The Night Niagara Fell Silent
In March 1848, people living beside Niagara Falls woke in the night to something they'd never heard: silence. The falls had stopped.
What was reported
On the night of 29 March 1848, people near Niagara Falls were woken by an unfamiliar sensation: quiet. The thundering roar they lived with day and night had faded. In the morning, they found the falls had almost stopped, with only a trickle of water going over the edge.
For about thirty hours, people walked out onto the riverbed, picking up fish, turtles, old guns and bayonets left from the War of 1812. Some believed it was a sign of the end of the world, and churches filled with people praying.
Explanations offered
Strong winds had pushed a huge mass of ice from Lake Erie into the mouth of the Niagara River, damming it. When the wind changed and the ice broke up, the water came back with a roar. It's the only time the falls are known to have stopped completely.
- When
- 29–31 March 1848
- Where
- Niagara Falls, New York, USA
- Witnesses
- Residents of both sides of the Niagara River
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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