Here's a 78-foot shelving unit suddenly becoming detached from its anchoring wall and causing 6,810 bottles of wine and champagne to crash to the floor—producing a blood-red flood of broken glass and squandered hangover opportunities. Reps from Superior Discount Liquors of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, which hosted this disaster, told the Sheboygan Press that they aren't sure what caused the shelf to collapse all of a sudden, but the fact that the shelf was 31 years old might have something to do with it. That, or a tee-totaling ghost threw a hissy fit. Store staffers only needed a day to clean everything up and didn't even have to close up shop, because they're superior in efficiency.

A powerful earthquake hit eastern Turkey near the Iranian border on Sunday, collapsing several buildings in Van province and killing between 500 and 1,000 people. At 7.2 magnitude, it's the worst quake in Turkey since 1999.

The Today Show got its hands on a harrowing 911 call from a family of three that became trapped in a corn maze in Massachusetts, and needed a rescue squad to get them out of the living labyrinth of hay fever and despair.

The National Park Service has released some security footage from last month's DC earthquake, and it is absolutely terrifying. The scene goes from laid-back texting park ranger to full-on panic in about five seconds flat.

We don't mean to scare you, but there is a chance a satellite might fall from the sky, directly onto you this weekend. Oh, who are we kidding? We're definitely trying to freak you out.

It's been a horrible year for wildfires in Texas—six of the state's ten largest recorded wildfires have come in the last eight months, and nearly 3.5 million acres have burned so far. Right now, a large fire in Bastrop State Park—near Austin—rages completely out of control, and another in Montgomery County has forced 4,000 to evacuate, destroyed 80 homes, and likely caused the cancellation of a Renaissance Fair. Here are some breathtaking photos of the fires, and the damage they've caused—including a video taken from the International Space Station.

According to the New York Times, Hurricane Irene boosted the Weather Channel to its best ratings in its 29-year-history. America sure does love rolling around in the sticky dread of natural disasters.

Poor Vermont! Even though it's America's 47th least-horrible state and a magical place of ice cream and cows, Tropical Storm Irene has been abusing it mercilessly. Severe flooding has submerged homes under brownish water, destroyed charming bridges, and taken a life. This video shows the Brattleboro farmer's market as it appeared on Sunday: like a river with broken tents floating in it.

Behold the sight of this poor Irene victim, whose bloated, furry body was spotted by this blogger on the sands of Long Beach, New York. What do you think it is? Don't say it's a "Montauk monster," because that guy was irreplaceable.

As she's made her way northward, Irene has temporarily transformed the landscape of hundreds of American towns and cities—flooding streets, submerging homes, and downing trees. Take a look at what the storm has left behind. [Image of Baltimore, Maryland via Getty]

Hurricane Irene has reached New York City and is expected to hang around here until the afternoon before heading north into New England. Though she's still causing flooding, power outages, and heavy winds, she's been downgraded to a tropical storm—raging at only 65 mph, instead of yesterday's hurricaney highs. As we did yesterday, we'll keep you posted throughout the day—so keep checking back here for updates.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says he's received reports that a 2.9 magnitude earthquake struck today "just west-southwest" of Altamont, up near Albany. Goodness, what will befall us next? Locusts, probably. And volcanoes. Then a collapse into the ocean.

This morning the "eye wall" of Hurricane Irene reached land just east of Cape Lookout in North Carolina—sweeping away dunes, flooding beaches, destroying a pier in kinda-nearby Atlantic Beach, and causing power outages. The old girl's not as strong as we thought she'd be, though! The latest, with updates below.

Hurricane Irene is churning up the East Coast like an angry 17th-century dairy maid. Obama has canceled his vacation to make us feel safe and evacuations are underway in New York City. Here's the latest news, with updates below.

You hear about this hurricane that's headed up the East Coast? According to a variety of scientific and mathematical calculations, Hurricane Irene might completely drown New York City and much of the Eastern seaboard. It's a dire weather prediction geek-off.

As you know because you are currently reading this blog post on your handheld device as you stand in line at Home Depot where you're purchasing plywood, duct tape, and guns (shhhh), Hurricane Irene is allegedly headed straight for New York City. Is it even worth worrying?

Post-earthquake reports that the Washington Monument was tilting like a bridesmaid after four champagne cocktails turned out to be false. However, contrary to the Park Service's initial reassurances, our national phallus didn't escape unharmed: It's cracked.

Woah! There was just an earthquake! The ground swayed for maybe 10-15 seconds here in New York. The US Geological Survey is reporting a 5.8 magnitude quake hit Mineral, Virginia. Our D.C correspondent Jim Newell says the quake was much stronger down there, shaking his house and rattling things but not knocking anything down. Updates below.

As we speak, Hurricane Irene (upgraded from "tropical storm" this morning and the first Atlantic hurricane of the season) is ravaging the Caribbean. So obviously, the next question on your mind must be, "But how are local celebrities doing?" The New York Post will have you know that Kate Winslet narrowly escaped a fire at Richard Branson's private isle in the British Virgin Islands. Branson's guests all got out safely, but his home, office, and "thousands of photographs" were "completely destroyed."

It's now time for a story that restores your faith in mankind, even if it means going all the way to Japan to find it: In the five months since that country's devastating quake and tsunami, almost $78 million in cash has been found amongst the wreckage and turned in.