jan 1, 1590 BC - Minoan Eruption

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The Minoan eruption of Thera, also referred to as the Thera eruption, Santorini eruption, or the Late Bronze Age eruption, was a major catastrophic volcanic eruption with a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 6 or 7 and a dense-rock equivalent (DRE) of 60 km3 (14 cu mi). Dated to the mid-second millennium BCE, the eruption was one of the largest volcanic events on Earth in recorded history. It devastated the island of Thera (now called Santorini), including the Minoan settlement at Akrotiri, as well as communities and agricultural areas on nearby islands and the coast of Crete with related earthquakes and tsunamis.

Although there are no clear ancient records of the eruption, it may have inspired certain Greek myths (especially Atlantis), caused turmoil in Egypt, and been alluded to in a Chinese chronicle. The exact date of the eruption is disputed, although it is believed to have occurred during summer, approximately around the sixteenth century BC.

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