Volcanoes that made history

The August 27 1883 eruption of Krakatau destroyed two islands and most of a third in the Java-Sumatra strait, killing over 36,000 people, chiefly through tsunamis generated by the massive explosion. Telegraph reports from Batavia spread the disaster worldwide in near real time, enabling the first systematic documentation of volcanic impacts. Observations from this event established the foundations of modern volcanology and revealed how large eruptions can affect climate, agriculture, and human history.