The Sweetest Disaster in American History

On January 15, 1919, a massive steel tank filled with molasses ruptured in Boston’s North End. Without warning, a sticky brown wave poured into the streets at over thirty miles per hour. Buildings collapsed. Horses drowned. People were trapped and smothered where they stood.

Rescuers struggled through molasses that reached their knees and waists. Some victims weren’t found for days. Twenty-one people died, and more than one hundred were injured.

The company blamed sabotage. Engineers pointed to thin steel and ignored warnings. Physics blamed gravity.

The streets were eventually cleaned, but residents claimed hot summer days still carried the smell of sugar years later.

Boston learned a hard lesson that winter: Industrial shortcuts and food products don’t mix.