On This Day: May 18

Tornado Talk Summary

A destructive F4 Tornado quickly hit Olney, TX on May 18, 1951. Thomas Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes believes, based on the damage, that this could have been rated F5. Read the full summary here

SIGTOR Spotlight

Highlighting a Tornado Before 1950
from Significant Tornadoes by Thomas Grazulis!

May 18, 1902: A devastating F4 tornado tracked from north of Berclair, TX to Goliad, where the worst damage occurred. Grazulis lists 114 fatalities. “The greatest damage was confined to an area between Church and San Patricio Streets, which are about four blocks apart (but do not run parallel). One quarter of the town’s 1261 people lived in this section of west Goliad and about 100 buildings in this area were obliterated. Small homes were swept away at the south end of town, and larger ones at the north end. About 85 people died within the first few hours of the tornado’s passage. The remaining deaths were slowly added to the list for weeks afterward. They died of lockjaw (tetanus) and what was generally termed “blood poisoning.”

Historical marker remembering the Goliad tornado of 1902. Image via Wikipedia.
Historical marker remembering the Goliad tornado of 1902. Image via Wikipedia.

Twister From The 2000s

On this day in 2013, an EF4 tornado hit near Rozel, KS. Low-end EF4 damage was done to a home along US156. The roof and walls were blown away from this well-constructed house. Several large tanks were carried a long distance.  Source. 

The home that was ripped apart and rated EF4. Photo via the Damage Assessment Toolkit (DAT).

Weather Rewind

Tornado and Other Weather Events From On This Day

On this day in 1980: Mt. Saint Helens in Washington erupted. Fifty-seven people were killed. Ash fell across 11 states.  Source

Photo of the eruption via Wikimedia Commons.

Pieces of the Past

A Look Back Through The Ages!  On This Day In History! 

Sources:  onthisday.com, thisdayinmusic.com & Britannica

Historical Event

On this day in 1974: India becomes the sixth nation to explode an atomic bomb Check out more historical events at onthisday.com

Famous Birthday

Tina Fey was born May 18, 1970, in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. She is a writer and actress whose work on the television shows Saturday Night Live (SNL)—she was its first female head writer (1999–2006)—and 30 Rock (2006–13) helped establish her as one of the leading comedians in the early 21st century. Source:  Britannica

Film & TV

On this day in 1927: Grauman’s Chinese Theater opens in Hollywood, California Get more daily history at onthisday.com

Music Trivia

On this day in 1966: The Castiles (with Bruce Springsteen on vocals), made their first recordings at Mr Music Inc in Brick Town, New Jersey. They cut two Springsteen songs, ‘Baby I’ and ‘That’s What You Get’. The songs were cut directly to disc, of which seven or eight test pressings of the studio takes were made.  Get into the groove with more music trivia at thisdayinmusic.com

Photo of the Day

On this day in 2019: Joe Biden announces his presidential campaign. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

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