Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883

The world-renowned writer of The Professor and the Madman and The Map That Changed the World delves into the long-lasting and transformative consequences of the devastating eruption of Krakatoa, the planet's most dangerous volcano, on the Java coast.

Following the fabled destruction of the volcano-island of Krakatoa in 1883, which has since been synonymous with a catastrophic event, a massive tsunami claimed the lives of around forty thousand people. The eruption altered the globe in more ways than could be envisaged, beyond the merely physical tragedies of an event that has only just been fully grasped. For years, dust storms whirled across the earth, sending temperatures plummeting and sunsets becoming brilliant with startling bursts of color. As far afield as France, the massive waves had an impact. Bogotá and Washington, D.C. barometers went crazy. Human remains were discovered in Zanzibar. Thousands of kilometers away on islands, Australia, India, and other places heard the sound of the island's devastation. Most importantly, given the current political environment, the eruption contributed to the emergence of a deadly surge of anti-Western militancy by fundamentalist Muslims in Java, one of the first instances of Islamic-inspired murders worldwide.

Because of his extensive travel experience, his familiarity with history and geology, and his ability to bring this famous and intriguing event back to life, Simon Winchester offers us a whole new perspective on it.