Erik Larson: 2 ideas worth knowing

2 ideas from Erik Larson, each explained in a minute and credited to the original work. Free on Savvy.

A single torpedo sank the Lusitania in 18 minutes, killing 1,198 people
On 7 May 1915, the German U-boat U-20 torpedoed the passenger liner RMS Lusitania off the Irish coast. It sank in about 18 minutes, killing roughly 1,198 of the nearly 1,960 people…
— Erik Larson, Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania
Galveston's weather chief called a serious hurricane strike impossible. One hit anyway
In 1891, Isaac Cline, the US Weather Bureau's chief meteorologist in Galveston, Texas, wrote that it was virtually impossible for a hurricane to seriously damage the island, and th…
— Erik Larson, Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History

Five ideas worth knowing, every week