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In 1908, thunderous blasts and blazing fires from the sky descended upon the desolate Tunguska territory of Siberia. The explosion knocked down an area of forest larger than London and was powerful enough to obliterate Manhattan. The mysterious nature of the event has prompted a wide array of speculation and investigation, including from those who suspected that aliens from outer space had been involved. In this deeply researched account of the Tunguska explosion and its legacy in Russian society, culture, and the environment, Andy Bruno recounts the intriguing history of the disaster and researchers' attempts to understand it. Taking readers inside the numerous expeditions and investigations that have long occupied scientists, he foregrounds the significance of mystery in environmental history. His engaging and accessible account shows how the explosion has shaped the treatment of the landscape, how uncertainty allowed unusual ideas to enter scientific conversations, and how cosmic disasters have influenced the past and might affect the future.
List of contents
Note on sources, abbreviations, terminology, and transliteration; 1. Landscape of mystery; 2. Destruction from the sky; 3. Reaching the inaccessible terrain; 4. Poking and prodding for answers; 5. Cosmic fantasies; 6. Volunteers take charge; 7. Life in Tunguska; 8. Protecting the taiga; 9. Views from afar; 10. Siberian and planetary futures; Endnotes; Bibliography; Index.
About the author
Andy Bruno is an environmental historian and associate professor at Northern Illinois University. He is the author of The Nature of Soviet Power: An Arctic Environmental History (2016).
Summary
This engaging new account of the powerful Tunguska explosion of 1908 provides a fresh look at the enigmatic disaster and the generations of researchers who have tried to understand it. Taking readers inside expeditions and investigations to explore the role of mystery in environmental history, Bruno examines the legacy of the explosion.
Report
'In this wonderful and fascinating book, Andy Bruno unravels the mysteries and marvels of the awe-inspiring extraterrestrial event that rocked Siberia's Tunguska region in 1908; an event we have been struggling to grasp for more than a century. Brimming with engaging prose and insightful analysis, Tunguska is at once a scientific detective story, an exploration of the cultural meanings of the cosmos and catastrophe, and a deep dive into the environmental and scientific history of the Soviet Union and beyond.' Nicholas Breyfogle, Ohio State University
