EPISODE · Apr 12, 2026 · 16 MIN
The Great Molasses Flood
from HistMuse · host HistMuse
The Great Molasses Flood: Boston's Sticky ApocalypseJanuary 15, 1919. Boston's North End enjoys unseasonably warm weather. A 50-foot tank holds 2.3 million gallons of molasses.At 12:30 PM, the tank ruptures. A 25-foot wave surges at 35 mph. Firehouses swept away. Elevated train derailed. Horses drowned like flies.21 dead. 150 injured. Rescue impossible as molasses hardened in winter cold. Cleanup took 6 months. North End smelled like molasses for years.HistMuse reveals the industrial disaster too bizarre to be fiction.
What this episode covers
The Great Molasses Flood: Boston's Sticky ApocalypseJanuary 15, 1919. Boston's North End enjoys unseasonably warm weather. A 50-foot tank holds 2.3 million gallons of molasses.At 12:30 PM, the tank ruptures. A 25-foot wave surges at 35 mph. Firehouses swept away. Elevated train derailed. Horses drowned like flies.21 dead. 150 injured. Rescue impossible as molasses hardened in winter cold. Cleanup took 6 months. North End smelled like molasses for years.HistMuse reveals the industrial disaster too bizarre to be fiction.
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The Great Molasses Flood
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