where history comes alive
The year is 1919. Boston, a city steeped in history and ambition, was about to experience a disaster so bizarre and terrifying, it would forever stain its memory with a sticky, dark sweetness. It began on a warm January day, the 15th, to be precise. The air in the North End, a working-class neighborhood bustling … Read more
The winter of 1919 in Boston was not just cold; it was sticky, suffocating, and deadly. On January 15th, a colossal wave of molasses, warm and thick, surged through the North End of Boston. This wasn’t a scene from a surrealist painting, but a horrific industrial accident that claimed 21 lives and injured over 150. … Read more
The air in Boston’s North End on January 15, 1919, was unusually warm for a mid-January day. Temperatures had climbed rapidly, reaching a balmy 40 degrees Fahrenheit. This unseasonable warmth, however, was about to unleash a disaster of sticky, suffocating proportions. For years, the Purity Distilling Company had operated a massive storage tank, towering 50 … Read more