On June 5, 1903 smoke from forest fires in Canada blotted out the sun in New York and New England.
05 Jun 1903, 1 – New-York Tribune at Newspapers.com
On May 19, 1780 the sky was black as night in New England due to massive wildfires in Canada.
The New England Dark Day, May 19, 1780 – New England Historical Society
CSIRO PUBLISHING | International Journal of Wildland Fire
That year also brought the deadliest Atlantic Hurricane and the third deadliest Pacific typhoon.
The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492-1996
Mother Nature’s Fury: 10 Devastating Historical Hurricanes, 1502-1780
http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/data_sub/perez_11_20.pdf
30 Dec 1780, 2 – Jackson’s Oxford Journal at Newspapers.com
Template:Deadliest typhoons – Wikipedia
Historical deadly typhoons in the Philippines
“The science” has changed though, and now arson is caused by fossil fuels.
