Post by Lily Ariel Linders on Dec 6, 2015 15:14:13 GMT 1
On December 6, 1917 The Halifax Explosion happened.
Scary to think how when this explosion happened, it was a powerful enough blast that it flattened a significant part of the city, and as it happened in 1917 (during World War One), many people in Halifax thought the explosion was the result of a German attack, though it was actually caused by a collision between two ships in the Halifax Harbor, one being a cargo ship carrying loads of munitions.
The shock wave from the blast was felt as far away as Cape Breton (207 kilometers) and Prince Edward Island (180 kilometers). I remember doing a research project in school about the Explosion and being surprised that it was strong enough to "rattle teacups in the cupboards in PEI" as it was worded in the book I was reading at the time (and yes, I remember that line from the book now, 20 years after reading it).
What made the whole thing even worse was that rescue efforts were hindered by a blizzard that struck almost immediately after the destruction caused by the blast - 16 inches of heavy snow, making it harder for relief efforts to come in to help.
Nearly 2000 killed, and more than 9000 injured, the Halifax Explosion was the largest man-made explosion prior to the development of nuclear weapons,releasing the equivalent energy of roughly 2.9 kilotons of TNT.
Let's hope nothing like this ever happens again; I can't imagine the horror the people of Halifax would have felt experiencing this.
EDIT: One particularly heartbreaking thing to me is this hero who saved many lives by staying behind to send a warning to prevent incoming trains from entering the city: Vincent Coleman, who stayed behind when everyone else in the depot station was fleeing. His last message was as follows: "Hold up the train. Ammunition ship afire in harbor making for Pier 6 and will explode. Guess this will be my last message. Good-bye boys."
Scary to think how when this explosion happened, it was a powerful enough blast that it flattened a significant part of the city, and as it happened in 1917 (during World War One), many people in Halifax thought the explosion was the result of a German attack, though it was actually caused by a collision between two ships in the Halifax Harbor, one being a cargo ship carrying loads of munitions.
The shock wave from the blast was felt as far away as Cape Breton (207 kilometers) and Prince Edward Island (180 kilometers). I remember doing a research project in school about the Explosion and being surprised that it was strong enough to "rattle teacups in the cupboards in PEI" as it was worded in the book I was reading at the time (and yes, I remember that line from the book now, 20 years after reading it).
What made the whole thing even worse was that rescue efforts were hindered by a blizzard that struck almost immediately after the destruction caused by the blast - 16 inches of heavy snow, making it harder for relief efforts to come in to help.
Nearly 2000 killed, and more than 9000 injured, the Halifax Explosion was the largest man-made explosion prior to the development of nuclear weapons,releasing the equivalent energy of roughly 2.9 kilotons of TNT.
Let's hope nothing like this ever happens again; I can't imagine the horror the people of Halifax would have felt experiencing this.
EDIT: One particularly heartbreaking thing to me is this hero who saved many lives by staying behind to send a warning to prevent incoming trains from entering the city: Vincent Coleman, who stayed behind when everyone else in the depot station was fleeing. His last message was as follows: "Hold up the train. Ammunition ship afire in harbor making for Pier 6 and will explode. Guess this will be my last message. Good-bye boys."