Plot Synopsis

Using historial weather footage, reconstructions and insight from experts, WEATHER THAT CHANGED THE WORLD reveals how the history of the world has been defined by weather. From the Hindenberg and Titanic to Napoleon's Grand Army and freak weather events affecting entire cities, this 30-minute series explores how each meteorologial event occurred, its immediate impact on history, and its long-term effects. Each half-hour episode features a different historical, weather-related event, including: "Crash of the Hindenburg," which chronicles the role the weather played in the Hindenburg disaster on May 6, 1937, with reports from airship historian Dan Grossman, meteorologist Eric Fisher, cabin-boy Werner Franz, and ground crewman Bob Buchanan; "Thunderstorm that Saved D.C.," which highlights how during the War of 1812, a thunderstorm helped douse flames for the Capitol, Treasury and White House, while a tornado prevented British troops from wreaking further havoc; "Pennsylvania's Fatal Smog," which documents how five days of killer smog in Donora, PA, in 1948 altered the way we interacted with our environment -- and is still used as an example today, along with the air-pollution disaster in 1952 London; "Sinking of the Titanic," which explores if a deceiving phenomena caused by the weather may explain why two men on lookout did not see a deadly iceberg that stood 100 feet out of the water; "Russia's Secret Weapon," which chronicles how a brutal Russian winter in 1812 destroyed Napoleon Bonaparte's Grand Army, the legacy of which ultimately cost him his empire; "Vanishing Sun," which highlights the year 536 when the sun went dark and did not return to normal for a year and a half, following a volcanic eruption that spewed a massive cloud; "Lost Legions of Rome," which follows a rough coalition of Germanic tribesmen, whose knowledge of the landscape and the weather helped them slaughter Roman Troops in the Teutoburg Forest, North East Germany in 9AD; "Challenger Disaster," which explores how cold weather caused the space shuttle Challenger's rubberized ring to fail, resulting in the death of the entire crew on January 28, 1986; and much more.