February 21

The town of Springhill, Nova Scotia, was defined by coal — and by three catastrophic moments that punctured that identity: the firedamp and coal‑dust explosion of February 21, 1891; the seismic “bump” beneath No. 2 Colliery on November 1, 1956; and the far‑reaching bump and dramatic rescue that began on October 23, 1958. Each disaster exposed the same hidden hazard — deep seams and shifting rock — and left a community changed forever. Read more