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March 23, 1977
On this day in history, a series of interviews began that still stand as one of the most watched political TV interviews ever: British journalist and host David Frost began his series of interviews of disgraced former U.S. President Richard Nixon, who was forced to resign from office three years earlier.
What many remember was that the Brit was able to get an apology from Nixon about Watergate: “I let the American people down and I have to carry that burden with me for the rest of my life.”
More than 30 years later, the background tension and planning to the interviews inspired a play and a film, both called Frost/Nixon.
March 24, 1989
Only a few minutes into this day of history, the Exxon Valdez tanker, bound for California, struck Bligh’s Reef in Alaska. In the end, nearly 11 million gallons of oil was spread by wind and currents along 1,300 miles of shoreline.
More than 250,000 seabirds, thousands of otters and hundreds of seals and bald eagles were killed by the oil, which spoiled the formerly pristine Prince William Sound. Photos oil-slicked birds can still summon memories of the crash.
On the 30th anniversary of the spill, it’s fitting to note that large spills from oil tankers have gone down significantly in the wake of the Exxon Valdez, mostly because of regulations and laws put in place after.
