In November of 1970, a 45 foot long whale washed up on the beaches of Florence. When all local rendering plants turned down the carcass, ODOT got creative with their solution: explosives. The resulting exploding whale, complete with video, went viral across the world. We examine what led up to the events, a warning that wasn't heeded, and laugh so damn much. 

Sources: 

Wikipedia - Exploding Whale

The Oregonian - Exploding-whale engineer George Thornton has died at age 84, 2013

Offbeat Oregon - Exploding whale? It's a true Oregon tale