March 28
1979
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. Read more
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Explore more events in March
Mar 11
The Kandahar Massacre
On March 11, 2012, in southern Afghanistan’s Panjwayi District, US Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales left his outpost twice during the night and murdered 16 Afghan villagers, including nine children, in the rural villages of Alkozai and Najiban. The massacre shocked both Afghanistan and the world, fueling outrage, upending fragile relations, and forcing reckonings about war, trauma, and military oversight.
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Mar 9
1976 Cavalese Cable Car Crash
On March 9, 1976, a cable car carrying 43 people crashed near Cavalese, Italy, after a catastrophic mechanical failure, killing all aboard. The disaster prompted major reforms in cableway safety standards across Italy and internationally.
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Mar 27
The Good Friday Earthquake
On March 27, 1964, a magnitude 9.2 earthquake struck Southcentral Alaska, causing massive destruction, deadly tsunamis, and profound changes in science, emergency response, and seismic engineering. The disaster killed 131 people and remains North America’s most powerful recorded quake.
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