turned it into a cause célèbre among certain Americans ; it and other race-related Navy protests of 1944-45 led the Navy to change its practices and initiate the desegregation of its forces beginning in February 1946 . In 1994 , the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial was dedicated to the lives lost in the disaster . On June 11 , 2019 , A concurrent resolution sponsored by Representative Mark DeSaulnier was agreed upon by the 116th congress . The resolution recognized the victims of the explosion and officially exonerated the 50 men court-martialed by the Navy .
Port Chicago was a town on the southern banks of Suisun Bay , in Contra Costa County , California . It was located 6.5 miles ( 10 km ) east-northeast of Martinez , at an elevation of 13 feet ( 4 m ) . It is best known as the site of a devastating explosion at its Naval Munitions Depot during World War II . The area was first settled by Anglo Americans between 1850 and 1851 , including Josiah Knight and Samuel E. Strode . The first permanent settler was Daniel Cunningham . Port Chicago was originally called Bay Point . The town was created when the Bay Point Land Company , with offices in San Francisco , filed an official plat map at the Contra Costa County Recorders Office . The Southern Pacific Railroad ran through the town . In 1931 , as the Great Depression worsened , Walter Van Winkle , a business leader , proposed and succeeded in getting the name of the town changed from Bay Point to Port Chicago ( after the Illinois city ) . The Baypoint post office operated from 1897 to 1931 , when it became the Port Chicago post office , closing in 1969 when the town ceased to exist . The July 17 , 1944 , Port Chicago disaster was a deadly munitions explosion that occurred at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine . Munitions detonated while being loaded onto a cargo vessel bound for the Pacific Theater of Operations , killing 320 sailors and civilians and injuring 390 others .
World War II ( often abbreviated to WWII or WW2 ) , also known as the Second World War , was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945 . The vast majority of the world 's countries - including all the great powers - eventually formed two opposing military alliances : the Allies and the Axis . A state of total war emerged , directly involving more than 100 million people from more than 30 countries . The major participants threw their entire economic , industrial , and scientific capabilities behind the war effort , blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources . World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history , marked by 70 to 85 million fatalities , most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China . It included massacres , the genocide of the Holocaust , strategic bombing , premeditated death from starvation and disease , and the only use of nuclear weapons in war . Japan , which aimed to dominate Asia and the Pacific , was at war with China by 1937 , [ b ] though neither side had declared war on the other . World War II is generally said to have begun on 1 September 1939 , with the invasion of Poland by Germany and subsequent declarations of war on Germany by France and the United Kingdom . From late 1939 to early 1941 , in a series of campaigns and treaties , Germany conquered or controlled much of continental Europe , and formed the Axis alliance with Italy and Japan . Under the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939 , Germany and the Soviet Union partitioned and annexed territories of their European neighbours , Poland , Finland , Romania and the Baltic states . Following the onset of campaigns in North Africa and East Africa , and the Fall of France in mid 1940 , the war continued primarily between the European Axis powers and the British Empire . War in the Balkans , the aerial Battle of Britain , the Blitz , and the long Battle of the Atlantic followed .
The 1974 Super Outbreak was the second-largest tornado outbreak on record for a single 24-hour period ( as of 2019 ) , just behind the 2011 Super Outbreak . It was also the most violent tornado outbreak ever recorded ( as of 2019 ) , with 30 F4/F5 tornadoes confirmed . From April 3 to 4 , 1974 , there were 148 tornadoes confirmed in 13 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Ontario . [ nb 1 ] In the United States , tornadoes struck Illinois , Indiana , Michigan , Ohio , Kentucky , Tennessee , Alabama , Mississippi , Georgia , North Carolina , Virginia , West Virginia , and New York . The outbreak caused roughly $ 843 million USD ( ~equivalent to $ 4.58 billion in 2019 ) with more than $ 600 million ( ~equivalent to $ 3.3 billion in 2019 ) in damage occurring in the United States . The outbreak extensively damaged approximately 900 sq mi ( 2,331 km2 ) along a total combined path length of 2,600 mi ( 4,184 km ) . At one point , as many as 15 separate tornadoes were on the ground simultaneously . The 1974 Super Outbreak was the first tornado outbreak in recorded history to produce more than 100 tornadoes in under a 24-hour period , a feat that was not repeated globally until the 1981 United Kingdom tornado outbreak and in the United States until the 2011 Super Outbreak .
Ontario is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada . Located in Central Canada , it is Canada 's most populous province , with 38.3 percent of the country 's population , and is the second-largest province in total area . Ontario is fourth-largest jurisdiction in total area when the territories of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are included . It is home to the nation 's capital city , Ottawa , and the nation 's most populous city , Toronto , which is also Ontario 's provincial capital . Ontario is bordered by the province of Manitoba to the west , Hudson Bay and James Bay to the north , and Quebec to the east and northeast , and to the south by the U.S. states of ( from west to east ) Minnesota , Michigan , Ohio , Pennsylvania , and New York . Almost all of Ontario 's 2,700 km ( 1,678 mi ) border with the United States follows inland waterways : from the westerly Lake of the Woods , eastward along the major rivers and lakes of the Great Lakes/Saint Lawrence River drainage system . These include Rainy River , Pigeon River , Lake Superior , St. Marys River , Lake Huron , St. Clair River , Lake St. Clair , Detroit River , Lake Erie , Niagara River , Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River from Kingston , Ontario , to the Quebec boundary just east of Cornwall , Ontario . There is only about 1 km ( 0.6 mi ) of land border , made up of portages including Height of Land Portage on the Minnesota border . Ontario is sometimes conceptually divided into two regions , Northern Ontario and Southern Ontario . The great majority of Ontario 's population and arable land is in the south . In contrast , the larger , northern part of Ontario is sparsely populated with cold winters and heavy forestation .
Michigan ( /ˈmɪʃɪɡən/ ( listen ) ) is a state in the Great Lakes and Midwestern regions of the United States . Its name originates from the Ojibwe word mishigamaa , meaning large water or large lake . With a population of just under 10 million , Michigan is the tenth most populous of the 50 United States , with the 11th most extensive total area , and is the largest state by total area east of the Mississippi River . [ b ] Its capital is Lansing , and its largest city is Detroit . Metro Detroit is among the nation 's most populous and largest metropolitan economies . Michigan is the only state to consist of two peninsulas . The Lower Peninsula is often noted as being shaped like a mitten . The Upper Peninsula ( often called the U.P . ) is separated from the Lower Peninsula by the Straits of Mackinac , a five-mile ( 8 km ) channel that joins Lake Huron to Lake Michigan . The Mackinac Bridge connects the peninsulas . The state has the longest freshwater coastline of any political subdivision in the world , being bounded by four of the five Great Lakes , plus Lake Saint Clair . Michigan also has 64,980 inland lakes and ponds .
Tennessee ( /ˌtɛnəˈsiː/ ( listen ) , locally /ˈtɛnəsi/ ; Cherokee : ᏔᎾᏏ , romanized : Tanasi ) is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States . Tennessee is the 36th largest and the 16th most populous of the 50 United States . Tennessee is bordered by eight states , with Kentucky to the north , Virginia to the northeast , North Carolina to the east , Georgia , Alabama , and Mississippi to the south , Arkansas to the west , and Missouri to the northwest . The Appalachian Mountains dominate the eastern part of the state , and the Mississippi River forms the state 's western border . Nashville is the state 's capital and largest city , with a 2017 population of 667,560 and a 2017 metro population of 1,903,045 . Tennessee 's second largest city is Memphis , which had a population of 652,236 in 2017 . The state of Tennessee is rooted in the Watauga Association , a 1772 frontier pact generally regarded as the first constitutional government west of the Appalachians . What is now Tennessee was initially part of North Carolina , and later part of the Southwest Territory . Tennessee was admitted to the Union as the 16th state on June 1 , 1796 . Tennessee was the last state to leave the Union and join the Confederacy at the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861 . Occupied by Union forces from 1862 , it was the first state to be readmitted to the Union at the end of the war . Tennessee furnished more soldiers for the Confederate Army than any other state besides Virginia , and more soldiers for the Union Army than the rest of the Confederacy combined .
Mississippi ( /ˌmɪsɪˈsɪpi/ ( listen ) ) is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States . Mississippi is the 32nd largest and 34th-most populous of the 50 United States . Mississippi is bordered to the north by Tennessee , to the east by Alabama , to the south by the Gulf of Mexico , to the southwest by Louisiana , and to the northwest by Arkansas . Mississippi 's western boundary is largely defined by the Mississippi River . Jackson is both the state 's capital and largest city . Greater Jackson , with an estimated population of 580,166 in 2018 , is the most populous metropolitan area in Mississippi and the 95th-most populous in the United States . On December 10 , 1817 , Mississippi became the 20th state admitted to the Union . By 1860 , Mississippi was the nation 's top cotton producing state and enslaved persons accounted for 55% of the state population . Mississippi declared its secession from the Union on March 23 , 1861 , and was one of the seven original Confederate States . Following the Civil War , it was restored to the Union on February 23 , 1870 . Until the Great Migration of the 1930s , African Americans were a majority of Mississippi 's population . Mississippi was the site of many prominent events during the American Civil Rights movement , including the 1962 Ole Miss riots , the 1963 assassination of Medgar Evers , and the 1964 Freedom Summer murders .
North Carolina ( /ˌkærəˈlaɪnə/ ( listen ) ) is a U.S. state located in the southeastern region of the United States . North Carolina is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the 50 United States . It is bordered by Virginia to the north , the Atlantic Ocean to the east , Georgia and South Carolina to the south , and Tennessee to the west . Raleigh is the state 's capital and Charlotte is its largest city . The Charlotte metropolitan area , with an estimated population of 2,569,213 in 2018 , is the most populous metropolitan area in North Carolina , the 23rd-most populous in the United States , and the largest banking center in the nation after New York City . The Raleigh metropolitan area is the second-largest metropolitan area in the state , with an estimated population of 1,362,540 in 2018 , and is home to the largest research park in the United States , Research Triangle Park . North Carolina was established as a royal colony in 1729 and is one of the original Thirteen Colonies . North Carolina is named in honor of King Charles I of England who first formed the English colony , with Carolus being Latin for Charles . On November 21 , 1789 , North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify the United States Constitution . In the run-up to the American Civil War , North Carolina declared its secession from the Union on May 20 , 1861 , becoming the last of eleven states to join the Confederate States . Following the Civil War , the state was restored to the Union on June 25 , 1868 . On December 17 , 1903 , Orville and Wilbur Wright successfully piloted the world 's first controlled , sustained flight of a powered , heavier-than-air aircraft at Kill Devil Hills in North Carolina 's Outer Banks .
Virginia ( /vərˈdʒɪniə/ ( listen ) ) , officially the Commonwealth of Virginia , is a state in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States located between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains . The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay , which provide habitat for much of its flora and fauna . The capital of the Commonwealth is Richmond ; Virginia Beach is the most populous city , and Fairfax County is the most populous political subdivision . The Commonwealth 's estimated population as of 2018 [ update ] is over 8.5 million . The area 's history begins with several indigenous groups , including the Powhatan . In 1607 the London Company established the Colony of Virginia as the first permanent English colony in the New World . Virginia 's state nickname , the Old Dominion , is a reference to this status . Slave labor and the land acquired from displaced Native American tribes each played a significant role in the colony 's early politics and plantation economy . Virginia was one of the 13 Colonies in the American Revolution . In the American Civil War , Virginia 's Secession Convention resolved to join the Confederacy , and Virginia 's First Wheeling Convention resolved to remain in the Union ; that led to the creation of West Virginia . Although the Commonwealth was under one-party rule for nearly a century following Reconstruction , both major national parties are competitive in modern Virginia . The Virginia General Assembly is the oldest continuous law-making body in the New World .
West Virginia ( /vərˈdʒɪniə/ ( listen ) ) is a state located in the Appalachian region of the Southern United States , and is also considered to be a part of the Mid-Atlantic Southeast Region . It is bordered by Pennsylvania to the north , Maryland to the east and northeast , Virginia to the southeast , Kentucky to the southwest , and Ohio to the northwest . West Virginia is the 41st largest state by area , and is ranked 38th in population . The capital and largest city is Charleston . West Virginia became a state following the Wheeling Conventions of 1861 , at the start of the American Civil War . Delegates from the Unionist counties of northwestern Virginia decided to break away from Virginia , which also included secessionist counties in the new state . West Virginia was admitted to the Union on June 20 , 1863 , and was a key border state during the war . It was the only state to form by separating from a Confederate state , the first to separate from any state since Maine separated from Massachusetts , and was one of two states admitted to the Union during the American Civil War ( the other being Nevada ) . While a portion of its residents held slaves , most of the residents were yeoman farmers , and the delegates provided for gradual abolition of slavery in the new state Constitution . The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States . However , the Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies the state as a part of the Mid-Atlantic region . The northern panhandle extends adjacent to Pennsylvania and Ohio , with the West Virginia cities of Wheeling and Weirton just across the border from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area , while Bluefield is less than 70 miles ( 110 km ) from North Carolina .
New York is a state located in the Northeastern United States . New York was one of the original thirteen colonies that formed the United States . With an estimated 19.45 million residents in 2019 , it is the fourth most populous state . In order to distinguish the state from its city with the same name , it is commonly referred to as New York State ( NYS ) . The state 's most populous city , New York City , makes up over 40% of the state 's population . Two-thirds of the state 's population lives in the New York metropolitan area , and nearly 40% lives on Long Island . The state and city were both named for the 17th-century Duke of York , the future King James II of England . With an estimated population of 8.39 million in 2018 , New York City is the most populous city in the United States and the premier gateway for legal immigration to the United States . The New York metropolitan area is one of the most populous in the world . New York City is a global city , home to the United Nations Headquarters , and has been described as the cultural , financial , and media capital of the world , as well as the world 's most economically powerful city . The next four most populous cities in the state are Buffalo , Rochester , Yonkers , and Syracuse , while the state capital is Albany . The 27th largest U.S. state in land area , New York has a diverse geography .
In meteorology , a cyclone is a large scale air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure . Cyclones are characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate about a zone of low pressure . The largest low-pressure systems are polar vortices and extratropical cyclones of the largest scale ( the synoptic scale ) . Warm-core cyclones such as tropical cyclones and subtropical cyclones also lie within the synoptic scale . Mesocyclones , tornadoes , and dust devils lie within smaller mesoscale . Upper level cyclones can exist without the presence of a surface low , and can pinch off from the base of the tropical upper tropospheric trough during the summer months in the Northern Hemisphere . Cyclones have also been seen on extraterrestrial planets , such as Mars , Jupiter , and Neptune . Cyclogenesis is the process of cyclone formation and intensification . Extratropical cyclones begin as waves in large regions of enhanced mid-latitude temperature contrasts called baroclinic zones . These zones contract and form weather fronts as the cyclonic circulation closes and intensifies . Later in their life cycle , extratropical cyclones occlude as cold air masses undercut the warmer air and become cold core systems . A cyclone 's track is guided over the course of its 2 to 6 day life cycle by the steering flow of the subtropical jet stream .
The 1993 Storm of the Century ( also known as the 93 Superstorm , The No Name Storm , or the Great Blizzard of '93/1993 ) was a large cyclonic storm that formed over the Gulf of Mexico on March 12 , 1993 . The storm was unique and notable for its intensity , massive size , and wide-reaching effects ; at its height , the storm stretched from Canada to Honduras . The cyclone moved through the Gulf of Mexico and then through the eastern United States before moving on to Canada . The storm eventually dissipated in the North Atlantic Ocean on March 15 , 1993 . Heavy snow was first reported in highland areas as far south as Alabama and northern Georgia , with Union County , Georgia reporting up to 35 inches ( 89 cm ) of snow in the north Georgia mountains . Birmingham , Alabama , reported a rare 13 in ( 33 cm ) of snow . The Florida Panhandle reported up to 4 in ( 10 cm ) of snow , with hurricane-force wind gusts and record low barometric pressures . Between Louisiana and Cuba , the hurricane-force winds produced high storm surges across the big bend of Florida which , in combination with scattered tornadoes , killed dozens of people . Record cold temperatures were seen across portions of the south and east of the US in the wake of this storm . In the United States , the storm was responsible for the loss of electric power to more than 10 million households . An estimated 40 percent of the country 's population experienced the effects of the storm with a total of 208 fatalities .
On May 25 , 1865 , in Mobile , Alabama , in the Southern United States , an ordnance depot or magazine exploded , killing some 300 persons . This event occurred just after the end of the American Civil War , during the occupation of the city by victorious Federal troops . The depot was a warehouse on Beauregard Street , where the troops had stacked some 200 tons of shells and powder . Some time in the afternoon of May 25 , a cloud of black smoke rose into the air and the ground began to rumble . Flames shot up into the sky and bursting shells were heard throughout the city . In the nearby Mobile River , two ships sank , and a man standing on a wharf was blown into the river . Several houses collapsed from the concussion . A reporter for The Mobile Morning News newspaper described bursting shells , flying timbers , bales of cotton , horses , men , women , and children co-mingled and mangled into one immense mass . He continued : The heart stood still , and the stoutest cheek paled as this rain of death fell from the sky and crash after crash foretold a more fearful fate yet impending . old and young , soldier and citizen vied with each other in deeds of daring to rescue the crumbled and imprisoned . On the heels of the explosion came fires , which burned until the entire northern part of Mobile lay in smoking ruins . A huge hole where the warehouse once stood remained for many years , a reminder of the disaster .
Mobile ( /moʊˈbiːl/ moh-BEEL , French : [ mɔbil ] ( listen ) ) is the county seat of Mobile County , Alabama , United States . The population within the city limits was 195,111 as of the 2010 United States Census , making it the third most populous city in Alabama , the most populous in Mobile County , and the largest municipality on the Gulf Coast between New Orleans , Louisiana , and St. Petersburg , Florida . Alabama 's only saltwater port , Mobile is located on the Mobile River at the head of the Mobile Bay and the north-central Gulf Coast . The Port of Mobile has always played a key role in the economic health of the city , beginning with the settlement as an important trading center between the French colonists and Native Americans , down to its current role as the 12th-largest port in the United States . Mobile is the principal municipality of the Mobile metropolitan area . This region of 412,992 residents is composed solely of Mobile County ; it is the third-largest metropolitan statistical area in the state . Mobile is the largest city in the Mobile-Daphne−Fairhope CSA , with a total population of 604,726 , the second largest in the state . As of 2011 [ update ] , the population within a 60-mile ( 100 km ) radius of Mobile is 1,262,907 . Mobile was founded in 1702 by the French as the first capital of Louisiana . During its first 100 years , Mobile was a colony of France , then Britain , and lastly Spain . Mobile became a part of the United States in 1813 , with the annexation by President James Madison of West Florida from Spain . The city surrendered to Federal forces on April 12 , 1865 , after Union victories at two forts protecting the city .
This is a list of ethnic riots , sectarian riots , and race riots , by country .
The Tulsa race massacre ( also called the Tulsa race riot , the Greenwood Massacre , or the Black Wall Street Massacre ) of 1921 took place on May 31 and June 1 , 1921 , when mobs of white residents attacked black residents and businesses of the Greenwood District in Tulsa , Oklahoma . It has been called the single worst incident of racial violence in American history . The attack , carried out on the ground and from private aircraft , destroyed more than 35 square blocks of the district - at that time the wealthiest black community in the United States , known as Black Wall Street . More than 800 people were admitted to hospitals and as many as 6,000 black residents were interned at large facilities , many for several days . The Oklahoma Bureau of Vital Statistics officially recorded 36 dead , but the American Red Cross declined to provide an estimate . A 2001 state commission examination of events was able to confirm 39 dead , 26 black and 13 white , based on contemporary autopsy reports , death certificates and other records . :114 The commission gave overall estimates from 75-100 to 150-300 dead . :13:23 The riot began over Memorial Day weekend after 19-year-old Dick Rowland , a black shoeshiner , was accused of assaulting Sarah Page , the 17-year-old white elevator operator of the nearby Drexel Building . He was taken into custody . A subsequent gathering of angry local whites outside the courthouse where Rowland was being held , and the spread of rumors he had been lynched , alarmed the local black population , some of whom arrived at the courthouse armed . Shots were fired and twelve people were killed : ten white and two black . As news of these deaths spread throughout the city , mob violence exploded .
Tulsa /ˈtʌlsə/ is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 45th-most populous city in the United States . As of July 2018 [ update ] , the population was 403,035 , an increase of 11,129 since the 2010 Census . It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area , a region with 991,005 residents in the MSA and 1,251,172 in the CSA . The city serves as the county seat of Tulsa County , the most densely populated county in Oklahoma , with urban development extending into Osage , Rogers , and Wagoner counties . Tulsa was settled between 1828 and 1836 by the Lochapoka Band of Creek Native American tribe . For most of the 20th century , the city held the nickname Oil Capital of the World and played a major role as one of the most important hubs for the American oil industry . Historically , a robust energy sector fueled Tulsa 's economy ; however , today the city has diversified and leading sectors include finance , aviation , telecommunications and technology . Two institutions of higher education within the city have sports teams at the NCAA Division I level , Oral Roberts University and the University of Tulsa . It is situated on the Arkansas River between the Osage Hills and the foothills of the Ozark Mountains in northeast Oklahoma , a region of the state known as Green Country . Considered the cultural and arts center of Oklahoma , Tulsa houses two art museums , full-time professional opera and ballet companies , and one of the nation 's largest concentrations of art deco architecture . The city has been called one of America 's most livable large cities by Partners for Livable Communities , Forbes , and Relocate America . FDi Magazine in 2009 ranked the city no .
Mass murder is the act of murdering a number of people , typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity . The FBI defines mass murder as murdering four or more people during an event with no cooling-off period between the murders . A mass murder typically occurs in a single location where one or more people kill several others . A mass murder may be committed by individuals or organizations whereas a spree killing is committed by one or two individuals . Mass murderers differ from spree killers , who kill at two or more locations with almost no time break between murders and are not defined by the number of victims , and serial killers , who may kill people over long periods of time .
A mass shooting is an incident involving multiple victims of firearm violence . There is no widely accepted definition of the term mass shooting . The United States ' FBI defines a mass murder as four or more murdered during an event with no cooling-off period between the murders . Based on this , it is generally agreed that a mass shooting is whenever four or more people are shot ( injured or killed ) , not including the shooter ( s ) . Different media outlets and research groups use different definitions for the term mass shooting For example , crime violence research group Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as four or more shot ( injured or killed ) in a single incident , at the same general time and location , not including the shooter , differentiating between mass shooting and mass murder and not counting shooters as victims . The United States Congressional Research Service acknowledges that there is not a broadly accepted definition and defines a public mass shooting as an event where someone selects four or more people and shoots them with firearms in an indiscriminate manner , echoing the FBI 's definition of the term mass murder , but adding the indiscriminate factor .
The Wounded Knee Massacre , also called the Battle of Wounded Knee , was a domestic massacre of several hundred Lakota Indians , almost half of whom were women and children , by soldiers of the United States Army . It occurred on December 29 , 1890 , near Wounded Knee Creek ( Lakota : Čhaŋkpé Ópi Wakpála ) on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in the U.S. state of South Dakota , following a botched attempt to disarm the Lakota camp . The previous day , a detachment of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment commanded by Major Samuel M. Whitside intercepted Spotted Elk 's band of Miniconjou Lakota and 38 Hunkpapa Lakota near Porcupine Butte and escorted them 5 miles ( 8.0 km ) westward to Wounded Knee Creek , where they made camp . The remainder of the 7th Cavalry Regiment , led by Colonel James W. Forsyth , arrived and surrounded the encampment . The regiment was supported by a battery of four Hotchkiss mountain guns . On the morning of December 29 , the U.S. Cavalry troops went into the camp to disarm the Lakota . One version of events claims that during the process of disarming the Lakota , a deaf tribesman named Black Coyote was reluctant to give up his rifle , claiming he had paid a lot for it . Simultaneously , an old man was performing a ritual called the Ghost Dance . Black Coyote 's rifle went off at that point , and the U.S. army began shooting at the Native Americans . The Lakota warriors fought back , but many had already been stripped of their guns and disarmed . By the time the massacre was over , between 250 and 300 men , women , and children of the Lakota had been killed and 51 were wounded ( 4 men and 47 women and children , some of whom died later ) ; some estimates placed the number of dead at 300 . Twenty-five soldiers also died , and thirty-nine were wounded ( six of the wounded later died ) .
Wounded Knee Creek is a tributary of the White River , approximately 100 miles ( 160 km ) long , in Oglala Lakota County , South Dakota in the United States . Its Lakota name is Čhaŋkpé Ópi Wakpála . The creek 's name recalls an incident when a Native American sustained an injury to his knee during a fight . The creek rises in the southwestern corner of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation , along the state line with Nebraska , and flows northwest . It borders the site of the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre , in which the 7th US Cavalry under Colonel James W. Forsyth massacred approximately 300 Sioux , mostly women and children , many unarmed . Towns in this region include Wounded Knee and Manderson . The Wounded Knee Creek flows NNW across the reservation and joins the White south of Badlands National Park .
South Dakota ( /- dəˈkoʊtə/ ( listen ) ) is a U.S. state in the Midwestern region of the United States . It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes , who compose a large portion of the population and historically dominated the territory . South Dakota is the seventeenth largest by area , but the fifth smallest by population and the 5th least densely populated of the 50 United States . As the southern part of the former Dakota Territory , South Dakota became a state on November 2 , 1889 , simultaneously with North Dakota . Pierre is the state capital and Sioux Falls , with a population of about 187,200 , is South Dakota 's largest city . South Dakota is bordered by the states of North Dakota ( to the north ) , Minnesota ( to the east ) , Iowa ( to the southeast ) , Nebraska ( to the south ) , Wyoming ( to the west ) , and Montana ( to the northwest ) . The state is bisected by the Missouri River , dividing South Dakota into two geographically and socially distinct halves , known to residents as East River and West River . Eastern South Dakota is home to most of the state 's population , and the area 's fertile soil is used to grow a variety of crops . West of the Missouri River , ranching is the predominant agricultural activity , and the economy is more dependent on tourism and defense spending . Most of the Native American reservations are in West River . The Black Hills , a group of low pine-covered mountains sacred to the Sioux , are in the southwest part of the state . Mount Rushmore , a major tourist destination , is there .
Native Americans , also known as American Indians , Indigenous Americans and other terms , are the indigenous peoples of the United States , except Hawaii and territories of the United States . More than 570 federally recognized tribes live within the US , about half of which are associated with Indian reservations . The term American Indian excludes Native Hawaiians and some Alaskan Natives , while Native Americans ( as defined by the US Census ) are American Indians , plus Alaska Natives of all ethnicities . The US Census does not include Native Hawaiians or Chamorro , instead being included in the Census grouping of Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander . The ancestors of living Native Americans arrived in what is now the United States at least 15,000 years ago , possibly much earlier , from Asia via Beringia . A vast variety of peoples , societies and cultures subsequently developed . Native Americans were greatly affected by the European colonization of the Americas , which began in 1492 , and their population declined precipitously overwhelmingly due to introduced diseases as well as warfare , including biological warfare , territorial confiscation and slavery . After its creation , the United States , as part of its policy of settler colonialism , waged war and perpetrated massacres against many Native American peoples , removed them from their ancestral lands , and subjected them to one-sided treaties and to discriminatory government policies into the 20th century . Since the 1960s , Native American self-determination movements have resulted in changes to the lives of Native Americans , though there are still many contemporary issues faced by Native Americans . Today , there are over five million Native Americans in the United States , 78% of whom live outside reservations . When the United States was created , established Native American tribes were generally considered semi-independent nations , as they generally lived in communities separate from British settlers . The federal government signed treaties at a government-to-government level until the Indian Appropriations Act of 1871 ended recognition of independent native nations , and started treating them as domestic dependent nations subject to federal law .
The New London School explosion occurred on March 18 , 1937 , when a natural gas leak caused an explosion , destroying the London School of New London , Texas , a community in Rusk County previously known as London . The disaster killed more than 295 students and teachers . As of 2017 [ update ] , the event is the third deadliest disaster in the history of Texas , after the 1900 Galveston hurricane and the 1947 Texas City disaster .
New London is a city in Rusk County , Texas , United States . The population was 998 at the 2010 census .
The December 1960 nor'easter was a significant early-season winter storm that impacted the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions of the United States . Moderate to heavy snowfall fell from West Virginia to eastern Maine , amounting to 10 in ( 25 cm ) or more in parts of 13 states and peaking at 21.4 in ( 54.4 cm ) at Newark , New Jersey . The storm was accompanied by strong winds , gusting to over 90 mph ( 145 km/h ) in coastal New England , and left in its wake a dangerously cold air mass . The storm originated in a weak low pressure area which formed over the western Gulf of Mexico on December 10 . A secondary low developed over South Carolina on the next day , supported by the merger of two troughs aloft . Sliding southeast of New England , the new storm explosively deepened to become a full-fledged nor'easter , with a minimum central air pressure of 966 mbar . It began to weaken over the Canadian Maritimes . Widespread blizzard conditions wrought havoc on transportation ; streets and highways throughout the hardest-hit areas were clogged with stalled and abandoned vehicles , and multiple major airports were forced to close . Many schools and businesses were closed , some for days after the storm departed . The New York Stock Exchange opened an hour late on December 12 , marking its first delayed opening in over 25 years . Extensive drifting of snow left communities isolated and unable to receive deliveries of food and heating fuel . Overall , the storm and subsequent cold snap were blamed for at least 286 deaths across a wide area , but primarily in Pennsylvania , New Jersey , New York , and the New England states .
A wildfire , wildland fire or rural fire is an uncontrolled fire in an area of combustible vegetation occurring in rural areas . Depending on the type of vegetation present , a wildfire can also be classified more specifically as a brush fire , bushfire ( in Australia ) , desert fire , forest fire , grass fire , hill fire , peat fire , vegetation fire , or veld fire . Many organizations consider wildfire to mean an unplanned and unwanted fire , while wildland fire is a broader term that includes prescribed fire as well as wildland fire use ( WFU ; these are also called monitored response fires ) . Fossil charcoal indicates that wildfires began soon after the appearance of terrestrial plants 420 million years ago . Wildfire 's occurrence throughout the history of terrestrial life invites conjecture that fire must have had pronounced evolutionary effects on most ecosystems ' flora and fauna . Earth is an intrinsically flammable planet owing to its cover of carbon-rich vegetation , seasonally dry climates , atmospheric oxygen , and widespread lightning and volcanic ignitions . Wildfires can be characterized in terms of the cause of ignition , their physical properties , the combustible material present , and the effect of weather on the fire . Wildfires can cause damage to property and human life , although naturally occurring wildfires may have beneficial effects on native vegetation , animals , and ecosystems that have evolved with fire . High-severity wildfire creates complex early seral forest habitat ( also called snag forest habitat ) , which often has higher species richness and diversity than unburned old forest . Many plant species depend on the effects of fire for growth and reproduction . Wildfires in ecosystems where wildfire is uncommon or where non-native vegetation has encroached may have strongly negative ecological effects . Wildfire behavior and severity result from a combination of factors such as available fuels , physical setting , and weather .
The Thumb Fire took place on September 5 , 1881 , in the Thumb area of Michigan in the United States . The fire , which burned over a million acres ( 4,000 km² ) in less than a day , was the consequence of drought , hurricane-force winds , heat , the after-effects of the Port Huron Fire of 1871 , and the ecological damage wrought by the era 's logging techniques . The blaze , also called the Great Thumb Fire , the Great Forest Fire of 1881 and the Huron Fire , killed 282 people in Sanilac , Lapeer , Tuscola and Huron counties . The damage estimate was $ 2,347,000 in 1881 , equivalent to $ 62,179,314 when adjusted for inflation . The fire sent enough soot and ash up into the atmosphere that sunlight was partially obscured at many locations on the East Coast of the United States . In New England cities , the sky appeared yellow and projected a strange luminosity onto buildings and vegetation . Twilight appeared at 12 noon . September 6 , 1881 immediately became known as Yellow Tuesday or Yellow Day due to the ominous nature of this atmospheric event .