Disasters Of The Century | Season 4 | Episode 6 | New London School Explosion | Ian Michael Coulson

[@snocrazee]

My grandmother was actually walking home from the New London school early that day since she was older. She said the explosion shook the ground. My grandmother's little sister (my grand aunt) died in the school explosion. Many are correct that natural gas has sulfur added to it so you can smell it now so this hopefully never happen again. Rest in Peace Aunt Doris Josephine Manck.

[@adventureswithnoahmanship6755]

I have a picture of your great aunts grave. We went a few weeks ago and visited the museum and cemetery.

[@snocrazee]

@@adventureswithnoahmanship6755 I'm easy to find. Real name. Send it if you want. I have a pic of the grave as well. Her picture is on the gravestone.

[@saragrant9749]

My sympathies to your family, many of whom never got to meet your grand aunt. This was a horrible way to learn about the dangers of natural gas… but they just didn’t know.

[@andrewcowling5804]

I never knew about this disaster yet I lived through the Aberfan disaster. thanks for bringing this to my attention. it shows that many of us are not alone. 116 infants and 28 adults died that day in a Welsh mining community in the Valleys. the emotions run deep. and a whole generation was lost. so we know well how this hurts, God Bless you all

[@corettaha7855]

Andrew Cowling I’ve read about what your community went through, and you’re in a lot of strangers prayers, if that’s any comfort to you. You have many worldwide who hope for your wellbeing. Much love from Texas.

[@jojobrooke-flattery7901]

Living in the UK, my first thoughts watching this went to the people of Aberfan. The tragedy your community faced was before my time but broke my heart when I learned of the souls lost that day. The Aberfan babes & adults are still remembered by so many with love & sadness

[@sueweisberg1474]

Aberfan was so desperately tragic So sorry for what you went through

[@katepustay304]

Andrew Cowling, I heard about the Aberfan disaster fairly recently. My heart goes out to you

[@nicholealderfer191]

As someone who has a history degree this series is really well done.

[@MisTracy39TheVeganLady]

"Seconds from Disaster" and it's the forensic investigations are very well done .. I never realize there were so many disasters like plane crashes .. train derailments .. ship explosions! etc..

[@Dovietail]

As someone with two histories and a theatre degree, I really wish they did their homework a little bit more when it comes to their reenactments. Historical accuracy is a THING and 'tis a consummation devoutly to be wished.

[@johnwayne3085]

@@Dovietail Gloria, Gloria! I like what you did there. That's my kind of response. I love the subtle passive aggressiveness followed by bomb to your intellectually unworthy adversary.

[@madison3514]

One time my high school thought we had a potential gas leak so they evacuated us all to a field. Luckily there wasn’t one but the precaution is appreciated after watching this.

[@BadDayHQ]

If these tragedies have taught us anything it's that those precautions are necessary to avoiding disaster. Good for you school to take the proper steps!

[@madison3514]

Bad Day HQ exactly. This was a tragedy but perhaps it has prevented even worse ones with the knowledge it gave us.

[@marietaylor9032]

Someone farted

[@MisTracy39TheVeganLady]

That exact same thing happened at my high school .. there was a "gas leak" but turns out it was a false alarm!

[@Deltaexe190]

One time my school had a gas leak and they put us in the cafeteria 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

[@sandyliddell1319]

This was a very good mini documentary on the New London school explosion. I live in East Texas about 40 miles from New London. I have driven through there and past the memorial in the center of the road. My daughter has been to the museum. I have a high school friend who’s grandmother survived this explosion. I always remember this event Bc every March 18th the local areas commemorate it and my son was born on March 18th.

[@nickiefanestiel7309]

id like to go see the museum!

[@WendysCove]

If only they got out early. Heartbreaking they were so close to dismissal. So close.......

[@Unclejr1067]

To that elderly guy, it's not your fault sir you had no idea it was gonna happen live in peace man.

[@K3vinK]

More than likely he is no longer with us.

[@ladyscarfaceangel4616]

@@K3vinK In that case, I hope he made peace with it & died peacefully. I know he mentioned accepting it finally, but I truly hope he found peace.

[@lizabeck1221]

That is my grandfather. He died about 10 years ago. But thank you so much. He carried that guilt for far too long. He lived his whole life across the street from the school and even donated part of the property where the museum is today.

[@susanhowe163]

PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO BLAME AFTER A DISASTER HAPPENS. IT'S SO SAD BECAUSE I THINK THE DISASTER IS BAD ENOUGH. PEOPLE SHOULD BE JUST COMFORTING THOSE WHO ARE GRIEVING STRONGLY AND DON'T SEEM TO BE COPING TOO WELL. SIR, NO THIS ABSOLUTELY WASN'T YOUR FAULT. PLEASE DON'T BLAME YOURSELF. YOU HAVE BEEN TRAUMATIZED ENOUGH. GO LIVE A PEACEFUL LIFE. ✌️ 🙏 ❤

[@lizabeck1221]

@@susanhowe163 he passed away about 10 years ago. He finally came to peace with it and let go of the guilt.

[@karolynkelly-okeefe1268]

The film-makers not only do an all-around good job producing their programs, they also report on many highly significant events that I have NEVER HEARD OF -- how is this possible? I'm a news junkie who grew up reading 2 daily newspapers & 5 on Sunday. BTW: Thanks So Much for not using a wildly over-dramatic Brit announcer who does a ghoulish "Count Down to DISASTER."

[@beenaplumber8379]

Couldn't agree more! I didn't know there were so many disasters I'd never heard of. And those dramatic voices are only useful to compensate for lack of a story. I just want to know what happened without being spoon-fed my own reaction to it.

[@sapphossmalldog228]

They don't produce anything. These are old shows they stole and uploaded as their own.

[@sephirahisui]

These used to air on History channel quite a while ago, I'm glad they've been uploaded to yt, I always found them interesting.

[@inkyguy]

Karolyn Kelly-O'Keefe, Canadian news is ignored by the American media. I was in Canada during a major political crisis there, and I observed that there was not a single story about it in the U.S. media.

[@nenblom]

I agree.

[@professionalcommenter]

Obviously this was a horrible tragedy. What I do appreciate about this is that everyone came together and worked to help in this disaster. The men wasted no time in heading over there to help and no one thought anything about it. They all just got in there and did what they needed to do.

[@nicholealderfer191]

I made a comment about this as well. In this tragedy the community came together and showed the humanity that exists in this world. I was amazed by the communities response and wish I belonged to it. People really came together. I have nothing but utter respect for the people of this town.

[@professionalcommenter]

@@nicholealderfer191 Me too.

[@inkyguy]

Professional Commente, today the corporation would fire them for abandoning their jobs.

[@nenblom]

It does remind me of how so many people and first responders came together in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Small differences and quarrels were put aside in order to rescue as many people as possible, put out the fires that burned for weeks and to rebuild.

[@Wearespurstv]

What I take away is how the government never has the best interest of the working class in mind

[@melissalove2463]

This is one of the worst disasters I have ever heard of, anything that involves children being killed & so many at that is just horrific! 😢

[@BadDayHQ]

Lisa you might want to check out the Aberfan Whales Disaster which wiped out a elementary school. Very sad disaster involving young children. It was like the pied piper came into town and took all the kids.

[@tankfisher8167]

It's Wales not Whales.

[@inkyguy]

Lissa Love, and the guy who blew up a school in the 1920s, I believe, with all of the children in it.

[@MisTracy39TheVeganLady]

@@BadDayHQ Someone tells you they don't like to see children killed in disasters .. so the first thing you do is tell them to watch even smaller children get killed in disasters! 💩👎🏽👎🏽

[@zero7_dueng377]

@@tankfisher8167 SHUT UP LIER

[@djlawlz4041]

I’m now very thankful for the awful additive smell to gas.

[@BadDayHQ]

Thanks for your comment DJ.

[@michaelspain7805]

New London is 15 minutes from my house and i have seen the memorial ...it is hard to comprehend how bad it was and how they got through it all.

[@crazygarnett]

I lived right next to this town for six years before I learned about this disaster. It is not really talked about much which does not mean it is not felt deeply. It had a profound effect on this community and those around it. I am glad it has been covered.

[@marlainirving]

Thanks for posting this. I believe this is the only documentary on the school explosion.

[@BadDayHQ]

Really? Glad we could help out.

[@londonmuseum60]

There are actually numerous documentaries on the school explosion.

[@marlainirving]

London Museum Thanks. There are several documents and books on the explosion.

[@danielleholt4721]

I bought the book Gone at 3:17... Good read...

[@ggurks]

@@marlainirving actually there are some, like the feature-length documentary "When Even Angels Wept" www.imdb.com/title/tt1531952/

[@nicholealderfer191]

I am amazed at the people from this town. Creating a netting from clothing and catching people that is amazing. Coming together like they did, wow. Hats off to them. Within a tragedy the people acted with bravery and kindness, testimony to the good in humanity.

[@MisTracy39TheVeganLady]

That's normal human behavior! .. where are you from??😂🤣😂

[@moxiemaxie3543]

Can't say that today. People pull out their phones. .. this does warm my heart tho

[@GiordanDiodato]

and this is why they add sulfur to natural gas.

[@beenaplumber8379]

Methylmercaptan - and if you add a little hydrogen sulfide, you have the two primary stink gasses in human farts :D

[@robertsteinbach7325]

It is amazing how little Mercaptan the gas company has to add to the gas. It is anywhere from 1 to 10 parts per million. This is the disaster why Mercaptan (Methyl or Ethyl, it doesn't matter) is used to detect gas leaks and get people out in case of one.

[@StevenTorrey]

1937--82 years ago this month! So sad.... RIP!

[@rogermcgroggan9442]

Fuck it most of them would be dead by now anyway 😎😎😎😎

[@SecretSquirrelFun]

Just 20 minutes until the end of the day, the final school bell was just so so close. Unbelievably sad, it’s amazing that there are people still alive to tell us what they experienced.

[@BadDayHQ]

Yes a very sad event. Thanks for watching.

[@saragrant9749]

I give the survivors a great deal of credit for the way they were able to see things in such a pragmatic manner. Instead of carrying anger and frustration with them, they saw it as a situation that brought on safety measures that have saved countless thousands going forward. It takes real fortitude to go through such a tragedy and carry such a positive, open minded viewpoint.

[@LeShaneMurray]

My grandfather and grandmother were both there

[@danielleholt4721]

Thank you for this.. I watch a lot of things about this explosion... I am a great niece {?} of one of the girl's that died in this explosion... {My great grandpa's sister}.. I been wanting to go to this area to see the memorial... I know this sounds crazy but if they ever make a movie or short film about this I want to be in it...

[@Cassxowary]

Danielle Holt that’s your great great aunt but I’m sorry! And not crazy at all, hope you get to!

[@beckysprang5517]

Thank You! I'm using this incident, along with the Hartford Circus Fire, the Bath School Explosion, and Our Lady of Angels school fire in my dissertation. Sad how all of these kids died to save $250

[@beckysprang5517]

If you want a good book about this tragedy, check out Gone at 3:17

[@gaylebaker8419]

Saving money was not the problem. Unscented natural gas was the problem.

[@beenaplumber8379]

Becky Sprang - if you're still around, I'd like to know your dissertation title and your field. I've collected a huge database of disasters that involve human crushes, crowd collapses, and various other crowd disasters and failures of crowd management. I meant to write something up for publication at some point, but I sorta let it go. If you're interested, if this is in your field, and if you'd like to talk, you can reply here or email my gmail account with this username (beenaplumber).

[@beenaplumber8379]

@@olegtrushin6220 OMG! That tragedy is in my database, and it's one of the saddest and most irresponsible club fires ever. In English we call it the Lame Horse Fire. (The English translation for the club's name is the Lame Horse.) There is plenty of video. There was only one exit, which was upstairs, and there was no way for everyone to evacuate up the single stairway. They pretended there was no real problem until it was far too late. I know there is plenty of video on You Tube of that tragedy. Or should I say atrocity? That same disaster had occurred so many times before, particularly in US nightclubs. There was no excuse. Oleg, that sad event is one that really hurts me, right in my heart, more than most, at least among nightclub disasters. There was no excuse! Thank you for bringing it up. I hope others will see your post or mine and look it up. People need to know. People have no idea about safety when they enter a club. They just want to drink and have fun, which is natural. That's what they're for. But some have such appalling safety conditions, and we never find out until dozens or even hundreds have been killed. When people go out clubbing, they should look at crowd safety and evacuation issues. Have fun where you are, but learn, and let that inform you about which clubs you's prefer to give your business to. You probably will never see a fire at a club you're visiting, but if you do, will you be one more number on the list of needless deaths? Sorry if this is a bit of a rant. Obviously I feel strongly about this event and others like it.

[@beenaplumber8379]

@@olegtrushin6220 Maybe the saddest part of the Lame Horse Fire story is that it isn't well known outside of Russia. People who study such disasters know it well though. There are so many lessons to learn from that disaster, and so many questions, like, why didn't they learn about these dangers from all those deadly club fires that happened before? That one question has led to safety improvements. When we know more about the reasons for lax safety, we can develop ways to encourage and enforce compliance. The good news is that we have learned from that terrible tragedy. Night clubs around the world are safer because of it.

[@Sacto1654]

This is why there are very strict rules for using natural gas in buildings nowadays. The problem is that escaping natural gas can turn a building into the equivalent of a fuel-air explosive (FAE) bomb with extremely devastating results, as we saw in New York City in 2014 and 2015.

[@maggiemargaret1412]

An entire 'downtown' in a city in Mexico was wiped out due to a gas leak that went on for a week or more and finally exploded. People had smelled it. People had complained about it. Other people checked for it's source but weren't diligent enough to find it. Documentary here on You-Tube - probably Seconds to Disaster, or Countdown to Zero, or one like it. You can Google for it.

[@SilverWalker84]

"I was ok when the entire building collapsed on me but then this jackass stepped on my damn head and I ain't been right ever since"

[@MichSignMan]

wow... how pitifully sad, so, many many kids died :(

[@Roscoe.P.Coldchain]

This is my first time I’ve heard about this and was shocked at how many children were killed..Tragic story, the people of the town who spoke on here were very dignified and well presented hard working people...Thankyou for telling the story...

[@carlatillman2891]

My grandfather was a rescuer. He and his fellow workers worked at a near by rig site.

[@jurgenkuhlmann9194]

Another life - saving innovation is a spray that contains a chemical that reacts with CNG, forming a red fog that's easy to see. It's used for the inspection of gas pipes & fittings.

[@SecretSquirrelFun]

Wow, thanks for this information Jürgen, I had never heard of this spray. Amazing.

[@jurgenkuhlmann9194]

@@SecretSquirrelFun I do not know however if the use of this detector spray is limited to qualified personnel (i.e. the guys who inspect the gas counters in your house).

[@SecretSquirrelFun]

@@jurgenkuhlmann9194 - I’d say that it would be!!! Imagine if anyone could purchase it!! OMG people would be showing their friends - Hey, check this out, I just have to turn the gas stove on for a little while and then I’ll show you what it does!! I can imagine all sorts of dangerous scenarios. I seriously hope that it’s an “industry only” product or has some kind of regulations attached to its purchase etc etc. 🐿

[@jurgenkuhlmann9194]

@@SecretSquirrelFun Exactly! This is why you don't find it at Home Depot (Germany: Toom, Bauhaus, OBI)! I'm sure it's for professional use only.

[@SecretSquirrelFun]

@@jurgenkuhlmann9194 - yes, I’m in Sydney, Australia and I hope it’s not available at any of the big hardware stores. Like I said before, I can clearly imagine some quite amusing, albeit terribly dangerous scenarios. I’m still really glad that you mentioned it. I had never heard of such a product and I found that, and the concept of it really interesting. I ended up online (down the rabbit hole) reading about it, and then all sorts of other gas related safety issues and products. Ha ha, I’ve read so much stuff that at this point in time I think that I would pass a “gas safety, work place induction test” if I had to 🤪 Anyway, wishing you a very happy new year, stay safe, be kind and let’s hope that together we all make 2021 a fantastic year 🐿

[@pyro226]

Thanks to this, I have detected three gas leaks. One was in a basement that we had just sealed (meaning the gas would have built up), one outside my apartment, and one at the main gas junction to my subdivision.

[@TAZ0300]

Holy shit I never heard of this before? It’s so crazy how times were so different then people seemed to be nicer and less stressed and today We are all mentally burnt out and living life after COVID-19 what a difference

[@Rogue3269]

Thank you so much for the work you do creating these videos. Liked and subbed, and I look forward to more and new content. Keep up the excellent work of educating us all.

[@davidkellymitchell4747]

My dad said he was only 5 years old but said he felt the ground shake in Overton, Tx. 4 miles away. My aunt was 7 years older than my dad and said she remembered seeing a fire truck loaded with children's bodies. Most if not all that were badly injured were sent to Mother Frances hospital in Tyler, Tx. that was scheduled to be opened a week later. They opened that day because of the horrific disaster. James and Molly Ward seen in this video were friends of my family. I worked for James when we worked for Exxon off the Gulf Coast. James said he was on the football field when it happened and what saved him. On of the most horrific disasters in world history.

[@BadDayHQ]

Thanks for adding to our story.

[@davidkellymitchell4747]

@@BadDayHQ Thanks for the excellent documentary.

[@htos1av]

RIP to all. Never forgotten.

[@lisaorourke5872]

I Love ❤️ Your channel its great. 😘😍

[@davidmayhew4818]

The memorial is beautiful.

[@ellsworthjohnson8647]

Wow I've been up all night 🌙watching 👀these stories great 👍job bless 🙌🙏👏those who passed away rip 🙏😢💔😪

[@BadDayHQ]

Thanks for watching

[@ladyscarfaceangel4616]

Man, just min before school let's out? Awe! RIP 😥

[@gorillaau]

If only the shop class was doing something that didn't require a power tool, this would not have happened.

[@majesticmicrobes60]

Omg no joke right when the teacher plugged in the sander, and it sparked, a log in my wood stove popped and sent a small coal hurling towards my face. Bout shit myself 😂

[@didarden]

Lol

[@azia5051]

I now right😂😂

[@brandyyolidio4213]

Be safe

[@Clarrisani]

Sadly it takes a disaster for people to fix things. It was a good move to add the odour, and the reports of how ill the children were beforehand also helped learn exposure to gas and its symptoms. So many "if onlys" in this one. The main one being "if only they'd gotten out early". Problem is that even if they had it would have been a long period for the gas to build up. The result was always going to be the same.

[@problemsulfer]

have you ever seen the government being proactive? they thrive on crisis and use one to create another. and, without forcing the neighboring towns to create one big school, this would have never happened. big schools are big business.

[@cardinaloflannagancr8929]

One thing I find odd was despite being odorless at the time the oil industry was huge there and all around. You would think the school nurse, teacher etc.. would see something was wrong with the type and amount of illnesses reported. This was oil country and those drilling surely ought to be familiar with symptoms of gas entering the air. That being said if it was gradual your thought process would suffer, like hypoxia above 10k in a plane if depressurized. Except this was over days where you would be breathing normal air after leaving.

[@inkyguy]

D S , Yes, in fact. The E.U. is incredibly proactive and establishes strong safety standards to prevent disasters based on science and reason, not corporate lobbyists, but then people bellyache that things are over-regulated. The U.S. applies “tombstone technology” to save money and maximize profits, only changing standards in reaction to major disasters. Take a look, for example, at all of the TSA recommendations that the FAA hasn’t implement because the airline industry says they’re too expensive.

[@inkyguy]

@Les, Why would they? The EU and the TSA have no relationship to one another.

[@susanwahl6322]

That is an interesting school bus.

[@McIntyreBible]

19:30, the good that came as a result of the horrendous explosion!

[@didarden]

Bad day hq thank you. Your the best!☺

[@eyetech08]

Just found this channel. Took one look and became a subscriber. Thank you for posting these. 👍👍😎

[@Tainted_Julz_Radio]

Wow. I can’t even imagine

[@muffs55mercury61]

Natural gas may be cheaper but if it explodes it's without notice. My house is all electric so if there's a fire due to a short and I can't put it out we still have time to escape. It's great to have been able to interview survivors of these disasters. No doubt many of those kids would go thru life with the effects of PTSD, a term that didn't exist back then.

[@nightraven5710]

Shell-shock did but mostly only for soldiers.

[@asafaust6774]

So sad and upsetting. Poor children.

[@sarahlee6641]

Unfortunately a good explanation for an inquisitive child, especially if they ask about the smell- one of these peoples families could have a good understanding, even if they don't live in that area now.

[@gkess7106]

Ain’t no “kilometers” in Texas.

[@BadDayHQ]

True enough, the but show was originally produced for a Canadian audience and there ain't no miles in Canada.

[@inkyguy]

G Kess, not only is it produced in Canada, but U.S. imperial measurements are now all standardized metrically. In the U.S., legally, a foot is defined as 0.305 meters and an inch as 2.54 centimeters. You’re using metric whether you think you are or aren’t.

[@pugassassin5591]

@@inkyguy were not talking about that go away

[@pugassassin5591]

@@BadDayHQ k

[@pugassassin5591]

k

[@tommysdreamhamilton3216]

These kids didn't die without saving thousands more. A whole generation of kids gone in an instant. Hug yr loved ones if you can. Life is sooooooo short

[@BadDayHQ]

It was a terrible disaster.

[@Tracks777]

Good! Keep it up!

[@memedumpster1402]

Not the right type of comment for this topic

[@hannahriley8085]

Omg this is so powerful and heartbreaking sad

[@beckysprang5517]

This was also the event that made Walter Cronkite a household name

[@lemonsky5378]

My father told me about this. He was just a toddler when it happened, but he grew up hearing about it. He told me about two boys who had tried to play hooky, but were caught and taken to school - where they died. Horrible. Something like this happened in Brenham, TX, in 1992 and three people died.

[@taishaortega6652]

I’m from Hobbs New Mexico so were neighbors with Seminole Texas . We grew up in the oil field lots of us are still here and we do know this story . We do . Anytime any student smells gas were all evacuated . I was class of 2011 . I hope your hearts rest easy we won’t let this happen again

[@BadDayHQ]

Thanks for your comment.

[@ChrisT-O]

What a tragedy, I never heard about it until now. So many young people died that day, so many future dreams were destroyed, so many parents were left in infinite sorrow. RIP to all...

[@sueweisberg1474]

This is so tragic

[@jeffhoover3410]

I went to school here .......it should for sure be recognized ....such a tragedy

[@BadDayHQ]

Thanks for letting us know Jeff.

[@alyssamcintosh5868]

I heard about this one-even though I only researched it. I don't have any relatives who survived this disaster or live in that area.

[@paulazemeckis7835]

Back then children should be seen and not heard. What about the children who complained about burning eyes? Maybe if they took those kids seriously and demanded an investigation like we can today no one would have been killed.

[@RatPfink66]

natural gas wasn't used much then. it was mostly burned off as a waste byproduct. so there was little knowledge of symptoms of exposure. also, without an odorant added to it, there might not have been any way at all to detect gas leakage. with thousands of cu ft of crawl space under the bldg, collecting gas from the leaky line, this school was a disaster waiting to happen.

[@lizabeck1221]

Many students were sent home sick in the days leading up to the explosion. They weren’t just ignored. Natural gas is odorless, so there was no way to detect the leak. My grandfather is Bill Thompson, who is featured in this documentary.

[@m0vnt41n5]

Moral of the Story: "Don't cheap out".

[@pillettadoinswartsh4974]

Over 300 kids dead. That's terrible.

[@nenblom]

Unspeakable tragedy.

[@jonglewongle3438]

This was the disaster which I read about in Weekly World News in the mid-1980s. I thought it was 1936. 1936 - 1937, same difference. Something about a school blowing up on a wholesale scale, and survivors recalling flying through the air. Then several years later I happened across someone's bulky soft-cover book citing every disaster or calamity from the annals of recorded modern history and so I thought I'd look for this disaster and it was a task finding it. Went through several date and other categories, until I found it. It was there but was afforded only a minimal and manditory entry.

[@Jackiedyk]

Terrifying!

[@jacoroets5737]

Real tragedy!

[@erinsplawn2498]

I go to school here, they recognize this tragedy every year and do a school play.

[@BadDayHQ]

Thanks for adding to our story Erin.

[@peterjongsma2779]

@@user47738 .. Well they should.

[@peterjongsma2779]

@@user47738 Are you calling Erin Splawn a liar? She goes to school there. Who am I supposed to believe? Do you go to school there? Huh.

[@peterjongsma2779]

@@user47738 Mustn't have been a very good school. You don't know how to spell I. I'll bet you say "Should of" instead of "Should have". But I believe you.

[@peterjongsma2779]

@@user47738 Hey, I was,only kidding about the school.

[@katepustay304]

I read about this when I was just 9 years old in my remedial reading class.

[@LadyGillian]

This is reason why natural gas has that 'funny smell" added. It was a brand new facility with all the bells and whistles.

[@cardinaloflannagancr8929]

It was a tragedy and served to prove why scent needed to be added to natural gas. Being brand new didn't have anything to do with not understanding the importance of scenting it for detection. They talked about the school had anything they wanted. Were they to have realized the importance something would have been installed.

[@melissajohnson2935]

They didn't know a whole lot about natural Gas at the time. I mean they thought it was worthless byproduct of oil. Pumping it into the school for free. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@cardinaloflannagancr8929]

Melissa Johnson Yup its crazy how things have changed in the gas/oil industry. Made kerosene and dumped what would become gas and diesel, then made gas and just wasted diesel. Now diesel costs more than gasoline or kerosene.

[@melissajohnson2935]

Rkf rkf My husband works on a offshore production platform. So they separate the oil and natural gas and send it down the pipes to the onshore refineries. The gas doesn't have a smell at that point, that gets added at the refineries. Instead they rely on a plethora of alarms to detect gas leaks. Which scares me lol. Deepwater horizon wasn't destroyed by the blow out or oil, it was destroyed by natural gas, that like in this situation, blew up by one small spark. But these rigs are state of the art and had DWH followed the safety protocols and not bypassed several of those important alarms, it would still be in use today. I say that to say this.....I can not even begin to imagine how incredibly dangerous it was to work with natural gas back when this happened. I'm sure there are hundreds of other stories just like this that's never been told.

[@krashd]

That's my chat up line with women, I explain to them how they add the smell to gas.

[@neiltappenden1008]

I'm lost for words

[@time4peace976]

That was 30 years before I was born

[@McIntyreBible]

7:36, the moment of the explosion.

[@flyguy5941]

Will you do the Cleveland Ohio Collinwood school fire on March 4, 1908? It killed 172. Thank you

[@BadDayHQ]

It is not currently on our list to consider but I will add it. We will check it out.

[@daleolson3506]

What about the calumet mi .Christmas fire? Hundreds killed

[@TheKeeperMadz]

O my goodness this is terrible.

[@goofytycooner5519]

Me, who was born in New London CT: (Visible Confusion)

[@user47738]

Well in texas

[@sueweisberg1474]

A generation of children lost

[@justinbosley5107]

My mother's father lost three sisters in that disaster. My mother was three years old at the time.

[@vict4451]

I wonder if the museum still has the letter from hitler expressing his condolences for the immense loss of life.

[@lucyminnia7033]

The original was stolen, so now they show a copy instead.

[@maggiemargaret1412]

Whoa. How utterly devastating. The trauma to the families and children who survived and also the younger ones on the bus must've been almost insurmountable. This tragedy really strikes so many chords, doesn't if? Sure, we can't 'dwell' on the past and things do 'happen as they do', but there are so many 'contingent wonders'...how a minute here to get lunch tickets, a class not taken there, reaching under a counter, or the biggest - the fact that because they were off the next day, getting out early due to P.T.A. meetings was decided against. Shall we mention the BIGGEST of all - "REGULATIONS"? These are such a life-saver in industry after industry after industry the world over. It has nothing to do with freedom and everything to do with protection. I only wonder, had adding a smell to CO2 ever been talked about before this and lobbied against?

[@PleasestopcallingmeDoctorImath]

i remember reading about this after columbine happened

[@mollygale4298]

i performed in a play about this

[@BadDayHQ]

That's great! What part did you play?

[@nickiefanestiel7309]

@@BadDayHQ great to know the memory is still kept alive and these babies are not forgotten!!

[@rogermcgroggan9442]

Did u all die at the end hope so 😎😎😎😎😎

[@MisTracy39TheVeganLady]

"Orderless Gas!" .. now gas has an order added to it because of this explosion💥

[@mlee6050]

Hope if do again they check no leaks first before connect, do american plugs just plug in? In UK we have what rated as best plugs but we have switch with socket

[@gracefullikeagazelle]

Aerial shots of the school make it look like a penitentiary :(

[@luftschiff1069]

I had relatives that were in this explosion

[@brianallison1913]

3:08 in the most non-perverse way she was a beautiful girl.

[@nenblom]

Natural gas is usually a godsend because it’s so clean. However, as we see here, it can also be extremely dangerous. This horrible tragedy brings back horrible memories of 9/11. May all victims RIP. Lot of heroes that day.

[@TycoonTitian01]

School+explosion should not be in the same damn sentence

[@BadDayHQ]

Thanks for your comment. If you have not already done so, we invite you to become a subscriber.

[@chrislittlepage5416]

The New London school explosion happened exactly 12 years to the day of the 1925 Tri-State tornado

[@kevinhoward9593]

If one girl is in elementary school and the other one is a Junior in High School, how the hell are they just 2 years apart? More like 6. This is probably why Natural Gas has an additive in it to make it have an odor. Junior High is 6-8th, not 5-8th. Had they stayed with the original plan to allow the students to leave early, this could have been avoided. the school would have been empty.

[@reedermh]

Back in that day there was no "junior high" like today. Only primary and secondary.

[@user47738]

Uhm 8th grade is Junior High and 9th grade is high school so it’s possible lol

[@lizabeck1221]

Elementary went to fourth grade, and 5th through 12th was considered high school. My grandfather is Bill Thompson who is featured in this documentary. He was in the 5th grade.

[@barrybritcher]

This is why you turn off appliances before plugging them in. Lol.

[@mikeholmstrom1899]

I was shocked to hear of a West Virginia high school that was using natural gas, right from a gas well a few years ago. I hope they odorize that gas there.

[@lizabeck1221]

It’s a federal law.

[@Widda68]

With so many incredible casualties weren't there any hospitals in that region of Texas to care for the injured students and faculty? You don't mention it anything about those who were hurt but survived how did they survive?

[@user47738]

They were brought to a hospital in Tyler, Texas. This hospital was scheduled to open a week later, though they opened it on march 18 because of the explosion.

[@lizabeck1221]

Yes. Mother Francis hospital in Tyler Texas opened early to treat and care for the injured. There was a grand opening ceremony planned, but it was canceled due to this tragedy. The hospital finally held their grand opening 80 years later.

[@WyattRyeSway]

Did they not have 12th grade?

[@BadDayHQ]

Not sure actually.

[@donaldpalmer6299]

That should have been a warning that something was wrong with people having headaches or burning eyes.They should have complained to their parents or teachers.

[@lizabeck1221]

They did. Many students were sent home with headaches and nausea in the days leading up to the explosion.

[@crossfire2045]

This is only one reason why natural gas is dangerous.

[@tinachandler3091]

Even though I want to wring the necks of my boys sometimes, it would completely DESTROY me if something happened to them. May the Lady be with These people, even though most of these survivors lived with this guilt

[@MsJinkerson]

that looked like one hell of a bang

[@ap4206]

That was a good generation to have lost . Sad story.

[@tinapresley4286]

BAD BAD BAD workmanship!!!! Whoever installed the gas pipe!!! SUE!!!! FOR ALL THE KIDS WHO HAS PASSED!!!

[@mimib8032]

I'm pretty sure statute of limitations had passed.

[@benjaminsnyder2764]

Of coarse it was after the explosion