Watching Disaster Documentaries

[dotinthesky]

Two days ago, Jennifer (one of the Sissys) and I watched a documentary on the Black Death. It focused on the first time it appeared in Europe, in 1348, and the effects it had in all of the countries it went through. It had been a long time since I'd learned something new from television. For example, I had no idea that the first time the Black Death appeared it was transmitted by human contact. I remember our Biology teacher in High School (who was also my homeroom teacher and loved to patrol the school to catch smokers) teaching us that the Black Death was transmitted by rats.

But, then the documentary mentioned how the Black Death was "like other Medieaval plagues, such as the Bubonic plague." This has confused me because I just found a website that says the Bubonic plague was just one of three types of the Black Death (the most common one.) So, while Jennifer and I sat there, thinking to ourselves we were learning something, we were actually being misinformed. I bet the production company responsible for that documentary hired a temp to do the research.

Then yesterday, Jennifer and I watched a documentary on two modern tragedies: The Hindenburg's destruction in 1937 and the Challenger's explosion in 1986.



The images and retelling of the Hindenburg's collapse were impressive. In a way, the Hindenburg's crash in New Jersey was the first type of "9/11" tragedy: sabotage, expectators, live transmition of the event (the first time a disaster had been played on the radio as it unfolded.) Everything caught on camera aswell for posterity.

I missed much of the Challenger's story because I was busy in the kitchen making veggie burgers for everyone. Later, while eating, Jennifer and Kevin told me that they remembered the Challenger's explosion so well because it was televised to Canadian schools. They remembered sitting in their classrooms, watching its take off (the Challenger had a teacher who was supposed to give classes from space on day 4), then seeing the explosion.

Comments

[sparklielizard.livejournal.com]

The Challenger disaster was my fault. At school that day, we'd been making space shuttles out of straws. I threw mine to see if it would fly, and it hit the ground and fell to bits at exactly (as I found out later!) the same time as Challenger exploded. Boy, did I feel bad.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

And did your sister and your parents concur when you told them that?

[sparklielizard.livejournal.com]

Very probably, although I can't remember now!

[medusa.livejournal.com]

If they had got this temp to do their historical research then it would all have been okay!

*mutter*

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

I don't know if I can agree with that! I could see you asking the production team to add a scene where the milkmaid, lying in the throes of her bubonic pain, is seduced by the manor's lord.

[medusa.livejournal.com]

I doubt it somehow.

[alice-ayers.livejournal.com]

I was in kindergarden when the Challenger accident happened. Of course, my teacher [I went to school near Boston] had turned on the television for us to watch and I didn't realise anything had happened til I saw tears streaming doen the teacher's face.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

What were the children's reaction?

[alice-ayers.livejournal.com]

I remember just watching [read:staring at] my teacher as she cried. But I'm sure alot of the kids cried.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

See, but in that documentary they made it clear that the Black Death was spread by human contact - starting in Italy (from sailors arriving from the East) and then spreading through out Europe. I had been taught before that it was the rats that had travelled with it, infecting people's foods and thus helping spread it. I've never heard this theory about the dog fleas though.

[4q.livejournal.com]

I don't really remember much of my childhood, I think I killed my brain. But I do remember the hindenburg

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

So you don't remember your childhood but your remember something that happened in 1937?!?! How old are you again? :P

[4q.livejournal.com]

ha ha, I am an enigma! wrapped in a riddle!

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

I'm gonna ask Jerry Springer to invite you to his show.

[4q.livejournal.com]

ha ha oh god! I can't believe you think I would desrve such a thing

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Ancient old punks should be put in travelling circuses!

[4q.livejournal.com]

:*(

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Awww...

:P

[chrissymo.livejournal.com]

I also remember watching the Challenger. I was home sick that day watching it on TV and I called my dad and said "Is the space ship supposed to explode like that???" I was 8.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

It's weird... I remember hearing about it but not being too overly surprised or shocked by the news (probably because I lived in Brazil at the time and anything happening in America just seemed so foreign.)

[dilvalicious.livejournal.com]

I remember when we listened to the recording of the guy reporting about the hindenberg...it gave me chills...and the way he was crying, "oh the humanity"

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

So you saw it in classroom as well?

[dilvalicious.livejournal.com]

yup...in highschool

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

HAHA! Oh, yeah, just before your graduation right?

[dilvalicious.livejournal.com]

no...why before my graduation?

*coughcoughweirdocoughcough*