On this day in 1956, the Schoellkopf Power Station, a major hydroelectric plant along the Niagara River just below the Falls, experienced a sudden and catastrophic collapse. Years of water seepage and erosion had weakened the rock foundation beneath the station, leading to the failure of a large section of the structure. Entire buildings and massive equipment tumbled into the river below, bringing an abrupt end to the plant’s operations. The disaster marked a turning point in the region’s power