1919: The Great Molasses Flood of Boston

I first learned about this weird tragedy several years ago from the wonderful ladies on Stuff You Missed in History Class. It boggles the mind how something of this nature could’ve happened too. Most Americans today only think the gooey liquid is used for baking, rum and sometimes as a substitute for maple syrup, plus there’s the saying “he’s as slow as molasses.” Why would anyone in their right mind have a 2.3 million gallon tank of this stuff in a residential area? Unlike Texas in general, other US regions have zoning laws to prevent further disasters unless the GOP and the Chamber of Commerce get their way.

You can read about the details from the AP here, better yet, listen to the podcast episode, I promise you will be entertained as well as informed. I’ve read and listened to both. The facts involved, especially how quickly the molasses wave swept across the neighborhood is incredible…35 mph, no human had a prayer in trying to outrun it.

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