Just before 10 p.m. on April 20, 2010, disaster struck the giant Deepwater Horizon oil rig. Crew members aboard the rig were in the final hours of attempting to secure a “nightmare well” about a mile deep in the Gulf of Mexico for temporary closure and later production. Undetected, a large quantity of gas and oil entered the well and surged upward through the drilling riser. Upon reaching the surface, the hydrocarbons ignited and engulfed the rig in flames—killing 11 of the 126 people aboard the vessel.

Over the next several months, the Gulf oil spill dominated the news. People were appalled by the sight (captured on camera) of thousands of gallons of oil pouring into the Gulf of Mexico from a gaping hole in the ocean floor. Many called it the worst environmental disaster of all time.