March 24

On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez struck a reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, rupturing its hull and discharging approximately 240,000 barrels of crude oil into pristine waters. The spill contaminated over 1,300 miles of shoreline, devastating marine ecosystems and killing countless seabirds, fish, and mammals. Cleanup operations spanned years and cost billions of dollars, but long-term environmental damage persisted. The disaster led to major legal battles and spurred the passage of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 in the United States. It also prompted improvements in tanker design, navigation systems, and spill response protocols worldwide.