The Johnstown Flood
May 31, 1889
Above Johnstown, Pennsylvania, the poorly maintained South Fork Dam held back a private lake used by a fishing and hunting club for wealthy Pittsburgh families. After days of heavy rain, the dam failed around 3:10 p.m. on 31 May 1889, releasing about 20 million tons of water. The flood wave travelled 14 miles down the valley and hit Johnstown at 4:07 p.m., destroying much of the town in minutes. The official death toll was 2,209, though the National Park Service says the real number was probably well over 3,000. It was one of the first big tests for the new American Red Cross.