Cuyahoga River or Dump?

Need to move oil from one tank to another? Just dig a trench and let it flow downhill. So what if it soaks into the soil and washes into the river.

Need to get rid of the waste from your paint or chemical factory? Just dump it in the river!

Throw in guts from the slaughterhouse, garbage, and sewage overflow. It’s all perfectly legal—or at least it was in 1969, before the first Earth Day.

That noxious stew made great fuel for the fire on the Cuyahoga River, a fire which would help spark an environmental movement.

Check out this video: The Cuyahoga River Fire: "Don't Fall in the River" put out by the Center for Public History and Digital Humanities