Cuyahoga River Fire of 1969

On June 22, 1969, an oil slick caught on fire in the Cuyahoga River, which runs through Cleveland, OH. No one knows for sure what caused it. It wasn't the first time the river was set ablaze; it happened in 1868, 1883, 1887, 1912, 1922, 1936, 1941, 1948, and 1952. But the 1969 incident helped trigger environmental awareness across the country, which brought about the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972.