Hanson's statement early in the film that Krakatoa had been quiet for 200 years is accurate - the last eruption prior to 1883 appears to have been in 1680 - and his view that the ongoing volcanic activity on the island, which had begun in May 1883, did not pose a threat to anyone not actually on Krakatoa itself reflected the attitude of many people in the area during the summer of 1883, some of whom treated the erupting volcano as a tourist attraction.