Weird Pennsylvania History
Pennsylvania’s industrial past includes mine fires and floods that remade towns. Each story below cites archives and reports.
3 documented stories. All stories · Topics
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.
Weird America
Centralia: The Pennsylvania Town That Has Burned Underground Since 1962
A coal seam fire still smolders beneath empty streets — most residents left decades ago.
Crime
The Johnstown Flood: When the Rich Killed 2,209 People and Paid Nothing
In 1889, a private fishing club owned by Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick let a dam collapse — the flood destroyed a city. No member was ever held responsible.