The Great Whale Explosion of 1970

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In the annals of bizarre history, few events stand out quite like the great whale explosion of 1970. It was a day that left the coastal town of Florence, Oregon, covered in blubber and etched in the memories of those who witnessed it.

On November 9, 1970, a 45-foot, 8-ton dead sperm whale washed ashore near Florence. The massive carcass quickly became a problem due to its size and the unbearable stench it emitted. The Oregon Highway Division, tasked with managing the coast, decided that the best way to dispose of the whale was to blow it up with dynamite. The idea was that the explosion would send the whale pieces out to sea, where scavengers would take care of the rest1.

On the afternoon of November 12, 1970, a crowd of curious onlookers and reporters gathered at what they thought was a safe distance to watch the spectacle. Without much warning, the dynamite was detonated, and what followed was nothing short of chaos. A hundred-foot geyser of blood, blubber, and sand shot into the sky, creating what one reporter described as a “blubber snowstorm”1.

Chunks of whale rained down on the spectators, who ran for cover, but there was no escaping the stinky, sticky mess. One unfortunate car had its roof smashed by a three-foot piece of whale, and the smell lingered on the clothes and in the nostrils of those present for days1.

Despite the chaos, the engineer behind the blast, George Thornton, declared the operation a success, albeit with a slight miscalculation. The dynamite had funneled down into the sand, directing the explosion straight up instead of out to sea1.

The great whale explosion of 1970 remains a legendary tale of unintended consequences and a reminder that sometimes, the best-laid plans can go hilariously awry.

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Written by Guy Baroan 
By: Guy Baroan