Natural Disasters

Natural disasters function as unscheduled history lessons, rewriting human plans in minutes. The 1755 Lisbon earthquake didn't just kill 60,000 people—it shattered Enlightenment optimism and sparked new philosophical questions about divine justice. Floods carved the boundaries of ancient Egypt's prosperity, while volcanic eruptions buried Pompeii but preserved it for archaeologists. Each catastrophe forces societies to rebuild, adapt, or disappear.