1970s American History
Watergate, prison uprisings, and industrial accidents defined parts of the 1970s. Each story below is sourced.
8 documented stories. All stories · Topics
Weird America
The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971: Four Days That Ended in a Storm of Gunfire
Inmates took control of a New York prison demanding basic rights — then state forces retook Attica in a bloody assault. (Attica prison riot 1971)
Weird America
The Pentagon Papers: The Secret Vietnam History That Reached the Front Page
A classified Defense Department study leaked — and the Supreme Court backed the press against prior restraint. (Pentagon Papers)
Weird America
The Kent State Shootings of 1970: When the National Guard Fired on Students
Four students died on an Ohio campus — and a photograph of a screaming teenager became the face of Vietnam-era protest. (Kent State shooting 1970)
Scandal
Watergate: From a ‘Third-Rate Burglary’ to a Presidential Resignation
A bungled break-in at Democratic headquarters unraveled into wiretaps, hush money, and the only U.S. presidential resignation. (Watergate scandal)
Weird America
The Buffalo Creek Flood: When a Coal-Waste Dam Erased 16 West Virginia Towns
A slurry impoundment failed after rain — and a black wall of water killed 125 people in minutes. (Buffalo Creek flood 1972)
Military
Three Mile Island: The Partial Meltdown That Terrified America in 1979
A stuck valve and confused operators turned a Pennsylvania nuclear plant into a national panic — and stalled U.S. nuclear power for decades.
Scandal
Love Canal: When a Suburb Was Built on 20,000 Tons of Toxic Waste
Families reported burns and birth defects; President Carter ordered an emergency evacuation.
Military
Wounded Knee 1973: The 71-Day Siege That Put Native Rights on National TV
AIM activists seized a town; the FBI surrounded them; and two federal agents died in the standoff’s aftermath.