It was April 20th, when BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded -- shooting a cascade of orange flames and black smoke onto the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
The blast killed 11 men working on the platform, and injured 17 more.
The damaged rig finally sank on the morning of April 22nd, and the oil was gushing fast and furious.
Just days later, the U.S. Coast Guard announced that more than 200-thousand gallons had leaked, with no signs of stopping.
From Texas to Florida, environmentalists were preparing for the worst.
On April 29th, President Obama made a pledge of help from the federal government -- while pointing the blame directly at BP.
BP's then CEO Tony Hayward acknowledged that responsibility, and said the company would pay for the clean-up.
On May 2nd, BP began drilling a relief well, but said it would take two to three months to finish.
Public opinion later turned against the oil giant after Hayward made numerous public gaffes.
Hayward's days were numbered...and he ended up stepping down.
After repeated attempts to cap the well, success finally came on July 15th, but not before nearly five million barrels of crude had poured into the Gulf.
On September 19th, the relief well was finished, and the Gulf region started the long recovery from the environmental nightmare.
