Saved by the Baguette

Abstract

Volcanoes are an important cause of catastrophic tsunamis, none more so than Santorini (Thera) that erupted with devastating power approximately 1600 BC. This Late Bronze Age eruption generated a tsunami that rampaged throughout the Mediterranean and saw the beginning of the end for the Minoan civilization at the time. In more recent times, the 1883 eruption of Krakatau in Indonesia caused similar mayhem. However, the recent eruption of Krakatau’s child, Anak Krakatau, shows the disturbing ability of volcanoes to rebuild and repeat. In this chapter, these events and several more are charted through their local and distant effects, concluding with a salutary tale about the man in Martinique who was saved by a stolen baguette.