CatastropheThe 1960s

Catastrophe in the 1960s

Every event in the Terralore archive tagged catastrophe — plague, famine, earthquake and other disasters, narrowed to the 1960s — 5 of them, drawn from 5 nations, running from 1960 to 1969. Each entry keeps the sources it was verified against and links back to the chronicle it came from.

Events
5
Nations
5
Earliest
1960
Latest
1969
Africa
2
Asia
2
Europe
1

Every entry below is the same record, with the same sources, as the one on its nation’s chronicle.

  1. Asia

    Uzbekistan

    Cotton monoculture and the death of the Aral Sea

    Soviet irrigation for cotton diverts the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, and the Aral Sea shrinks drastically from the 1960s — a notorious man-made environmental catastrophe.

    Era: Russian Conquest and Soviet Rule

    Sources: Desiccation of the Aral Sea · Seventeen Moments in Soviet History, Michigan State University, Uzbekistan — Russian and Soviet rule · Encyclopaedia Britannica

  2. Europe

    North Macedonia

    The Skopje earthquake

    A powerful earthquake devastated Skopje, killing more than a thousand people; the city was rebuilt with international aid as the modern capital of the republic.

    Era: Partition, 'Vardar Macedonia' and the Yugoslav Republic

    Sources: North Macedonia: History (Ancient, Ottoman, Yugoslav) · Encyclopaedia Britannica

  3. Africa

    Rwanda

    Reprisals against the Tutsi

    An incursion by Tutsi exiles is met with mass killings of Tutsi civilians and a further exodus, setting a pattern of cyclical anti-Tutsi violence.

    Era: Revolution, Independence and Exile

    Sources: History of Rwanda · Wikipedia, Outreach Programme on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda — Historical Background · United Nations

  4. Africa

    Niger

    The Great Sahel drought

    A catastrophic drought devastated Niger's crops and herds; the famine of this period and the 1980s killed many and left hundreds of thousands dependent on food aid, deepening the crisis of the Diori regime.

    Era: Independence, uranium and the long droughts

    Sources: Sahel Drought and Famine, 1968–1985 · Environment & Society Portal, History of Niger · Wikipedia

  5. Asia

    Malaysia

    The 13 May communal riots

    Racial rioting between Malays and Chinese in Kuala Lumpur follows a divisive general election, leaving many dead and leading to a suspension of parliament that transforms Malaysian politics.

    Era: The Formation of Malaysia and Singapore's Separation

    Sources: Malaysia: Political transformation (occupation, federation, NEP) · Encyclopaedia Britannica