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The Great Halifax Explosion
The Great Halifax Explosion | John U. Bacon
14 posts | 13 read | 17 to read
From New York Times bestselling author John U. Bacon, a gripping narrative history of the largest manmade detonation prior to Hiroshima: in 1917 a ship laden with the most explosives ever packed on a vessel sailed out of Brooklyns harbor for the battlegrounds of World War I; when it stopped in Halifax, Nova Scotia, an extraordinary disaster awaited. . . . On Monday, December 3, 1917, the French freighter SS Mont-Blanc set sail from Brooklyn carrying the largest cache of explosives ever loaded onto a ship, including 2,300 tons of picric acid, an unstable, poisonous chemical more powerful than TNT. The U.S. had just recently entered World War I, and the ordnance was bound for the battlefields of France, to help the Allies break the grueling stalemate that had protracted the fighting for nearly four demoralizing years. The explosives were so dangerous that Captain Aim Le Medec took unprecedented safety measures, including banning the crew from smoking, lighting matches, or even touching a drop of liquor. Sailing north, the Mont-Blanc faced deadly danger, enduring a terrifying snowstorm off the coast of Maine and evading stealthy enemy U-boats hunting the waters of the Atlantic. But it was in Nova Scotia that an extraordinary disaster awaited. As the Mont-Blanc waited to dock in Halifax, it was struck by a Norwegian relief ship, the Imo, charging out of port. A small fire on the freighters deck caused by the impact ignited the explosives below, resulting in a horrific blast that, in one fifteenth of a second, leveled 325 acres of Halifaxkilling more than 1,000 people and wounding 9,000 more. In this definitive account, Bacon combines research and eyewitness accounts to re-create the tragedy and its aftermath, including the international effort to rebuild the devastated port city. As he brings to light one of the most dramatic incidents of the twentieth century, Bacon explores the long shadow this first "weapon of mass destruction" would cast on the future of nuclear warfare crucial insights and understanding relevant to us today. The Great Halifax Explosion includes 25 black-and-white photos.
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DieAReader
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Pickpick
rabbitprincess This reminds me I wanted to borrow this book from my FIL! 3y
CoverToCoverGirl Five stars! I have this one, so happy to here it‘s all that and a bag of chips. 😊 I‘ll bump it up my list. 3y
DieAReader @CoverToCoverGirl It is definitely worth the bump my friend🥰🤓 3y
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LibraryCin
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Pickpick

This was very well researched. It does include some discussion of the war, and a soldier from Nova Scotia who ended up helping out after the disaster, as he was back home after being severely injured. Also includes a detailed account of the ships and crew involved in the collision, as well as tidbits of time of some of the civilians on shore who were affected (lost family members, lost homes, injuries...).

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TurtleLibrarian
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1. Aquarius
2. This is gonna be lame, because it's a work thing, but, I figured out how to do 2 new things on our library's website (I'm still working on the 3rd). I didn't design, or create it, I juzt manage it, so, learning all of the backend of it is my 2019 overarching goal.
3. The one tagged (DO NOT read it, it's boring af) I'm gonna read the book that this is supposedly taken from "Shattered City".
4. Buy boxes

#friyayintro @howjessreads

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Miss_Kim
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Completely serendipitously I found this book yesterday at our used book shop and I started reading it. I had to buy it because I love History and I love Halifax. Little did I know that today is the 101st anniversary of the great explosion! This book is well-researched and very readable.

squirrelbrain How bizarre with the timing! 6y
Miss_Kim So weird! But it does happen from time to time that a book ‘comes to you‘ at the perfect time! 6y
maamyvette1001 @God bless you !!!! 4y
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Ncostell
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Pickpick

I was totally unaware of this disaster that took place in 1917 when a ship containing 3000 tons of explosives collided with another ship in the Halifax harbor killing 2,000 people and injuring 9000 more. Experience treating the thousands of victims lead to innovations in pediatric and ophthalmological surgery. There were many acts of heroism and kindness following this tragedy as well.

Crazeedi This looks really good, stacking , thanks! 6y
Ncostell @Crazeedi You are very welcome! I hope that you find it interesting as well. It was a horrible event but there were some beneficial lessons learned from it too. 6y
Crazeedi I'm going to order it! 6y
See All 6 Comments
MallenNC I read this and had also never heard of the explosion. I thought that book was great. 6y
Ncostell @MallenNC I first heard about this book on a podcast I was listening to but before that I knew nothing about this disaster which is pretty amazing considering the scope of the destruction. 6y
MallenNC @Ncostell A friend read it before I did, and recommended it. She also hadn't heard of the explosion. After reading it, it is hard to believe it isn't better known. 6y
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MallenNC
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This is my tally for the entire month of reading. The tagged book is my favorite that wasn't part of my Freaky Friday Swap list. This was a great month for me in nonfiction!

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robertemmett
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Bailedbailed

This book really fascinated me and I learned a lot; however, by page 315 I had lost all my steam and interest. I may come back to this and read the last four chapters.

To anyone else reading this, don't give up like I did. It's a really interesting story!

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MallenNC
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Pickpick

This was a vividly told look at a part of history about which I was completely unfamiliar. The author introduces the town and many of the people involved and then leads through the disaster and its aftermath. The story was sad, but I'm glad I learned about the Halifax disaster. #nonfictionchallenge2018

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robertemmett
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But years later they seemed to remember those tender mercies as clearly as the horrific scenes they had survived, as if they were somehow imbued with equal power.

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GeekGrl82
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Pickpick

Today I finished a book about the great Halifax explosion. On December 6, 1917 a munitions boat caught fire and exploded in Halifax Harbor. Nearly 2,000 people were killed in the explosion, and another 9,000 injured. A quarter of the population was instantly homeless. This disaster pioneered disaster relief, solidified Canadian-American relations, and was used as a guide by scientists in the Manhattan Project. It was a fascinating read.

emilyhaldi Wow!! I hadn't heard this story 😱 7y
GeekGrl82 @emilyhaldi Most people haven't. There would be a short blurb every year in the Boston news when the Nova Scotia Christmas tree arrived. They send the tree every year as a Thank you to Boston, who sent a train of doctors and supplies that day, and continued to help Halifax for 5 years. 7y
Mdargusch Wow! I have never heard of that either. What a tragedy! 7y
DebbieGrillo What made you pick up this particular book? 7y
GeekGrl82 @DebbieGrillo My personal focus this year is non-fiction books, with a particular emphasis on WWI and social justice. I had heard of the event in passing during my time in Boston, and when I saw there was a new book on it I added it to my must read pile. 7y
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bookishkai
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New week, new book. Excited to read this, it‘s something I know little to nothing about.

MallenNC A friend of mine with good taste in books told me this was one of her favorites of 2017. She listened to the audiobook. I am hoping to get to it soon! 7y
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Librarybelle
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#libraryhaul I love being the first person to receive a brand new book, or three!

lauralovesbooks1 The Halifax one is on my Christmas list. I've heard great things about it. 7y
56 likes2 comments