October 26

Hoover Dam goes into service, and a single fisherman brings in a bluefin tuna weighing nearly 1,500 pounds.

Fri, Oct 26 2012 at 6:00 AM

Oct. 26, 1936: The first electric turbine at the Hoover Dam goes into service. The massive dam near Las Vegas provides hydroelectric power, and the dam creates Lake Mead, a primary drinking water source for much of the southwestern U.S. At right, Hoover Dam turbines in 2008.

Oct. 26, 1948: An air inversion traps fumes from a steel mill in the valley town of Donora, Pa. for several days. Twenty people die, and hundreds are hospitalized in a tragedy that becomes an early call for clean air laws.

Oct. 26, 1979: Recreational fisherman Ken Fraser brings in a 1,496-pound bluefin tuna off Nova Scotia. Three decades later, no bigger bluefin has ever been found.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

This feature is compiled by Peter Dykstra, an MNN contributor and publisher of Environmental Health News and The Daily Climate.

The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.

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