Refinery Explosion “Texas City Disaster” BP Refinery: 2005 The BP oil company, skimping on safety, kills 15, injures 180.		Oil Spill History “Santa Barbara Oil Spill” Union Oil: 1969 Offshore blowout pollutes beaches, kills wildlife; ignites environmental cause.
Pesticides & Ecology “Power in the Pen” 1962-1963 Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring took aim at the chemical industry.		Strip Mining Foe “Mountain Warrior” 1950s-1980s Harry Caudill, author and activist, fought for Appalachia.
River Pollution “Burn On, Big River…” Cuyahoga River Fires Oil pollution history of Cuyahoga River is covered in this story.		Big Coal vs. Small Town “Paradise” 1971-John Prine Strip mining history in Muhlenberg County, KY is covered in this story.
Sexy Coal Hype “G.E.’s Hot Coal Ad” 2005 General Electric’s ‘hot’ TV ad casts coal mining in an unreal light.		Pesticide Promotion “…A Richer Harvest” Union Carbide Ads “Giant hand” pesticide ads & the story of the Bhopal disaster.
Oil Refinery Blaze “Inferno At Whiting” Standard Oil: 1955 Big refinery near Chicago explodes & burns for 8 days; 1,500 flee.		2003 Explosion “Barge Explodes in NY” ExxonMobil Depot A Bouchard oil barge blast frightens terrorist- sensitive NY city area.
Environmental Reporting “Nader’s Raiders” 1968-1974 Ralph Nader’s “swat teams” published best-selling environmental exposés.		Autos & Air Pollution “G.M. & Ralph Nader” 1965-1971 “Unsafe at Any Speed” included reporting on auto pollution & smog.
Poplar Pipeline Leak “Oil Fouls Montana” January 2015 Oil pipeline break pollutes Yellowstone River & Glendive’s water.		Gulf Oil Company “Burning Philadelphia” Refinery Inferno: 1975 Eleven-alarm oil blaze kills eight firefighters & frightens city.
Gulf of Mexico “Offshore Oil Blaze” Shell Oil: 1970-71 Oil rig blowout kills four, burns for nearly three months.		Big Tank Failure “Disaster at Pittsburgh” Ashland Oil: 1988 Oil tank collapse pollutes drinking water for millions downstream.

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Date Posted: 9 May 2015
Last Update: 29 April 2016
Comments to: jdoyle@pophistorydig.com

Article Citation:
Jack Doyle, “Environmental History: Topics Page,”
PopHistoryDig.com, May 9, 2015.

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