Good morning, Tony Robinson back in Disasters. Tony kicks off the episode in Sydney and explores the story of the hot air balloon. This daredevil created a sensation when he walked on a tightrope across Sydney Harbor. He was going to fly a hot air balloon. Everyone was flocked to see what was going to happen with this daredevil. It was 1881, and what could go wrong with the hot air balloon flight?
Well, everything went wrong. The balloon would not fly. He cut the basket after plaiting the ropes to create a hoist. Once the basket was cut, he went flying! He flew all over Sydney and slipped out of his harness. Fearing that he was going to go into the sea, he managed to get some of the air let out of the balloon and landed in front of a house. The people followed him and once he landed, he was taken to the pub. The balloon was popped and since it was filled with coal gas the house exploded. The daredevil survived. Tony then goes back to the 1860s and a failed expedition across Australia. Two men named Burke and Willis were going to plan an expedition across Australia. They were searching for an inland sea. The money was raised, and the men purchased supplies. On the first day, a cart broke down. However, the men pressed on. The supplies they brought were ludicrous and they were not prepared to travel across the outback. Would this expedition succeed in crossing Australia? Would an inland sea be discovered? Follow the rest of this piece to find out. Tony’s next time travel moves forward to the 1960s and the Wahine Shipwreck. He goes to Wellington, New Zealand to explore Wahine’s story. The Wahine was sailing in a bad storm. However, the storm was a one in five-hundred-year storm. As the Wahine sailed her radar quit working. It finally hit a reef and ran around. The captain and crew tried to save the ship. However, it became clear that the ship was going to sink. Everyone was ordered to abandon the ship. Tony talks with the survivor of the wreck. Fifty-one people died in the shipwreck; many hundreds survived because of the large rescue effort done by the community. Tony then travels forty years into the future to explore the impact of an earthquake. He explores Christchurch, New Zealand. Christchurch is the New Zealander version of England. It was built in the image of the cathedral cities of England. There was a major earthquake that hit Christchurch that killed 181 people. The shallow depth of the earthquake made it deadly. Tony explores the ruins of a square after this natural disaster. Rebuilding the square in Christchurch will be a challenge for New Zealanders but it has brought everyone together to help rebuild the square. There will be a few buildings that will be restored to their full glory. Tony then talks with an on-site archeologist. There have been some good finds as a result of the earthquake. After this trip to the earthquake zone, Tony travels to the 1970s and South Australia. One city’s fascination with disaster stopped a city in its tracks. A house painter predicted a huge tidal wave that would strike Adelaide. House prices plummeted, hotels went bust and people moved to higher ground. This prediction scared the people. Others were curious about what was coming and then moved to Adelaide. They were curious about what was to come. The giant wave never came, however, everyone enjoyed laughing at themselves. This episode would be a good “fun and frivolous” episode to show to a history class.
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