Peshtigo Fire resulted in death tolls comparable to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Peshtigo Fire The Peshtigo fire was a very large forest fire that took place on October 8, 1871, in and around Peshtigo, Wisconsin. It burned approximately 1,200,000 acres (490,000 ha) and was the deadliest wildfire in American history, with the estimated deaths of around 1,500 people, and possibly as many as 2,500. Occurring on the same day as the more famous Great Chicago Fire, the Peshtigo fire has been largely forgotten. On the same day as the Peshtigo and Chicago fires, Holland and Manistee, Michigan (across Lake
Great Gale of 1871 at over 50. Great Gale of 1871 The Great Gale of 1871 was a severe storm in the North Sea which struck the north east coast of England on Friday 10 February 1871. Shipping near the town of Bridlington was severely affected by the storm, and, in an attempt to rescue seamen, the RNLI lifeboat RNLB "Robert Whitworth" was put out of action and the fishermans lifeboat "Harbinger" upturned with nine locals on board, killing six of them. A memorial obelisk in Bridlington Priory Churchyard commemorates 43 burials there. 28 ships were wrecked on the north east coast, and total