Similarly, the 2001 [where?] train crash killed 50 people and was the subject of national enquiries and public mourning, yet during the week in which it was on TV, far more people are killed on the roads.
As many Americans die on the roads every 18 months as died in the entire Vietnam war.
As many Americans die of cigarette smoking every 3 days as died in the World Trade Centre attack. Of course, this is different because the smokers are choosing to kill themselves, but still ... three days.
... and a quarter of a million every year through weight-related illness. Would you like extra cheese with that?
| DEATHS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | When | How Many | What |
| Europe | 1348-1351 | 20,000,000 (50% of the population) | Black Death |
| World | Every year | 1,000,000 | Malaria |
| Ireland | 1845 | 1,000,000 | Potato famine |
| USA | Every year | 440,000 | Cigarette smoking |
| USA | 1941-45 | 292,000 | World War II |
| USA | Every year | 280,000 | Weight-related illness |
| Tokyo | 1923 | 200,000 | Great Kanto Earthquake |
| USA | 1965-73 | 58,000 | Vietnam War |
| USA | Every year | 40,000 | Road accidents |
| USA | 1950-53 | 33,000 | Korean War |
| USA | 1990s | 12,000 | Deaths through SUV rollovers
(allegations that the car companies knew about instabilities but considered it too expensive to make them safe) |
| Kobe | 1995 | 6,400 | Earthquake |
| Britain and Northern Ireland | 1969-1998 | 3,500 | "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland |
| USA | Sep 11, 2001 | 3,000 | World Trade Centre attack |