The Earthquake That Made the Mississippi Flow Backward

In the winter of 1811, one of the most powerful earthquake sequences in American history struck the Mississippi Valley. The ground split open. Sand and water erupted from the earth. Riverbanks collapsed. Entire sections of land rose and sank. Reelfoot Lake formed. And witnesses reported something that sounded impossible: The Mississippi River began flowing backward. This is the true story of the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811–1812 — and the hidden fault system beneath the center of the United States that is still active today. Subscribe to Past in Lines for strange, forgotten, and unbelievable stories from history and science.