April 20th Approaching: What Will Happen This Time?

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applesanity

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I'm no believer of the astrology junk, but it seems bad things just gravitate around this time of the year. Some of it is self-fulfilling - as witnessed by the Columbine duo, who wanted to coincide their rampage with Hitler's birthday.

April 16
- 1990: Dr. Kevorkian's first "assisted suicide."
- 2007: VTech massacre

April 18
- 1996: Qana "Massacre"
- Today: earthquake in the Midwest. Minor, yes, but... the Midwest?

April 19
- 1993: Waco
- 1995: Oklahoma City Bombing

April 20
- 1889: Hitler's birthday
- 1999: Columbine Massacre
- 2007: Crazy man at Johnson Space Center

April 21
- 1975: Fall of Saigon
- 1989: Tianamen Square

Vielleicht am I overly pessimistic being. April 20, 2008 - what next? I know if I go back long enough, I can find plenty of bad things that have happened on any day of the year, but still....

As we reflect on all these tragic events in our recent memories, maybe some thoughts, prayers, lessons learned, and considerations on how our rights and freedoms and worldly perspectives have changed as a result. Hopefully, this weekend will come and go without any hurting.

Please, no talk about legalizing pot.
 
April 19
- 1993: Waco
- 1995: Oklahoma City Bombing

No surprise these were on the same date since the Oklahoma City bombing was an act of revenge against the Federal Government for what they did at Waco. The OCB was not a terrorist act. It was an act of revenge.
 
- Today: earthquake in the Midwest. Minor, yes, but... the Midwest?
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Actually - a major fault runs through the Midwest call the New Madrid Fault. In 1811 it unleashed one of the biggested earthquakes, if not the biggest to ever hit the contiental United States. Estimates put it at 8.0. In comparison, the 1994 Northridge quake was a 6.7 and the 1906 SF quake was a 7.8. It also unleashed a 6.8 in 1895 I believe.

Interesting quote from the USG:

Earthquakes in the central or eastern United States affect much larger areas than earthquakes of similar magnitude in the western United States. For example, the San Francisco, California, earthquake of 1906 (magnitude 7.8) was felt 350 miles away in the middle of Nevada, whereas the New Madrid earthquake of December 1811 (magnitude 8.0) rang church bells in Boston, Massachusetts, 1,000 miles away. Differences in geology east and west of the Rocky Mountains cause this strong contrast.
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I live and grew up in Kentucky and this has been my third "felt" quake since 1969.
 
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New Madrid's 8.0 ranks as the 7th largest quake in the U.S. History. The largest U.S. quake was the 1964 Alaskan earthquake which the USGS has classified as a magnitued 9.2! :eek: If you eliminate Alaska, New Madrid is #2 behind the Cascadia quake on or about 26 January 1700, estimated to be about a magnitude 9 quake. A tsunami crossed the pacific and damaged the coast of Japan.

Largest 20th Century Quake: May 22, 1960, Chile South America

On May 22, 1960 Chile South America was struck by a 9.5 magnitude quake near Temuca, Chile. Approximately 1,655 killed, 3,000 injured, 2,000,000 homeless, and $550 million damage in southern Chile; tsunami caused 61 deaths, $75 million damage in Hawaii; 138 deaths and $50 million damage in Japan; 32 dead and missing in the Philippines; and $500,000 damage to the west coast of the United States.

1906 San Francisco Quake and Fire
102 year ago today, April 18, 1906, The great San Francisco Earthquake & Fire of 1906 ripped open the northernmost 296 miles of the San Andreas fault from northwest of San Juan Bautista to the triple junction at Cape Mendocino. The 7.8 magnitude quake was lightly felt in Salt Lake City, Utah, 730 miles away. But the minor effect was probably due to the geological structures between the two cities. While the quake seriously damaged the city and surrounding area, it was the uncontrollable fires that leveled San Francisco.

The Big One
More recently, San Francisco's 1989 Loma Prieta quake was listed as a 7.0 magnitude quake. Millions of people saw television reports of the damage. The collapse of the Oakland Cypress double-deck freeway near the Bay Bridge. The collapse and fires in the Marina district and the disabling of the Bay Bridge itself. In the aftermath, geologists warned that this was not "the big one" they warn us about. For a comparison of the 1989 quake to 1906, see the seismograph image below. This device, in Germany, recorded both earthquakes.

1906_loma_prieta.jpg

All that damage in the 1989 quake was caused by that momentary "blip" on the graph to the right of center. Compare that motion to the earlier 1906 great quake! :eek:
 
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New Madrid's 8.0 ranks as the 7th largest quake in the U.S. History. The largest U.S. quake was the 1964 Alaskan earthquake which the USGS has classified as a magnitued 9.2! If you eliminate Alaska, New Madrid is #2 behind the Cascadia quake on or about 26 January 1700, estimated to be about a magnitude 9 quake. A tsunami crossed the pacific and damaged the coast of Japan.
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Very interesting Bill and the graph you posted on the Loma Preita quake vs the 1906 quake is very telling and very scary.

Today's Midwest quake was actually followed up with 4.6 after shock and considering the first one was 5.3, its a pretty big after shock. Lots of sesmic activity lately across the US and world.
 
April 19
- 1993: Waco
- 1995: Oklahoma City Bombing

No surprise these were on the same date since the Oklahoma City bombing was an act of revenge against the Federal Government for what they did at Waco. The OCB was not a terrorist act. It was an act of revenge.
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Some would say it was the act of a serial self abuser who had more in common with Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold than with some metaphysical dispenser of justice.
But if you want to call Timothy McVeigh a freedom fighter, that's your right.
 
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