Your Challenge:
You are the curator of a new online museum. There is a new exhibition opening up to the public on December 14th (A Days) and December 15th (B Days). The exhibition is called "Disasters Through History." Your challenge is to create an online exhibit (using weebly.com) that will be a part of this large exhibition. Choose one of the following disasters below to create an exhibit that will wow the public AND leave them with new knowledge about the disaster you chose.
The disasters are listed from most recent dates (21st century) to least recent dates (19th century):
The disasters are listed from most recent dates (21st century) to least recent dates (19th century):
- The Chilean Miner Accident of 2010: 33 miners from Chile were trapped for 69 days in the depths of a mine and were miraculously rescued.
- The 2008 K2 Disaster: In 2008, 11 mountaineers from multiple international expeditions perished on the 2nd highest mountain in the world, K2. K2 is considered the most dangerous mountain in the world, and on August 1, 2008, it once again provided itself as just that.
- The Mt. Everest Expedition Disaster of 1996: It was the deadliest season in the history of Everest, the highest mountain on earth. An expedition team began to summit but the weather (and other variables) impacted the climb, and the expedition took a disastrous turn for the worst.
- The Story of Christopher McCandless: In 1992, Christopher McCandless (who went by "Alex Supertramp") left home without a word, traveled throughout the United States, and then walked into the Alaskan Wilderness but never came back.
- The Story of the Andes Survivors: In 1972, a rugby team embarked on a flight that took them across the Andes Mountains. The plane crashed, and the group was left stranded in the cold mountains for 70 days. Many perished but the remaining few were rescued. Some of the players resorted to cannibalism to stay alive.
- The U.S.S. Indianapolis (A Naval Disaster): In 1945, the U.S.S. Indianapolis was sunk by a Japanese submarine's torpedo. Upon being hit, 900 of the nearly 1,200 men on board survived the initial explosions. Only 317 men survived after remaining stranded in the open waters of the Pacific Ocean for three and a half days. An estimate of a few dozen to 150 men died from shark attacks while others died from salt poisoning and exhaustion.
- The Triangle Factory Fire (of 1911): In New York City in 1911, a shirt waist factory caught on fire while the most important exit remained locked, leaving many dead (mainly women and children).
- The Great Blizzard of 1888: It was the most severe blizzard in the history of the U.S., impacting the Northeast, such as Montreal, Canada, New York City, Boston, and Washington, D.C. People were stranded in their homes for over a week.
- The Donner Party (the Donner-Reed Party): The Donner party was a group of pioneers that set out for California in 1846, but because of many mistakes and setbacks, they got stuck in the Sierra Nevada, completely snowbound. Some of the pioneers resorted to cannibalism to stay alive.
- The Lost Franklin Expedition: In 1845, an expedition team left England by ship in the hopes of exploring the Arctic and discovering the Northwest Passage. The ships became icebound and the entire expedition team perished. A search party was sent out 2 years after no news had been received from the team, but at that point, it was much too late.
Example Online Museum Exhibits:
If you'd like to see an example of an online museum exhibit that fits into the exhibition's theme of "Disasters Through History" and shows some of the outlining process, click on the link below:
The Great Galveston Hurricane - http://thegreatgalvestonhurricane.weebly.com
To see student examples of an online museum highlighting individuals, their cause, and how you can make a difference, click the links below:
Where Children Sleep: Sherap - http://sherap.weebly.com
Lobsang - http://savinglobsang.weebly.com
The Great Galveston Hurricane - http://thegreatgalvestonhurricane.weebly.com
To see student examples of an online museum highlighting individuals, their cause, and how you can make a difference, click the links below:
Where Children Sleep: Sherap - http://sherap.weebly.com
Lobsang - http://savinglobsang.weebly.com