Is this week the worst week in American history?

Is this week the worst week in American history?

History buffs might not know this already but it seems as if this week—April 14th to April 20th—might be the worst week in American history. Things like President Lincoln being assassinated, the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Columbine shooting, the Virginia Tech school shooting, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Boston Marathon bombing, etc. all happened during this week in history.

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Bracing for the Next Big Quake With L.A.'s New City Seismologist

Bracing for the Next Big Quake With L.A.'s New City Seismologist

The 4.4 jolt that shook Angelenos awake this morning was the latest reminder of our complicated relationship with the ground below us. But I had a different perspective of what was happening under my feet this time: Just before this latest earthquake, I took a walk along Hollywood’s fault lines with Dr. Lucy Jones, Los Angeles’s first Seismic Risk Advisor.

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Fukushima Could Make Japan a Leader In Nuclear Cleanup Tech

Fukushima Could Make Japan a Leader In Nuclear Cleanup Tech

The idea that a nuclear disaster could actually drive innovation is definitely a new way to look at Japan’s ongoing Fukushima debacle. But a new report from the AP does just that, suggesting that the long-term cleanup effort that Japan now faces will make it a world leader in decommissioning nuclear plants.

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Your Phone's Wi-Fi Hotspot Could Act As an SOS Beacon in a Disaster

Your Phone's Wi-Fi Hotspot Could Act As an SOS Beacon in a Disaster

Trapped under rubble, unable to move following a natural disaster, it would be easy to assume the worst. But soon the Wi-Fi hotspot on your phone may be able to help raise alarm—acting as an SOS beacon to guide rescuers your way.

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This Network-in-a-Backpack Will Connect People in Disaster Areas

This Network-in-a-Backpack Will Connect People in Disaster Areas

This backpack may not look much, but it has impressive hidden depths: it contains all the kit you need to establish an ad hoc mobile network in just ten minutes—perfect for those working in disaster areas.

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It’s Not the Snow, It’s Not the Politics: Blame the Car-Dependent City

It's Not the Snow, It's Not the Politics: Blame the Car-Dependent City

There’s been plenty written about why the South suffered so much from this week’s surprise snowstorm. But there’s really only one thing to blame: those cold lumps of steel that are still abandoned on the side of the highway. What happened in Atlanta could happen any time, any place where people rely so heavily on cars.

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The Woman Who Survived the Titanic, Britannic, and Olympic Disasters

The Woman Who Survived the Titanic, Britannic, and Olympic DisastersToday I Found Out about Violet Jessop, "Miss Unsinkable," the woman who survived the sinking of the sister ships the Titanic and the Britannic, and was also aboard the third of the trio of Olympic class vessels, the Olympic, when it had a major accident.

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An emerging maker culture building Cincinnati, a “Green Line” making a Mexican city healthier, and a

An emerging maker culture building Cincinnati, a "Green Line" making a Mexican city healthier, and a car-free festival changing L.A.—all that, plus preserving post offices in an age of email and three plans to save San Francisco from a housing crisis, in this week’s Urban Reads.

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Watch This Crane Operator Get Plucked From Terrifying Inferno

Watch This Crane Operator Get Plucked From Terrifying Inferno

Firefighters in Kingston, Ontario battled a major building fire this afternoon that may have been caused by a propane explosion. Worst of all, it left a man trapped on a crane at the site of the blaze — and the play-by-play of his dramatic rescue was captured on Twitter.

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Aerial photos reveal the destructive path of the Midwest tornado

Aerial photos reveal the destructive path of the Midwest tornado

Tornadoes ripped through the Midwest of the United States earlier today and the damage it left behind is absolutely tragic. These pictures of Washington, Illinois, the worst area affected, show how a community gets shredded by natural disaster. The path is violent, the ground is scarred and the homes are just gone.

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