Tanker Exxon Valdez runs aground, largest oil spill in U.S. history -- March 24, 1989

The largest oil spill in U.S. history occurs when the tanker Exxon Valdez, loaded with some 1.2 million barrels of crude oil, runs aground on a reef in the Gulf of Alaska. An estimated 265,000 barrels of oil pour out of the tanker, blanketing the waters and coastline with a thick murky film. The ship's captain, Joseph Hazelwood, is later cleared of all charges of negligence relating to the crash.