On This Day: November 15
Tornado Talk Summary
November 15, 1989 was a heartbreaking day for the city of Huntsville, AL. An F4 tornado hit the southern part of the city crossing through a busy business section and heavily populated residential area at the time of afternoon rush hour. 21 people were killed, 18 died in the tornado and three others later from injuries. 57% of the deaths occurred in automobiles. Per the Storm Data summary, “most of those killed in the cars were in the process of performing normal tasks as opposed to fleeing in or seeking the automobiles for safety.” 450+ people were injured in this tornado event. Read the full summary here!
SIGTOR Spotlight
Highlighting a Tornado Before 1950
from Significant Tornadoes by Thomas Grazulis!
November 15, 1930: A possible F2 tornado moved through Rapides Parish, LA. It moved from near Gardner to near Ball. “Five tenant homes were swept away and there were deaths in four of them.”
Twister From The 2000s
On November 15, 2008, an EF3 tornado tracked for 8 miles through Elm City, NC. Damage was mostly in the EF0 to EF1 range; however, at one location, it swept away a house and heavily damaged a neighboring one, earning the EF3 rating. There was one fatality and four injuries. Source.
Weather Rewind
There is more weather phenomenon than just tornadoes?
On This Day in OTHER weather history!
November 15, 2007: Category 4 Cyclone Sidr made landfall in Bangladesh. At least 3,447 lost their lives. Some estimates though bring the total to 15,000 killed. Source.
Pieces of the Past
A Look Back Through The Ages! On This Day In History!
Historical Event
On this day in 1967, the only fatality of the X-15 program occurs during the 191st flight when Air Force test pilot Michael J. Adams loses control of his aircraft descending from 81km, causing its mid air destruction over the Mojave Desert. Check out more historical events at onthisday.com!
Famous Birthday
On this day in 1930, J.G. Ballard, British author of science fiction set in ecologically unbalanced landscapes caused by decadent technological excess, was born in Shanghai, China. He died in 2009. Source: Britannica.
Film & TV
On this day in 1969, the 1st ever colour television commercial in the UK, for Birds Eye peas, airs on ATV in the Midlands during a Thunderbirds episode! Get more daily history at onthisday.com!
Music Trivia
On this day in 1969, Janis Joplin was arrested during a gig in Tampa, Florida, after badmouthing a policeman and using vulgar and indecent language. Joplin became upset after police moved into the hall forcing fans to move back to their seats. As the singer left the stage she confronted a detective calling him ‘a son of a bitch’ and told him she would kick his face in. She was released on $504 bail. Get into the groove with more music trivia at thisdayinmusic.com!
Radar of the Day
