A Literary Magazine Sponsored by The University of Maine at Farmington
By Visio Roughton Lake Nyos is a deep, picturesque lake located in the Northwestern Region of Cameroon, about 196 miles away from the country’s capital Yaoundé. The lake itself sits … Continue Reading Killer lake – A Look at the Nyos Lake Gas Eruption 1986
By Visio Roughton For thousands of years, humans have been writing things down on everything from clay tablets to books. Of these many written works, one of the most intriguing … Continue Reading Elaborate Fake or Unsolved Mystery – Exploring the Voynich Manuscript
By Visio Roughton Molasses has a long, rich history in American society. A byproduct contrived from sugarcane refining, it was a common ingredient in many households. It was a cheaper … Continue Reading When Boston Harbor was Stained Brown – The 1919 Boston Molasses Flood
By Visio Roughton Corporations will often skirt around rules in the name of turning a profit. Oftentimes, the dangerous conditions that come from this will go unchecked until tragedy strikes. … Continue Reading The Sampoong Mall Collapse – How Greed Led to South Korea’s Largest Peacetime Disaster
By Visio Roughton There are very few places on our planet today that have been untouched by the general human population, and this reality has been true for many years. … Continue Reading What an Island Can Teach About Life – The Fascinating Case of Surtsey Island
By Visio Roughton London is rich in history, having existed from the bronze age until today. Thus, such a city has had its fair share of urban disasters; fires, blizzards, … Continue Reading The Summer That Inspired Modern Sanitary Systems – London’s ‘Great Stink’ of 1858
By Visio Roughton Modern medicine has made notable growths in terms of its ability to track and treat diseases, however, there was a time when this was not the case, … Continue Reading Mystery Disease in the 20th Century – A Look at the First Outbreak of Legionnaires
By Visio Roughton The eruptions of Mount St. Helens or Mount Vesuvius are often synonymous with volcanic disasters, and they are, in fact, some of the most well-known eruptions to … Continue Reading When Summer Never Came – A Look at the Mount Tambora Eruption
By Visio Roughton During the 18th and 19th centuries, many communities throughout Europe and the United States were ravaged by an invisible illness. Tuberculosis—then known as “consumption” or the “white … Continue Reading Plague of Vampires – A Look at New England’s Vampire Panic
By Visio Roughton Nuclear power has had a significant impact on humanity and the science field in the past century, and humanity’s understanding of energy has only grown. Today, … Continue Reading Chalk River – Home of the World’s First Nuclear Accident
By Visio Roughton In late August of 1859, Earth was struck by the most powerful solar flare in recorded history, the effects of which peaked on September 1st and 2nd … Continue Reading Fire In the Sky – A Look Back at the Carrington Event
By Visio Roughton Many cultures have learned to adapt to their environments, living alongside rather than against them. These civilizations, both ancient and modern, reflect the true power of human … Continue Reading Floating Cities – The Islands of the Uros and the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan
By Visio Roughton Throughout American history, there are many examples of towns that are erected near or around areas that are rich in natural resources. From gold and silver to … Continue Reading The Town That’s Burned for 60 Years – A Brief Exploration Into the History of Centralia, Pennsylvania