August 16

On August 4, 1993, China Airlines Flight 605, an Airbus A300 series twin‑engine wide‑body airliner on a scheduled flight from Taipei to Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Airport, touched down long and fast in heavy rain and gusting winds. The aircraft was unable to stop on the wet runway, overran runway 13, and came to rest near the seawall. Passengers and crew evacuated; several people were injured and the airframe was substantially damaged. Investigators later pointed to an unstable approach, adverse weather, and reduced braking effectiveness on a contaminated runway as primary contributors.

On August 20, 2014, Hiroshima was struck by a devastating series of landslides that claimed 74 lives, destroyed homes, and left the city grappling with the aftermath. The landslides were triggered by unprecedented rainfall, causing saturated soil to give way, burying entire neighborhoods in the Asaminami and Asakita wards. The disaster highlighted the need for improved disaster preparedness and led to significant policy changes in Japan.

A chilling account of three young women abducted by Ariel Castro in Cleveland, Ohio, held captive for years, and their eventual escape in 2013, which shocked the nation and prompted vital changes in missing persons' case handling.