One dam collapse in China killed more people than many a war

In August 1975, an exceptionally intense typhoon struck Henan province in China, dumping more rainfall in a single day than the region normally receives in a year.

The water pressure overwhelmed the region's system of dams, including the large Banqiao Dam — its collapse unleashed a flood wave compared to a wall of water several meters high, which flooded vast lowland areas within hours.

Estimates of direct and indirect casualties — including people who later died of starvation and disease due to the destroyed infrastructure — range from tens of thousands to over two hundred thousand, depending on the counting methodology.

The significance: for decades, information about the disaster was tightly controlled in China, and the details only reached international public awareness years later — which itself shows how easily even massive tragedies can stay nearly invisible to the world.