Mount St. Helens Erupts in Washington State

In 1980, the state of Washington experienced North America's largest volcanic eruption of nearly a century when Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18. Luckily, the mountain had been closed at the urging of the USGS, so when an early morning earthquake triggered the volcano, thousands of lives were spared. Still, 57 people and numerous animals were killed and the volcano caused an estimated, inflation-adjusted $2.74 billion in damage.