1979 a blowout at the ixtoc i oil well in the southern gulf of me 06 03
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1979 47 years ago Historical Events June 3 3 sources

A blowout at the Ixtoc I oil well in the southern Gulf of Mexico causes at least 3,000,000 barrels (480,000 m3) of oil to be spilled into the waters, the second-worst accidental oil spill ever recorded.

On June 3, in the year 1979, A blowout at the Ixtoc I oil well in the southern Gulf of Mexico causes at least 3,000,000 barrels (480,000 m3) of oil to be spilled into the waters, the second-worst accidental oil spill ever recorded. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of June 3, one of 347 recorded events on this date across all of history.

Ixtoc 1 was an exploratory oil well being drilled by the semi-submersible drilling rig Sedco 135 in the Bay of Campeche of the Gulf of Mexico, about 100 km (62 mi) northwest of Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche in waters 50 m (164 ft) deep. On 3 June 1979, the well suffered a blowout resulting in the largest oil spill in history at its time. To-date, it remains the second largest marine oil spill in history after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on June 3, 1979 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 3 Wikipedia articles.
  • The event is associated with a specific geographical location (see map below).
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 16 March 2026.

On This Date in History 347

Type Year Date Event
Historical Events 2025 Jun 3 Reconstitution of the Academy of the Distrustful in the Sala Dalmases of the Historical Archive of the City of Barcelona
Notable Deaths 2025 Jun 3 Jim Marshall, American football player (born 1937)
Notable Deaths 2025 Jun 3 Shigeo Nagashima, Japanese baseball player and manager (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2025 Jun 3 Edmund White, American novelist, memoirist and essayist (born 1940)
Selected Events 2025 Jun 3 Prime minister of Mongolia Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene (pictured) resigned after weeks of protests
Selected Events 2025 Jun 3 Prime minister of Mongolia Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene resigned after weeks of protests
Notable Deaths 2024 Jun 3 Brigitte Bierlein, former Austrian chancellor (born 1949)
Notable Deaths 2024 Jun 3 William Russell, English actor (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2021 Jun 3 F
Historical Events 2019 Jun 3 Khartoum massacre: In Sudan, over 100 people are killed when security forces accompanied by Janjaweed militiamen storm a
Notable Deaths 2016 Jun 3 Muhammad Ali, American boxer (born 1942)
Notable Deaths 2015 Jun 3 Avi Beker, Israeli political scientist and academic (born 1951)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jun 3 Svyatoslav Belza, Russian journalist, author, and critic (born 1942)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jun 3 Gopinath Munde, Indian politician, 3rd Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra (born 1949)
Historical Events 2013 Jun 3 The trial of United States Army private Chelsea Manning for leaking classified material to WikiLeaks begins in Fort Mead
Historical Events 2013 Jun 3 At least 119 people are killed in a fire at a poultry farm in Jilin Province in northeastern China
Notable Deaths 2013 Jun 3 Atul Chitnis, German-Indian technologist and journalist (born 1962)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jun 3 Józef Czyrek, Polish economist and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jun 3 Frank Lautenberg, American soldier and politician (born 1924)
Historical Events 2012 Jun 3 A plane carrying 153 people crashes in a residential neighborhood in Lagos, Nigeria, killing everyone on board plus six
Historical Events 2012 Jun 3 The pageant for the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II takes place on the River Thames
Notable Deaths 2012 Jun 3 Carol Ann Abrams, American producer, author, and academic (born 1942)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jun 3 Roy Salvadori, English racing driver and manager (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jun 3 Brian Talboys, New Zealand journalist and politician, 7th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2011 Jun 3 James Arness, American actor and producer (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2011 Jun 3 Andrew Gold, American singer, songwriter, musician and arranger (born 1951)
Notable Deaths 2011 Jun 3 Bhajan Lal, Indian politician, 6th Chief Minister of Haryana (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2011 Jun 3 Jack Kevorkian, American pathologist, author, and activist (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2011 Jun 3 Jan van Roessel, Dutch footballer (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2010 Jun 3 Rue McClanahan, American actress (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2009 Jun 3 David Carradine, American actor (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2009 Jun 3 Koko Taylor, American singer (born 1928)
Notable Births 2008 Jun 3 Sutee Mcateer, Keilor Basketball Association Player
Historical Events 2006 Jun 3 The union of Serbia and Montenegro comes to an end with Montenegro's formal declaration of independence
Notable Deaths 2006 Jun 3 Clinton Jones, American Episcopal priest and gay rights activist (born 1916)
Notable Births 2005 Jun 3 Désiré Doué, French footballer
Notable Deaths 2005 Jun 3 Harold Cardinal, Canadian lawyer and politician (born 1945)
Notable Deaths 2003 Jun 3 Felix de Weldon, Austrian-American sculptor, designed the Marine Corps War Memorial (born 1907)
Notable Births 2002 Jun 3 Tyrell Sloan, Australian rugby league player
Notable Deaths 2002 Jun 3 Lew Wasserman, American talent agent and manager (born 1913)
Notable Births 2001 Jun 3 Jalen Suggs, American basketball player
Notable Deaths 2001 Jun 3 Anthony Quinn, Mexican-American actor and producer (born 1915)
Notable Births 2000 Jun 3 Beabadoobee, Filipino singer-songwriter
Notable Births 1999 Jun 3 Cameron Green, Australian cricketer
Notable Births 1999 Jun 3 Dzhem Yamenov, Bulgarian politician
Historical Events 1998 Jun 3 After suffering a mechanical failure, a high speed train derails at Eschede, Germany, killing 101 people
Notable Births 1998 Jun 3 Sam Curran, English cricketer
Notable Births 1997 Jun 3 Louis Hofmann, German actor
Notable Deaths 1997 Jun 3 Dennis James, American actor and game show host (born 1917)
Notable Births 1994 Jun 3 Harrison Bader, American baseball player

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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