July 28, 1869: Budds Creek
Five people are killed when the Memphis-to-Louisville train crashes at Budd’s Creek near Clarksville, Tennessee.
Archives: Wrecks
July 17, 1831: Best Friend of Charleston
The locomotive Best Friend of Charleston explodes after a fireman annoyed by the hissing of steam escaping from the engine, tied down an exhaust valve. Though not a wreck, the explosion marks the first railroad-related fatality in the United States.