Ten Ohio Disasters: Stories of Tragedy and Courage that Should Not Be Forgotten

Ten Ohio Disasters: Stories of Tragedy and Courage that Should Not Be Forgotten

Tragedy and courage walk hand-in-hand in notorious disasters from Ohio history … These ten disasters from Ohio’s past are worth remembering for both their tragic lessons and their inspiring examples of heroism. Includes: The horribly destructive Xenia tornado, part of the most violent “super outbreak” ever recorded, which wiped out entire neighborhoods … - The sudden and shocking Silver Bridge collapse, during rush hour, into the Ohio River near Gallipolis … - An ill-fated group parachute jump over Lake Erie that landed in watery disaster near Huron … - The Golden Age Nursing Home fire in Fitchville, one of the deadliest such fires in U.S. history … - Cleveland’s great balloon launch fiasco, which earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records—and infamy … - The Blizzard of ‘78—a roaring “White Hurricane” that swept across Ohio and buried the state … - The panicked demise of trained animals during the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus fire in Cleveland … - The Roger Blough inferno—a giant, 833-foot-long Great Lakes freighter engulfed in flames while dry-docked in Lorain … - The frenzied and deadly Who concert stampede at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Coliseum … - The bizarre exotic animal escape in Zanesville, where dangerous beasts including lions, tigers, and bears stalked the community. Veteran journalist Neil Zurcher reported many of these news stories firsthand, and for this book interviewed survivors, heroes, and other eyewitness. Neil Zurcher started as a newspaper reporter in 1954, switched to radio in 1961, and became WJW-TV’s first full-time street reporter in 1967. He logged more than a million miles as the original host of the “One Tank Trips” travel series and was associated with WJW-TV for more than fifty years, retiring in 2017. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Society of Professional Journalists, the Gold Circle Award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and the Living Legacy award from the Ohio Broadcasters Hall of Fame. He is the author of several books about Ohio, including Ohio Oddities, Strange Tales From Ohio, The Best of One Tank Trips, and Tales from the Road.