Great Mill Disaster
A dust explosion (depicted) at the world's largest flour mill in Minneapolis resulted in 18 deaths.
In context
- When
- Thursday, May 2 1878148 years ago
- Category
- Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Era
- 19th century · 1870s
- Recorded from
- Wikipedia “On this day” feed
Russia, Greece and some other countries used the Julian calendar into the early 20th century, so local records may show a date up to 13 days earlier.
At a glance
Dates: From 1878.
What happened
A dust explosion (depicted) at the world's largest flour mill in Minneapolis resulted in 18 deaths.
May 2 through the years
Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.
- 1878Great Mill Disaster
- 2004Yelwa massacre
- 2008Cyclone Nargis
- 2008Chaitén (volcano)
- 2011Killing of Osama bin Laden
- 2011Osama bin Laden
- 2011Conservative Party of Canada
- 20112011 Germany E. coli O104:H4 outbreak
- 2012Pastel
- 20142014 Badakhshan mudslides
- 2014Russo-Ukrainian war
Also in 1878
- September 17Natal–Zululand border incidentA British surveyor was detained by the Zulu on the border with the Colony of Natal; a demand for reparations for the incident formed part…
- May 25Gilbert and SullivanGilbert and Sullivan's comic opera H.M.S. Pinafore (poster featured) premiered at the Opera Comique in London.
- September 3Sinking of SS Princess AliceThe passenger steamship SS Princess Alice sank in the River Thames after colliding (pictured) with the collier Bywell Castle, killing mor…
- October 7Death and state funeral of Mindon MinThe state funeral of Mindon Min (pictured), who ruled Myanmar for 25 years, took place; his death was reportedly preceded by strange omen…
- June 2Karl NobilingAnarchist Karl Nobiling attempted to assassinate German Emperor Wilhelm I.
- June 15Eadweard MuybridgeEadweard Muybridge took a series of photographs to prove that all four feet of a horse leave the ground when it gallops (animation pictur…
- September 1Emma NuttEmma Nutt becomes the world's first female telephone operator when she is recruited by Alexander Graham Bell to the Boston Telephone Disp…
- February 18Lincoln County, New MexicoCompetition between two American merchants in Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory, turned into a range war when a member of one faction…
Sources
- Wikipedia article (text, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 for adapted text · how we source this
Cite this page
“Great Mill Disaster”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/great-mill-disaster-1878-may-2, accessed October 29, 2026.
Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.
Questions about this entry
When did Great Mill Disaster happen?
May 2 1878 — 148 years ago, on a Thursday.
Where does this text come from?
Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.
How do I cite this page?
Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.
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