On January 15, 1919, a massive storage tank in Boston's North End suddenly ruptured, releasing roughly 2.3 million gallons of molasses into the streets. The wave moved with devastating force, crushing buildings, sweeping away vehicles, and trapping people in its path. By the time the disaster was over, 21 people had died and another 150 were injured.

What made the disaster even more remarkable was how quickly an ordinary industrial storage tank became a deadly force. The disaster exposed serious problems with the tank's construction and oversight and eventually became an important story in the history of engineering, public safety, and accountability.

The Great Molasses Flood remains one of the strangest disasters in American history — a tragedy that sounds almost impossible until you realize it actually happened.

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