1

Death Cap (Amanita phalloides)

Image: Rémi Müller

The first mushroom in our list is also the most toxic in the world. It was originally found only in Europe until imported trees transported it to America and everywhere else. Over time, Death Caps adapted to native trees, enhancing their ability to proliferate.

These unassuming-looking mushrooms have tinted green caps, white stems, white gills, and a white partial veil . They grow around oak, beech, chestnut, birches, hornbeams, spruce, and pine. Death Caps fruit in summer through fall underneath these trees, and are responsible for more than 90% of all mushroom poisonings and fatalities worldwide.

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Destroying Angel (Amanita bisporigera)

Image: Sai Kiran Belana

Another member of the Amanita species with an ominous name, the Destroying Angel is the number one toxic mushroom in North America and is extremely widespread. Its all-white cap and stem often lead to mistaken identity with button mushrooms and meadow mushrooms.

The Destroying Angel grows from a white volva egg-like sac, features gills, and has a tall, slender stem . Its stems typically range from 3 to 8 inches in length, making it stand out in the forest like an all-white apparition. None of the common lookalikes grow this tall.

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Funeral Bell (Galerina marginata)

Image: Lucas van Oort

The Funeral Bell appears somewhat harmless, and most poisonings are from mistaken identification. This "little brown mushroom" closely resembles several edible species, including the widespread Sheathed Woodtuft.

Funeral Bells grow on rotting wood, preferring conifer species, though they are not limited to them. They are found across North America, Asia, Australia, and Europe. This mushroom features a cone-shaped brown cap, light brown gills, and a tan to rusty-brown stem . A key distinguishing feature is a membranous ring around the upper part of the stem.

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Pholiotina rugosa (previously Conocybe filaris)

Image: Kadri Võsumäe

A common lawn mushroom prevalent in the Pacific Northwest, this deadly fungus contains amatoxins, which destroy the liver and can cause death. Pholiotina rugosa is slender, petite, and rather innocent-looking. The cap is smooth, brown, and conical, with rusty brown gills underneath . The stem is also brown and features a distinctive, prominent ring around the middle—a key identification feature.

This deadly mushroom isn’t picky about habitat. It will grow on the lawn, soil, compost, and woodchips. P. rugosa is easily transported to new locations through woodchip and compost deliveries and adapts to new environments with little trouble.

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Fool’s Funnel (Clitocybe rivulosa)

Image: Hoejin Iwai

Fool’s Funnel grows across North America in meadows, lawns, and other grassy areas from summer through autumn. It often grows in fairy rings, and accidental consumption by children or pets is a significant concern. These toxic mushrooms are small, white, and benign-looking . The caps are white and funnel-shaped, with crowded white gills underneath. Fool’s Funnel stems are also white and lack distinctive markings.

While this fungus rarely causes death, its ingestion will cause severe pain. This mushroom contains high levels of muscarine which acts as a nerve agent when ingested.

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Deadly Webcap (Cortinarius rubellus)

Image: Markus Spiske

Another mushroom with a foreboding name, the Deadly Webcap, is found in coniferous and mixed forests across North America. It contains a toxin called orellanine, which can cause severe kidney failure when ingested.

The Deadly Webcap bears a close resemblance to edible species like the Chanterelle , making it especially dangerous for foragers.

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False Morel (Gyromitra esculenta)

Image: jaStra

As the name implies, the False Morel is a toxic mushroom closely resembling the highly prized Morel mushroom . It contains a toxin called gyromitrin, which can cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms, seizures, and even death if ingested in large quantities.

There are multiple species of False Morels, and current evidence suggests that many are safe to eat, while Gyromitra esculenta should still be foraged with caution. Many people consume this mushroom, but only with proper preparation. This is not a mushroom you can simply sauté and eat; proper preparation is necessary to remove most of the toxins, making it "safe.

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Common Conecap (Pholiotina rugosa)

Image: Oliver Fetter

This small brown mushroom contains the same deadly amatoxins found in the Death Cap and Destroying Angel. It is commonly found on or around wood mulch , particularly in landscaped areas. Its tendency to appear in yards makes it especially dangerous. Ingesting even a small amount of this toxic fungus can result in severe illness or death.

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Amanita Muscaria

Image: Егор Камелев

Probably the most recognizable mushroom shape in the world is Amanita muscaria . Its stereotypical toadstool stands out in the woods thanks to its bright red cap with white spots and a white stem . These mushrooms are considered toxic and can cause pain but are unlikely to cause death.

Few mushrooms share the same scarlet hue that makes them so visible in green and brown underbrush. The white bumps on the cap also create a distinct, eye-catching pattern.

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Green-Spored Parasol

Image: Timothy Dykes

Known as "the vomiter" for the effects it can have on anyone who consumes it, the Green-Spored Parasol has the same general shape as the Death Cap and Destroying Angel. Its stem is tall and thin, with a skirt that sits just under the cap . This cap ranges from rounded downward to wide and flat, depending on the mushroom’s age.

The symptoms from its ingestion range from extreme stomach irritation to bloody diarrhea, as well as the aforementioned vomiting. Therefore, caution is advised.

1

Revolutionary birth

Image: The New York Public Library

America was the first modern nation to declare independence based on Enlightenment ideals. The Declaration of Independence introduced the concept of inherent rights and government by consent, inspiring revolutions in France, Haiti, and Latin America. No other nation at the time had so explicitly tied its founding to liberty and self-rule.

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Written constitution

Image: Larry Alger

The U.S. Constitution is the oldest still in use today. It created a blueprint for federalism, checks and balances, and individual rights, influencing over 100 countries’ constitutions. The inclusion of the Bill of Rights further established protected freedoms.

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Peaceful power transfer

Image: Louis Velazquez

The Election of 1800 set a world precedent with a peaceful transfer of power between rival parties. When Thomas Jefferson defeated John Adams, it proved that democracy could endure without bloodshed. Many nations had never witnessed a nonviolent regime change.

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Emancipation Proclamation

Image: J. Amill Santiago

Lincoln’s executive order helped end legal slavery in the U.S. and energized abolition movements abroad. It didn’t immediately free all slaves but made ending slavery a Union war aim. It shifted the Civil War’s moral weight and added global pressure on slaveholding powers.

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Industrial giant

Image: Birmingham Museums Trust

Post-Civil War, America rapidly became the world’s top industrial power. Fueled by railroads, steel, and oil, U.S. output surpassed Britain’s by 1890. Titans like Rockefeller and Carnegie built vast enterprises and modern corporate models.

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National Parks system

Image: Jeremy Bishop

Yellowstone became the world’s first national park. America led the way in setting aside land for preservation rather than exploitation. Over time, the U.S. developed the largest and oldest park system in the world.

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The melting pot

Image: Ferdinand Stöhr

By 1910, nearly 15% of the U.S. population was foreign-born. No other country absorbed as many immigrants in such numbers. Ellis Island processed over 12 million people, and cities transformed with many cultural layers.

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Cultural exports

Image: Jake Blucker

Jazz, Hollywood, and consumer culture became dominant American exports. By the 1920s, U.S. movies, music, and fashion shaped global tastes. Hollywood became the world’s storytelling engine, and jazz introduced a uniquely American sound.

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Internet birthplace

Image: Kimberly Nguyen

The U.S. Defense Department developed ARPANET, the precursor to the Internet. By the 1980s, American tech hubs like Silicon Valley were driving digital transformation. Companies like Apple, Microsoft, and later Google reshaped how the world communicates.

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Space leadership

Image: NASA

America remains the global leader in space exploration and private spaceflight. More than 50 years after the U.S. became the first—and still only—nation to land humans on the Moon, it continues to push the frontier.

1

A searing summer

Image: Stacey Martin

1936 North American Heat Wave (July 4, 1936)

During one of the worst periods in American history, the Great Depression, a relentless heat wave scorched much of the country, pushing temperatures to unprecedented highs that still haven’t been surpassed in many places.

The heat wave is blamed for more than 5,000 deaths, widespread crop failures, and worsening the environmental disaster already unfolding in the Dust Bowl.

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Dust blizzard

Image: Bernd Dittrich

Black Sunday Dust Storm (April 14, 1935)

One of the most extreme dust storms in U.S. history, Black Sunday was emblematic of the Dust Bowl era. In April 1935, a massive "blizzard" of dust struck the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles and beyond, displacing an estimated 300,000 tons of topsoil and blackening the sky for miles.

The event devastated agriculture, displaced entire communities, and became a defining symbol of the environmental collapse that had been unfolding across the Great Plains for years.

3

The king of tornadoes

Image: Greg Johnson

2013 El Reno tornado (May 31, 2013)

This tornado set a record for width, possibly the widest ever documented in the U.S . On May 31, 2013, it expanded to a staggering 2.6 miles wide as it barreled south of El Reno, Oklahoma.

Doppler radar recorded sub‑vortices with wind speeds near 295 mph—among the highest ever observed—though damage assessments limited its official rating to EF‑3.

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Straight‑line fury

Image: Moody Potato

2020 Midwest Derecho (Aug 10, 2020)

Beyond the challenges of COVID‑19, the 2020s were marked by an unusually destructive inland windstorm in the Midwest—rare for both its intensity and impact.

This derecho raced 770 miles across multiple states with wind gusts up to 140 mph, causing widespread structural and agricultural damage. To date, it remains the costliest thunderstorm event in U.S. history, with damages totaling more than US $11 billion.

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Tornado armageddon

Image: Greg Johnson

2011 Super Outbreak (April 25, 2011)

The 2011 Super Outbreak—ominously nicknamed "Tornado Armageddon"—stands as one of the deadliest and most widespread multi-tornado events in U.S. history.

Over four relentless days, nearly 500 tornadoes tore through dozens of states ; April 27 alone claimed 316 lives. Overall damage surpassed $10.2 billion, cementing it as the costliest tornado outbreak ever recorded in the United States.

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A storm to remember

Image: Patino Jhon

1993 Storm of the Century (March 12, 1993)

The massive nor’easter known as the Storm of the Century blanketed the eastern U.S. from March 12–14, 1993, permanently reshaping how winter storms are understood.

It delivered record snowfall—up to 56 inches in some areas—hurricane‑force winds, and sub‑zero temperatures, an entire arsenal packed into one deadly system. The destruction stretched from Canada to the Caribbean, causing $5.5 billion in damages and cutting power to more than 10 million households.

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Wrath of the Mississippi

Image: Jonathan Ford

Great Flood of 1993 (April – October, 1993)

One of the most prolonged and costly inland floods in U.S. history, the Great Flood of 1993 resulted from record rainfall—over 40 inches in some areas—falling on already saturated soils from a wet fall and heavy snowmelt, overwhelming the Mississippi and Missouri River basins.

Between April and October, roughly 30,000 square miles were inundated across multiple states . At least 38–50 people died, damages reached $12–16 billion, and entire towns were submerged as levees failed and transportation networks collapsed.

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Superstorm devastation

Image: NASA

Hurricane Sandy (October 22, 2012)

Also known as "Superstorm Sandy," this vast hybrid hurricane–extratropical storm struck the U.S. East Coast in October 2012, impacting 24 states. Its massive wind field— spanning nearly 1,000 miles —drove catastrophic storm surge into New Jersey and New York, while heavy rain, coastal flooding, and even blizzard conditions affected regions as far inland as the Appalachians.

Sandy claimed 160 lives, left over 8 million customers without power, and destroyed or damaged tens of thousands of homes and businesses. It was one of the costliest storms in American history and prompted major reforms in coastal preparedness and infrastructure.

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Freshwater fury

Image: Matthew Rumph

Great Lakes Storm of 1913 (November 6, 1913)

From November 6–10, 1913, a massive winter storm swept across the Great Lakes region, bringing hurricane‑force winds and blizzard conditions . Ships capsized and sank, coastal towns were battered, and waves overwhelmed harbors across the lakes.

It remains the deadliest and most destructive natural disaster to strike the Great Lakes, with over 250 fatalities and catastrophic damage to maritime traffic and shoreline communities.

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Whiteout chaos

Image: Zac Durant

The Great Blizzard of 1888 (March 11, 1888)

One of the most legendary winter storms in U.S. history, the Great Blizzard of 1888 struck the Northeast from March 11–14, dumping up to 55 inches of snow in parts of New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey . Snowdrifts buried homes, streets, and rail lines for days.

The storm killed more than 400 people and brought major cities like New York and Boston to a standstill. Telegraph lines collapsed, rail travel ground to a halt, and entire neighborhoods were cut off, prompting a long-term shift toward underground utilities and the expansion of subway systems in the decades that followed.