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What was the Great Boston Molasses Disaster of 1919?

In Boston, Massachusetts, on January 15, 1919, a steel tank containing nearly 12,000 tons of molasses ruptured. The tank was 50 feet (15 meters) high and 90 feet (27 meters) in diameter. Approximately 2.3 million gallons (8.7 million liters) of the sweet sticky liquid, traveling at about 35 miles (56 kilometers) per hour, swept over and through everything in its path. People and animals lost their lives. Some houses were demolished while the cellars of others were filled with molasses. It was later determined that the failure was due to structural weaknesses in the tank.

Source: Schlager, Neal. When Technology Fails, pp. 246-49.

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