Niagara Trickle

March 29, 1848 - Today was the day the mighty Niagara Falls slowed to a mere trickle.

A farmer out for a late night stroll noticed something odd. The silence. The thundering sound of a gazillion gallons of water flowing over Niagara Falls was gone. He rushed to the water's edge to find that indeed the falls had gone silent. No water was flowing over the famous tourist attraction.

Maybe it was the end of the world? Or, maybe a big chunk of ice was blocking things upstream?

Turns out it was the ice. The disruption had a dramatic impact on the surrounding area. Factories closed, shops were shuddered, schools let out. Everybody gathered on the riverbank and marveled at the silent falls.

Some brave souls wandered out among the rocks and retrieved old guns, knives and tomahawks that had been discarded in the normally churning water. Entrepreneurs used the quiet time to blow up a few rocks that were impeding the sightseeing boats.

After about 30 hours, the rushing water returned with a deafening blast. There were no reports of deaths or injuries.