This Day in History, 1865: Sultana Explosion

[mabfan]

The worst steamship disaster in the history of the United States occurred on this date. The Sultana, carrying approximately 2,300 passengers, the majority being freed Union POWs, exploded while en route to Cairo, IL. Neither the cause of the explosion nor the final count of the dead (estimated at between 1,450 and 2,000) was ever determined. Today, the Sultana disaster remains the worst of its kind. This disaster did not receive the press attention one would expect, due to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and the end of the Civil War.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultana_%28steamboat%29