Mega Disasters
Encyclopedia
Mega Disasters is an American documentary
television series that originally aired from May 23, 2006 to July 2008 on The History Channel
. Produced by Creative Differences, the program explores potential catastrophic threats to individual cities, countries, and the entire globe.
The two "mega-disasters" of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and Hurricane Katrina
in 2005 inspired the series and provided a reference point for many of the episodes. Excepting only two shows devoted to man-made disasters
, the threats explored can be divided into three general categories: meteorological, geological, and cosmic
hazards.
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
television series that originally aired from May 23, 2006 to July 2008 on The History Channel
The History Channel
History, formerly known as The History Channel, is an American-based international satellite and cable TV channel that broadcasts a variety of reality shows and documentary programs including those of fictional and non-fictional historical content, together with speculation about the future.-...
. Produced by Creative Differences, the program explores potential catastrophic threats to individual cities, countries, and the entire globe.
The two "mega-disasters" of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
in 2005 inspired the series and provided a reference point for many of the episodes. Excepting only two shows devoted to man-made disasters
Man-made disasters
Man-made disasters are disasters resulting from man-made hazards , as opposed to natural disasters resulting from natural hazards...
, the threats explored can be divided into three general categories: meteorological, geological, and cosmic
Cosmos
In the general sense, a cosmos is an orderly or harmonious system. It originates from the Greek term κόσμος , meaning "order" or "ornament" and is antithetical to the concept of chaos. Today, the word is generally used as a synonym of the word Universe . The word cosmos originates from the same root...
hazards.
Format
Each episode of the series generally follows this pattern:- An introduction teasing the catastrophic outcome of the threat.
- A background on the science and scientists warning about the threat.
- A presentation of previous similar disasters.
- A recap of the evidence.
- A hypothetical scenario using 3D3D computer graphics3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
computer animationComputer animationComputer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....
to visually depict the details of a potential disaster.
Season 1 (2006)
| Episode # (Season) | Episode # (Series) | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
Season 2 (2007)
| Episode # (Season) | Episode # (Series) | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
Season 3 (2008)
| Episode # (Season) | Episode # (Series) | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
See also
- It Could Happen TomorrowIt Could Happen TomorrowIt Could Happen Tomorrow is a television series that premiered on January 15, 2006 on The Weather Channel. It explores the possibilities of various weather and other natural phenomena severely damaging or destroying America's cities...
, a similar television series on The Weather ChannelThe Weather ChannelThe Weather Channel is a US cable and satellite television network since May 2, 1982, that broadcasts weather forecasts and weather-related news, along with entertainment programming related to weather 24 hours a day... - Perfect DisasterPerfect DisasterPerfect Disaster was a one-hour American documentary television mini-series that premiered in 2006 on the Discovery Channel. The program depicted the worst-case scenario that major cities could expect in the near future if hit by extreme disaster...
, another worst-case scenario series on the Discovery ChannelDiscovery ChannelDiscovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...