Exxon Valdez Oil Spill - HISTORY

Shortly after midnight on March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez struck Bligh Reef just off the coast of Alaska, dumping more than 11 million gallons of crude oil into the pristine environment.

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Russell Mitchell recaps the major historical events that occurred on March 24th in this video clip from This Day in History. The Exxon Valdez spilled eleven million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound in Alaska as well as Elvis joining the army. The British enacted the Quartering Act which forced American colonists to put up British soldiers in their homes. Also, on March 24, Halle Berry became the first African American woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress.

Alaska celebrates the long awaited grant of statehood with an enthusiastic celebration. It becomes America's forty-ninth state and, by far, the largest.