DID YOU KNOW…
The Cataclysmic Halifax Explosion: The Largest Pre-Atomic Blast
Did you know? In 1917, the largest man-made explosion before the atomic age devastated Halifax, Canada, when a ship loaded with 2,925 tons of explosives collided in its harbor, instantly leveling much of the city.
The French cargo ship Mont-Blanc, packed with picric acid, TNT, guncotton, and benzol, ignited after a collision with the Norwegian vessel Imo. The ensuing blast created a mushroom cloud thousands of feet high, triggered a tsunami, and caused widespread destruction, killing nearly 2,000 people and injuring 9,000 more. Its force was so immense that it shattered windows 100 kilometers away and launched a 517 kg anchor two miles inland, forever altering the city's landscape and its resilient community.
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