November 28, 1908: An an explosion occurs in the Marianna Mine, which kills 154 men and leaves only 1 survivor.
Marianna, about 40 miles south of Pittsburgh, was built as a mining town for the Pittsburgh Buffalo Company in 1907, and was incorporated in 1910. At the time of its construction, the Marianna Mine was among the most modern and well equipped in the world. The town's brick homes were designed to offer indoor bathrooms, fenced yards and other amenities making living conditions very attractive for the time.
The explosion occurred at 10:55 AM. Although the mine was quickly refurbished by the Pittsburgh Buffalo Company, the colliery's fortunes flagged. This was one of several disasters, including a few in 1908 alone, that catalyzed public advocacy for mine safety, leading to the establishment of the U.S. Bureau of Mines in 1910. USBM research on safer blasting material and the prevention of mine gas and dust explosions resulted in reduced occurrence of mine disasters.
By 1914, the mine was sold to the Union Coal and Coke Company, and later to Bethlehem Steel, which continued to extract coal until 1988, when the main conveyor caught fire. The fire was extinguished, but the mine closed anyway.
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November 28, 1908 was a Saturday. This was Thanksgiving Weekend, and most of the major rivalry games were played 2 days before, on Thanksgiving Day itself. Only 2 games of note were played on this day. Army beat Navy, 6-4 at Franklin Field in Philadelphia; and the University of Denver beat Colorado College, 6-4 at Washburn Field in Colorado Springs. Remember: At the time, a touchdown was worth 5 points, to be followed by an attempt at an extra point; and a field goal was worth 4 points.
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