March 16
1978
The Amoco Cadiz Oil Spill
In March 1978, the supertanker Amoco Cadiz ran aground off the coast of Brittany, France, releasing its entire cargo of crude oil into the sea. The resulting spill was, at the time, the world’s largest, devastating 200 miles of pristine coastline, killing tens of thousands of seabirds, and transforming approaches to tanker safety and spill response worldwide. Read more
1968
The My Lai Massacre
On March 16, 1968, U.S. Army soldiers carried out the systematic killing of hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese civilians in the hamlet of My Lai during the Vietnam War. The massacre, initially covered up, was later exposed and became a defining moment for American public opinion on the war and for military codes of conduct. Read more
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Explore more events in March
Mar 28
The Three Mile Island Nuclear Accident
In March 1979, a combination of mechanical failures and human errors triggered a partial meltdown at the Three Mile Island nuclear facility near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. No one died, but the incident shook public confidence in nuclear power, transformed industry practices, and reshaped the American energy debate.
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Mar 27
Tenerife Airport Disaster
On March 27, 1977, two Boeing 747 passenger jets—flights operated by KLM and Pan Am—collided on a fog-shrouded runway at Los Rodeos Airport in Tenerife. With 583 lives lost, it remains the deadliest aviation disaster in history. The crash, set against a backdrop of crowded ramps, miscommunications, and a chilling lack of visibility, transformed the way the world thinks about cockpit protocol, air traffic control, and the fragile choreography of flight.
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Mar 26
Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse (Baltimore)
In the early hours of March 26, 2024, the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore was struck by the Singapore-flagged container ship MV Dali after the vessel lost power. The resulting collision caused a catastrophic collapse, plunging vehicles and construction workers into the Patapsco River, halting port operations, and triggering a widespread investigation and massive recovery effort.
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