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

by Neil Zurcher

Overview

Tragedy and courage walk hand-in-hand in these notorious disasters from Ohio history, A veteran journalist looks behind the headlines for the rest of the story… These ten disasters from Ohio's past are worth remembering for both their tragic lessons and their inspiring examples of heroism. Revisit the horribly destructive Xenia tornado, part of the most violent "super outbreak" ever recorded, which wiped out whole 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 and other eyewitness.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781598511253
Publisher:	Gray & Company, Publishers
Publication date:	05/12/2022
Pages:	149
Sales rank:	1,045,454
Product dimensions:	5.43(w) x 8.43(h) x 0.55(d)

About the Author

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.

Table of Contents

Author's Note 8

Preface 9

The Parachute Disaster on Lake Erie 13

The Fitchville Nursing Home Fire 27

The Xenia Tornado 43

The Blizzard of '78 57

The Silver Bridge Collapse 75

The Cleveland Circus Fire 89

The Great Cleveland Balloon Launch Fiasco 101

The Roger Blough Inferno 111

The Who Concert Stampede in Cincinnati 123

The Zanesville Exotic Animal Escape 137

Acknowledgements 151

Sources 153

About the Author 157