The Tunguska event was a huge explosion that occurred in a remote part of central Siberia, near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River, in the early morning of 30 June 1908. The blast flattened an estimated eighty million trees over an area of more than two thousand square kilometres, and was felt and heard over hundreds of kilometres. Because of the isolation of the area and the turmoil in Russia, the first scientific expedition, led by Leonid Kulik, reached the site only in 1927. No impact crater was found. Most scientists conclude that a stony asteroid or comet fragment exploded in the air several kilometres above the ground, with an energy equal to many megatons of TNT. It remains the largest impact-related event in recorded history.
Before and after
- 30 May 1908Birth of Hannes Alfvén
- 22 June 1908Red Flag Incident
- 24 June 1908Death of Grover Cleveland
- 26 June 1908Birth of Salvador Allende
- 30 June 1908Tunguska event
- 8 July 1908Birth of Nelson Rockefeller
- 12 July 1908Founding of Sweden men's national football team
- 19 July 1908Founding of Feyenoord Rotterdam
- 19 July 1908Founding of World Aquatics
More in Society, economy & sport
- 12 May 1792Founding of New York Stock Exchange
- 17 February 1863Founding of International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
- 23 June 1894Founding of International Olympic Committee
- from 6 April 1896 to 15 April 1896The first modern Olympic Games open in Athens
- 1903Rise of Bolsheviks
- 21 May 1904Founding of FIFA
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.