5 coal mine exploded near the town of Centralia, Illinois, killing 111 people.

[3] United Mine Workers Union President John L. Lewis testified to Congress that the secretary of the Interior, Julius Krug, had ignored warnings by inspectors that coal dust had been accumulating, which can cause explosions.

An Illinois government report claimed that the explosion was caused by buildup of coal powder, though could not find a catalyst.

Though the catalyst was likely accidental, the buildup of coal powder was due to the governmental regulators following a "weak, ineffectual, and indifferent policy toward enforcement of state mining laws".

[5] American folksinger Woody Guthrie wrote and recorded a song about the Centralia mine disaster entitled The Dying Miner.