On May 19, 1980, 15 people lost their lives when a long-dormant volcano in southwestern Washington State erupted. The eruption of Mt. St. Helens that day destroyed 120 square miles and darkened the sky with smoke and ash up to 100 miles away. Up until this day in 1980, the volcano had laid dormant from its last eruption in 1857. You can read about this and other disasters in the Historical Disasters section.