Photographer's last 30 seconds on Earth saved history as he sacrificed himself for his film
When it comes to natural disasters, volcanoes are among the most volatile, and as we've seen a little too often, these sleeping giants can pop their tops at a moment's notice.
There's been a lot of volcano news grabbing headlines recently, with thousands fleeing from an ash-spewing volcano in Indonesia, fears of the deadly 'Ring of Fire' being triggered in the aftermath of Russia's August earthquake, and what about Italy's supervolcano that could plunge the planet into chaos?
The United States is no stranger to disaster-causing volcanoes, with the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens often considered the most disastrous volcanic eruption in the history of the country.
It's estimated that 57 people lost their lives, an eruption column soared 80,000 feet into the air, and ash landed in 11 U.S. states. Among those who tragically perished were World War I veteran Harry R. Truman, volcanologist David A. Johnston, and photographers Reid Blackburn and Robert Landsburg.
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In particular, Landsburg's death is one for the history books, as the 48-year-old shielded his camera film with his own body and preserved it to provide fascinating shots of the eruption in action.
It's said that Landsburg was well outside of the 'red zone' that Governor Dixy Lee Ray had imposed on April 30, but on May 18, his position (less than four miles from the summit) meant he never stood a chance. At 8:32 a.m., Mount St. Helens officially blew its top, and with temperatures reaching over 800°F, Landsburg’s car offered little protection.
The photographer’s body was discovered buried in ash some 17 days later, but thanks to his heroic act, his pictures have earned themselves a place in history.
When Landsburg's film was developed, people were shocked by what they found as the looming cloud of ash moved closer with every shot. In 1981, National Geographic published an article showing Landsburg's last photographs from his final moments alive.
The story of Landsburg's noble sacrifice has again resurfaced on Reddit, with others sharing their apparent experiences of the eruption.
Referring to it as one of their first childhood memories, one person added: "I remember the wall of ash raining down on us, my mom was covering my face and my brother's face with towels as my dad drove in basically a blackout while the car kept stalling because the air filter was clogging up with ash.”
Another said how they were living about 30 miles to the south of Mount St. Helens: "We drove through the area a year or two later, after it was safe. Looked like the moon. However, my favorite picture from that trip wasn’t the destruction.
“It was a yellow flower that had grown in the cracked, muddy ash cover, with the sun glinting off one of the leaves."
A third concluded: "Him and 56 others had no chance of survival... he made some fantastic decisions that provided some great information and even documenting it go from innocent mountain to erupting volcano. If he had somehow survived it, I'm pretty sure he would have been a very happy and wealthy guy."