With their fearsome winds and dramatic downpours, typhoons have long been a part of Taiwan's history. Join Formosa Files for a look at a few notable typhoons that have hit Taiwan in more recent times, as well as some interesting asides, such as: When did typhoons get names? Why did they once only use female names? And, do typhoons do anything good for Taiwan?
Cover images - Left: Typhoon Morakot completely covers Taiwan on August 7, 2009, and right: a couple in southern Taiwan survey the massive damage caused by Morakot.(Via NBC news)
Below: The 1963 Pacific typhoon season Via Wikimedia Commons
READ: An account of the 1977 typhoon strikes by "Thelma" and "Vera" written by Jehovah's Witness missionaries in Taiwan.
Below: Buddhist volunteers from the famous Taiwanese charity Tzu Chi help with relief efforts following Typhoon Thelma in 1977.
Check our very first episode, the story of a very white man who showed up in London in 1703... and claimed to be from Formosa. Or try a foodie episode from Season 3. Or, for those who want some harder-core history, hear the tale of the Lockheed U-2 pilot Wang Hsi-chueh 王錫爵, who became was famous for defecting to the PRC by hijacking China Airlines Flight 334 on May 3, 1986.