Boston’s Great Molasses Flood

In 1919, Boston was literally drowned in molasses. A massive storage tank holding over

two million gallons of the sticky stuff exploded, sending a 25-foot wave of molasses

through the streets at 35 miles per hour. Twenty-one people died,

and the cleanup took weeks because every time they tried to wash it away with saltwater,

it just made everything stickier. Horses got trapped, buildings collapsed, and the entire North

End smelled like molasses for decades. Survivors said they could hear the rivets popping like machine

gun fire before the tank burst. Imagine calling your boss to say you can't come to

work because you're stuck in molasses. The tragedy led to stricter construction regulations,