On March 24th, 1989, the Exxon Valdez tanker collided with Alaska's Bligh Reef. The resulting spill dumped 11 million gallons (240,000 barrels) of oil into Prince William Sound with significant impact on the local environment, particularly animal life.

Although the spill ranks fairly low internationally in terms of volume of oil spilled, it is still one of the largest in United States history. The remote location of the spill made it extremely difficult to clean up and the abundance of natural wildlife in the area made the spill one of the worst environmental disasters in recent history.

The Captain of the Valdez, Joseph Hazelwood, admitted that he'd been drinking in a local bar before the ship left port. Although a test confirmed that there was alcohol in Hazelwood's blood hours after the incident, he maintains that he was not impaired. He was charged, but found not guilty of operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol. He was ordered to pay a $50,000 fine and perform 1,000 hours of community service after being found guilty of the misdemeanor charge of negligent discharge of oil.

• March 23, 1989: Exxon Valdez departs from Valdez oil terminal in Alaska

• March 24th, 1989: Tanker collides with Bligh Reef

• 1994: Baker v. Exxon decision forces Exxon to pay $287 million for actual damages and $5 billion for punitive damages

• December 6, 2002: Punitive damages reduced to $4 billion on appeal

• December 22, 2006: Damages cut again to $2.5 billion

• May 23, 2007: Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denies Exxon any further appeal