Fun facts of the day

In 1814, a flood of beer from a burst vat rushed through the streets of London, flooding basements, collapsing houses, and killing nine people. Eight of the deaths were from drowning, the other from alcohol poisoning as a brave soul tried to save the street by drinking up all the beer. No, really. That happened.

Not to be outdone, Boston had its own flood of unlikely substances in 1919, when a molasses tank burst. The molasses reputedly reached speeds of 35 mph, which is pretty fast, considering the reputation of molasses. The molasses killed 21, injured another 150, and caused vast amounts of damage, including lifting a MBTA train off its tracks and carrying it along the street. No, really. That happened, too.

You just don't get that class of disaster anymore.

Fun facts of the day

In 1814, a flood of beer from a burst vat rushed through the streets of London, flooding basements, collapsing houses, and killing nine people. Eight of the deaths were from drowning, the other from alcohol poisoning as a brave soul tried to save the street by drinking up all the beer. No, really. That happened.

Not to be outdone, Boston had its own flood of unlikely substances in 1919, when a molasses tank burst. The molasses reputedly reached speeds of 35 mph, which is pretty fast, considering the reputation of molasses. The molasses killed 21, injured another 150, and caused vast amounts of damage, including lifting a MBTA train off its tracks and carrying it along the street. No, really. That happened, too.

You just don't get that class of disaster anymore.