Eruption
The Maundy Monday Newsletter - This Week in History May 12 - 18.
In the Pacific Northwest, there are numerous volcanoes in what is called the Cascade Volcanic Arc. It stretches about 700 miles from British Columbia through Washington, Oregon, and Northern California.
Volcanoes fall into different categories beyond “active” and “inactive,” and one definition is a “stratovolcano,” which means it’s a volcano that can do some damage if it wants. One particular stratovolcano in the southeastern part of Washington is marking its major anniversary this week.
In March 1980, Mount St. Helens experienced earthquakes and emitted steam as its crater enlarged, indicating that a major mudslide could happen and the volcano would erupt at any moment. One volcanologist said at a press conference that the eruption could be in a few months or a few hours.
It turned out that those who had the over on a few hours won.
At 8:30 a.m. on May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted. The boom could be heard 150 miles away, meaning everyone living in Portland, Oregon, just 62 miles to the south, heard it.
The earthquake that triggered the eruption was rated 5.0 on the Richter scale, setting everything in motion. And did it ever motion.
The devastation was massive. Cars that were parked 12 miles away were flipped over when the blast hit. Billowing clouds of steam and ash raced ten miles into the sky, making it appear that an atomic bomb had gone off.
Seven hundred degrees of gas and water pushed mud to the areas below, wiping out bridges and felling entire forests of trees. It is the largest landslide ever recorded and the worst volcanic episode in US history.
Five hundred twenty million tons of ash were scattered across the United States and worldwide. 57 people died.
The eruption was a wake-up call to scientists to pay a little more attention to volcanoes and what they are doing. Mount St. Helens, named after some British guy who was the baron of St. Helens, has had a few minor eruptions over the past four decades, the last being in 2008.
Okay, let's highlight what else happened this week. As a reminder, these events celebrate their anniversary, ending in 5 or 0. Here's what I got:
1. BB King died on May 14, 2015. The King of the Blues was born in the Mississippi Delta and taught himself to play the guitar. He was an influential figure throughout his life and performed over 200 shows well into his 70s. I hope I get out of my house 200 times when I turn 70.
2. Jim Henson and Sammy Davis, Jr. died on May 16, 1990. Two renowned artists passed away on the same day, which makes May 16, 1990, not great. Henson created The Muppets and gave us laughter with a frog and a pig. Davis Jr. was a member of the famous Rat Pack and taught us to smile and dance.
3. Mary McLeod Bethune died on May 18, 1955. The trailblazing teacher and philanthropist for African American women, built institutions like the National Council of Negro Women, and Bethune-Cookman University. She was the first Black woman to lead a federal agency when President FDR appointed her as the Secretary of the National Youth Association.
Yesterday was Mother’s Day, and I hope all the mothers had a lovely time with their families, celebrating all the wonderful things mothers do for us.
Yesterday was also an important day, as it was Blue’s birthday. He turned twelve. He is easily the most active twelve-year-old dog you could ever meet. Unfortunately for the 95% of the people who support Okay History, you can never meet Blue, because he would try to rip your head off if he did.
Blue is a rescue dog because we rescued him from Georgia, which was enough sway for me to rank the Peach State as high as I did in the 2022 State Rankings.
I love Blue very, very much. I grew up with dogs and loved them all, so I don’t have favorites. But Blue is my favorite. He’s an incredibly loyal dog who senses how you feel, and if you need immediate affection, he is there with kisses.
He is also there when you leave the bathroom in the morning, when he is ready for his walk. He’s there in your bedroom, waiting, not so patiently as you try to find the last piece of clothing before you take him out one last time.
Since COVID, Blue has slept in the bed, which really means he sleeps on top of Anonymous. When he is upset at me, he will sleep across my legs to ensure I know he is upset and that I shouldn’t expect a good night's sleep.
We spoil Blue too much for an animal that craves structure. I don’t care; he can do whatever he wants. I had to spend most of yesterday at work, and this upcoming weekend, we are away, but I hope to find some quality time with my boy, who has given me so much joy for the past seven years.
He’s one of the great gifts Anonymous has given me, and I couldn’t be more grateful. I’m thankful that he will live forever.
As you can probably tell, the Scandal essays have not arrived in your inbox on Friday mornings like they should. I apologize for that and appreciate that you still read them whenever they are posted.
Let’s just say from now on, the next edition will come out this weekend. Thank you for your continued support! I hope you have a great week – remember that summer is almost here!
Okay,
Chris
I found it interesting that we both celebrated mother's day with long posts about our rescue dogs (smile.) Needless to say, I enjoyed yours.
At least when Jim and Sammy died, they both got decent obituary coverage in the papers. Whereas C.S. Lewis' death was completely overshadowed by the JFK assassination.