1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:07,760 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hi again, Welcome to this Day in History Class, 3 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:14,880 Speaker 1: where history waits for no One. Today is August nineteen. 4 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:29,560 Speaker 1: The day was August three, the eruption of Krakataw, a 5 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:34,199 Speaker 1: called Era and the Sunda Strait in Indonesia peaked. It 6 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:37,920 Speaker 1: was one of the deadliest volcanic eruptions in modern history. 7 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:44,360 Speaker 1: Kracotile is about halfway between Java and Sumatra. It's on 8 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:48,560 Speaker 1: the convergence of the Eurasian and Indo Australian tectonic plates. 9 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 1: More than a thousand years ago in prehistoric times, and 10 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:57,400 Speaker 1: eruption formed a caldera in the area. The remnants of 11 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:00,880 Speaker 1: that caldera eventually turned into the islands of Lung for 12 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:05,839 Speaker 1: Latin and Krakatau. In eighteen eighty three, there were three 13 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 1: volcanic cones on Krakatau, Herba Watan the northernmost and most active, 14 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:15,520 Speaker 1: Dannon near the middle of the island, and Ricotta, the 15 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:20,120 Speaker 1: largest and southernmost one. Before the eighteen eighty three eruption 16 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:24,280 Speaker 1: of Krakatau, there had only been one other confirmed eruption 17 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:29,759 Speaker 1: of the caldera. That eruption occurred in sixteen eighty travelers 18 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:32,800 Speaker 1: documented an earthquake at sea after a long period of 19 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:37,199 Speaker 1: twin quility on the island. But in May eighteen eighty 20 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:41,440 Speaker 1: three there was volcanic activity in Batavia, then the capital 21 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,880 Speaker 1: of the Dutch East Indies but now corresponds with Jakarta. 22 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 1: People began hearing explosions and feeling tremors as clouds formed. 23 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 1: By the end of May, the volcanic activity had died down, 24 00:01:56,120 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: but around mid June the activity started back up. On 25 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:04,600 Speaker 1: the afternoon of Sunday, August, the initial blast in a 26 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:09,560 Speaker 1: series of violent explosions occurred. Herbo Watsons sent a cloud 27 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:13,959 Speaker 1: of gas and debris miles into the air. Debris might 28 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:17,360 Speaker 1: have clogged the neck of Herple Watton in an earlier eruption, 29 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:21,960 Speaker 1: and pressure then built up below the blockage. Once the 30 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:25,359 Speaker 1: sea water touched the hot lava, then the resulting hot 31 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 1: steam could have forced lava flows out at high speeds. 32 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:34,079 Speaker 1: The next day the eruption reached its peak. People as 33 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 1: far away as Perth, Australia heard explosions. In fact, there 34 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:41,400 Speaker 1: is evidence that the sound of the explosions traveled around 35 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 1: the world, and the sound is considered to be the 36 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:49,360 Speaker 1: loudest one ever recorded in modern history. It was also 37 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:52,600 Speaker 1: heard in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and on the 38 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 1: island of Rodriguez in the Indian Ocean. Ash was sent 39 00:02:56,840 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 1: fifty miles or eight kilometers into the sky. Miles of 40 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:04,680 Speaker 1: rock fragments were sent flying into the air. Herba wat 41 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:08,360 Speaker 1: And and Dannon plunged into the caldera, sinking hundreds of 42 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:11,960 Speaker 1: feet below sea level. All the ash in the air 43 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:15,240 Speaker 1: made the region around the eruption dark for a couple 44 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:18,200 Speaker 1: of days, and the effects that the gases had on 45 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:23,280 Speaker 1: the atmosphere caused vivid sunsets around the world. The eruption 46 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:27,480 Speaker 1: killed more than thirty six thousand people. Not many people 47 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:30,640 Speaker 1: died as a direct result of the eruptions, as it 48 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:34,640 Speaker 1: was likely that no one lived on Krakatau. Many people 49 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:39,040 Speaker 1: were killed by tefra or volcanic rock fragments. Others died 50 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:43,360 Speaker 1: by the hot volcanic gases the explosions released, but way 51 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:46,360 Speaker 1: more people died because of the tsunamis that were triggered 52 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:50,880 Speaker 1: when the island collapsed into the caldera. Tsunamis as far 53 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:55,960 Speaker 1: away as Hawaii and South America were documented. Coastal towns 54 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:58,760 Speaker 1: in Java and Sumatra were hit the hardest when in 55 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 1: a hundred and twenty ft wave caused most of the 56 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 1: estimated number of deaths. News about the eruption tsunamis and 57 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:11,560 Speaker 1: all the devastation spread quickly. The Krakatile eruption measured a 58 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 1: six on the Volcanic Explosivity Index, with the largest eruptions 59 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 1: in history given an eight. It took several years after 60 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:22,880 Speaker 1: the eruption for plant and animal life to re establish 61 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:28,200 Speaker 1: itself in the Krakataw Archipelago. The eruption also likely caused 62 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:32,719 Speaker 1: a drop in average global temperatures for several years. After 63 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:35,279 Speaker 1: an eruption began on the sea floor in the same area, 64 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:40,160 Speaker 1: in a new volcanic home reached sea level and soon 65 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:45,280 Speaker 1: became its own small island, and that Krakataw. I'm Eve 66 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:47,599 Speaker 1: Jeff Coo and hopefully you know a little more about 67 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:51,960 Speaker 1: history today than you did yesterday. If you haven't gotten 68 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:55,359 Speaker 1: your fill of history after listening to today's episode, you 69 00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:59,480 Speaker 1: can follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at te 70 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:03,599 Speaker 1: e I h C Podcast. We'll see you here in 71 00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 1: the same place tomorrow. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, 72 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:13,400 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart radio, app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you 73 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:14,560 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.