The Night Of The Johnstown Flood (1889)

It’s May 31st. This day in 1889, a wall of water rushing down the Conemaugh River wiped out the mountain town of Johnstown, PA. It was one of the worst “natural” disasters in American history, and due in large part to negligence by wealthy developers.

Jody, Niki and Kellie discuss the details of the flood, the class dynamics, and how the incident changed liability law. Plus: what to make of David McCullough, who wrote his first book about the flood.

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Our team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Brittani Brown, Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Julie Shapiro and Audrey Mardavich, Executive Producers at Radiotopia