1970
On January 28, 1969 a major undersea "blowout" occurred on the Union Oil company’s Platform A off the coast of Santa Barbara, California. The incident resulted in a 200,000 gallon oil spill that coated both wildlife and beaches, and ignited the environmental movement in the United States with the first Earth Day, being a direct result.
Oil-soaked grebes on the beaches of Santa Barbara,California. January, 1969 (left) and of the Gulf of Mexico. April 2010 (right)