this post was submitted on 16 Jan 2026
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The great Boston molasses flood of January 15th 1919. A storage tank burst from the rising temperature, creating a wave of molasses travelling 35 mph, killing 21 people and injuring 150 (colorized) (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 2 weeks ago by StarvingMartist@sh.itjust.works to c/historyphotos@piefed.social
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[–] JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 20 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Found some more info: the original tank was cylinder-shaped, 50ft tall, 90ft in diameter, and contained 2.3M gallons of product. Some pics of what it looked like before the explosion...

[–] UniversalBasicJustice@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 2 weeks ago

Terribly missed opportunity to call it the Boston Molassacre, just sayin.

[–] optissima@lemmy.ml 8 points 2 weeks ago

This is the kind of thing I want to watch recreated with a liquid of the same viscocity. Well not the people dying part but it falling apart

[–] jubilationtcornpone@sh.itjust.works 5 points 2 weeks ago

That was a sticky situation.

[–] Illogicalbit@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

That one person in the bottom middle in all white made terrible wardrobe choices that day.

[–] gajahmada@awful.systems 4 points 2 weeks ago

Protest The Hero - All Hands great song about the tragedy.

[–] Fredselfish@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Did they change the way they store it now, since this happen?

[–] PugJesus@piefed.social 9 points 2 weeks ago

Well, one of the causes of the flood was that, even by 1919 standards, the storage tank wasn't up to code, and the corporation involved deliberately ignored and hid signs of imminent failure.

[–] acockworkorange@mander.xyz 2 points 2 weeks ago

Picture ain't loading. Got any other link for it?

[–] atropa@piefed.social 0 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

 1919 ,hum ,Where's black/ white picture 

[–] egrets@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

The photo was taken by a Boston Globe photographer on 15th January 1919 and has been archived by the Boston Public Library. The title of this post does mention it's been colorized.

That said, autochrome photographic equipment was commercially available from around 1907 -- though it was very expensive.