Historical Events tagged with "nantucket"

Turns out history loves a label—battles, breakthroughs, and the occasional disaster, all neatly tagged for your browsing pleasure. Because sometimes you just need every weird invention in one place.

Accidents & Tragedies

EgyptAir Flight 990 crashes in Atlantic Ocean

October 31st, 1999 25 years ago

EgyptAir Flight 990, a Boeing 767, plunged into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantucket, Massachusetts, resulting in the loss of all 217 passengers and crew on board. The flight was en route from New York City to Cairo when it went down shortly after takeoff, leading to a complex investigation into the cause of the crash. Preliminary assessments suggested possible mechanical failure, but the investigations also looked into pilot error as a contributing factor due to conflicting reports on the nature of the incident.

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Accidents & Tragedies

Collision of SS Andrea Doria and MS Stockholm

July 25th, 1956 68 years ago

The Italian ocean liner SS Andrea Doria collided with the MS Stockholm in dense fog about forty-five miles south of Nantucket Island. The impact resulted in significant damage to both vessels, leading to the Andrea Doria's sinking the next day. Despite the efforts of the crew and nearby ships, 51 lives were lost in the tragedy.

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Exploration & Discovery

Sperm Whale Attacks and Sinks Whaling Ship Essex

November 20th, 1820 204 years ago

The whaling ship Essex, from Nantucket, Massachusetts, was attacked by an 80-ton sperm whale approximately 3,200 kilometers from the western coast of South America. The whale rammed the ship, causing it to sink and prompting the crew to resort to lifeboats for survival. This incident inspired Herman Melville's 1851 novel, Moby-Dick, highlighting the tension between humans and nature in the whaling industry.

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