Blizzard of Glass: The Halifax Explosion of 1917

I knew absolutely nothing about the largest man-made explosion before the atomic bomb. I would venture to guess that not many people know anything about this disaster. The author of Blizzard of Glass: The Halifax Explosion of 1917, Sally M. Walker, did a wonderful job of researching this piece of history.

The city of Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada was a thriving port in 1917. With more than 45,000 people living in Halifax it was a major “jumping-off” port for ships carrying troops and supplies from North America to the countries involved in World War 1.

Because Halifax had a deep harbor, it could house ships of all sizes. The railroad stretched across the harbor area allowing the easy access of freight to the ships.

On the opposite shore from Halifax lays the settlement of Dartmouth. An unusual aspect of the harbor is its very narrow entry.

The inexplicable accident that caused the ship carrying explosives to ignite, devastated this close-knit community.

Read Blizzard of Glass: The Halifax Explosion of 1917 to find out  just how the accident occurred, how many people died, and how people for all over the Northeast rallied to help the survivors.