In this staggering collection of the greatest ever disasters, mankind is caught at its most cruel and foolish as well as at its most heroic. These are the stories of the terrible uncertainty of everyday life, the reports from the front line in the struggle between humanity and Nature.

          The famine that killed 30 million; the epidemic that killed over twice that number; unthinkable nuclear disasters that we are still paying for; everyday journeys that end in tragedy high above the earth or in the loneliness of the sea; great moments of national pride turned to horror as millions watched the Challenger disintegrate after take-off, or heard that the Titanic had sunk.

          Ranging across time and place, this gripping book presents in detail the most dramatic events in the history of civilisation.