During the Falklands War (Spanish: Guerra de las Malvinas/Guerra del Atlántico Sur), two British warships - HMS Coventry and HMS Broadsword - prepared for battle, tasked with defending the British fleet from air attack. An attack force of Argentinian aircraft bombed the Coventry and the Broadsword. One bomb hit the Broadsword but failed to explode until it had exited the ship's hull. Three bombs hit the Coventry, of which two exploded on board. The Coventry capsized shortly afterwards and sank the next day. Nineteen crew members were killed.
Mount St. Helens, a volcano in the state of Washington that had lain dormant for 123 years, began to experience seismic activity in March 1980. A series of earthquakes and small eruptions ensued as a large bulge grew in the North face of the mountain. On 18 May another earthquake caused the north face to collapse, triggering an eruption that blew off the top and side of the volcano. 57 tourists, local residents and scientists perished.