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Boston Molasses Disaster, January 15, 1919

Cocoanut Grove Fire

A fire broke out in Boston’s very popular Cocoanut Grove nightclub on November 28, 1942, killing 492 people, sending 166 to Boston-area hospitals and impacting countless others. This is the deadliest known night club fire in the world.

County History & Information

Jan. 15, 1919: Morass of Molasses Mucks Up Boston

Boston's 1919 molasses-tank explosion from Wired Magazine.

mental_floss Blog >> Boston's Great Molasses Flood of 1919

On January 15, 1919, Boston suffered one of history’s strangest disasters: a devastating flood of molasses. The “Great Molasses Flood” tore through the North End and deposited so much gooey residue that locals claimed they could still smell the molasses on warm days decades later.

Molasses Clocked at 35 mph ... in January!

Molasses Disaster of January 15, 1919

Molasses tank in Boston exploded with great force and flooded the streets with an eight-foot wave of molasses killing 21 people.

What caused the great Boston Molasses Flood?