It is one of those events in history that at first might cause a little grin. It was such an outrageous and unexpected event. But, upon discovering more about it, the grin fades, and the horror of the grisly reality can cause a gasp.

What happened – and how? That question has been the subject of many a study and investigation – and most details have been figured out.

What was this mayhem of molasses? 

In the early in the afternoon of January 15th, 1919.  It was around 40 degrees Fahrenheit – not at all unusual for the Northeastern United States. 

Then, without warning, a 60-foot-tall storage tank burst open unloading 2.3-million-gallons of wet sticky molasses all at once. 

Sources:
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/molasses-floods-boston-streets

https://www.history.com/news/great-molasses-flood-science

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Molasses_Flood

https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/great-boston-molasses-disaster-1919/

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