More than 200 dams have failed since record keeping began in 1874, according to the Association of State Dam Safety Officials. Most, fortunately, were small and did little damage, and many occurred when floods from hurricanes and other storms simply overwhelmed the dams. However, thousands have died as a result of dam failures during the past 135 years. Here are some of the worst on record:
| Date | Dam | Location | Fatalities | Cause | |
| 5/31/1889 | South Fork | Johnstown, PA | 2,209 | Overtopping | |
| 3/12/1928 | St. Francis | California | 600* | Unstable foundation | |
| 8/29/2005 | Levee system | New Orleans, LA | 518 | Hurricane Katrina | |
| 6/9/1972 | Canyon Lake | Dam Rapid City, SD | 237 | Overtopping | |
| 5/16/1874 | Mill River | Williamsburg, MA | 139 | Faulty construction | |
| 8/9/1916 | Multiple Dams | WV & VA | 135* | Widespread floods | |
| 2/26/1972 | Buffalo Creek | Logan County, WV | 125 | Dam collapse | |
| 9/30/1911 | Bayless Mill | Austin, PA | 78 | Dam failure | |
| 2/22/1890 | Walnut Grove | Seymore, AZ | 70* | Faulty construction | |
| 7/19/1977 | Six Dams | Johnstown, PA | 45 | Massive flooding | |
| 11/6/1977 | Kelly Barnes | Toccoa Falls, GA | 39 | Piping |
(NOTE: Fatalities with asterisks are approximate numbers. The death toll above from Hurricane Katrina is an estimate of those who died as a direct result of the levee failure.)