The Great Boston Molasses Flood: When 2.3 Million Gallons Hit Boston
On January 15, 1919, a giant storage tank burst in Boston’s North End, unleashing more than two million gallons of […]
The Halifax Explosion: The Collision That Destroyed Part of a City
In 1917, two ships collided in Halifax Harbour. One of them was packed with explosives. What happened next became one […]
The Exploding Whale: Oregon’s Most Ridiculous Cleanup Plan
In 1970, Oregon officials had an eight-ton dead whale rotting on a beach and needed to get rid of it. […]
The Great Emu War: When Australia Sent Machine Guns After Birds
In 1932, Australian soldiers armed with Lewis guns were sent to deal with thousands of emus destroying crops. The birds […]
The Radium Girls: The Women Who Were Told Radioactive Paint Was Safe
Young women were hired to paint glowing watch dials with radium. They were taught to shape their brushes with their […]
Centralia: The Pennsylvania Town With a Fire Burning Underneath It
In 1962, a fire reached abandoned coal workings beneath Centralia, Pennsylvania. Attempts to stop it failed. Eventually, most of the […]
John Sedgwick and the Civil War’s Most Infamous Last-Words Story
Union General John Sedgwick reportedly mocked Confederate sharpshooters by saying they couldn’t hit an elephant at that distance. Then a […]
The Great Hanoi Rat Massacre: The Bounty That Created More Rats
French colonial officials wanted fewer rats in Hanoi, so they paid people for rat tails. The people responded by cutting […]
The Cadaver Synod: When the Church Put a Dead Pope on Trial
In 897, Pope Stephen VI had the corpse of a former pope dug up, dressed in papal robes, seated on […]
Typhoid Mary: The Cook Who Spread Disease Without Getting Sick
Mary Mallon looked healthy. She felt healthy. But everywhere the cook worked, typhoid fever seemed to follow. The Mystery Cook […]