Death of a Snowman

As only National Geographic can, The Great Quake tells the terrifying and inspiring tale of a pitched battle between man and nature told by the stories of people who lived through it. On April 18, 1906 the greatest natural disaster in American history strikes without warning. Concrete buildings explode into clouds of dust and rubble and fires break out by the thousands. For the next three days, San Francisco's corrupt and charismatic Mayor takes the helm of this city under siege, making decisions that are swift and radical. This is the terrifying and inspiring tale of a pitched battle between man and nature told by the stories of people who lived through it.

Valentine's Day, 1982: a terrible storm rages off the coast of Newfoundland. On the Grand Banks, the Ocean Ranger, the world's mightiest drilling rig, is pounded by waves more than 20 metres high. At the height of the storm, the "indestructible" rig begins to tip over, then capsizes. All 84 men on board -- 56 of them from Newfoundland -- perish. It is Canada's worst tragedy at sea since the Second World War.