The Great MOLASSES Flood of 1919

[@ACSReactions]

The phrase “slow as molasses in January” had been around for decades before the Great Molasses Flood. Oh the foreshadowing.

[@eulusgarza5765]

Now I understand why they say about "molasses" in hot days. ;-)

[@TheBazardunet]

hello, when i look into the info box i see quite a couple ppl worked on this, so you think it would be possible to edit metrics measures on screen in post for us non american audience when ever foot or gallons or inches etc are mentioned in a video ? i dont feel like pausing a video to make the conversion online while i watch a video (i most time send video signal to TV so i watch on my bed far from keyboard^^) would be really apreciated (and can get you more EU viewers in the future too ;))

[@rocketdude2969]

Wouldn't hot molasses poured into the tank of cold molasses cause Steam ? If that where the case it would add pressure to a tank that was already filled with leaks and not constructed properly. Also I heard the cleaned for 4 days and looked for survivors but then began to just clean up and recover .

[@catherinepansey5765]

My grandfather was a Boston Police officer at the time, and we loved to hear him retell the story. His most remembered line was.... :No power on earth could stop it"

[@teddymills1]

A tragedy, but his comment was funny.

[@trans_ben_shapiro]

🧢

[@s0kulite]

lol😢

[@Enzonius]

I like this presenter. Super likeable, video easy to follow, cool visual aids and interesting.

[@user-vn7ce5ig1z]

Then check out her channel: kzbin.info

[@dwaynezilla]

Alex is amazing

[@KittyxKult]

Wow, this is so much interesting info! I first heard about this flood last year during a trivia night, and have been obsessed with it ever since. I thought at first bc all the news reports say “explosion” that the tank had literally exploded due to all the gases but to find out it was literally just the company cutting corners on steel thickness makes it so much more awful

[@Celticelery]

And this, folks, is why we need construction standards.

[@user-vn7ce5ig1z]

There were construction standards and inspectors and everything, but it wasn't a building, so it wasn't subject to them: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5WzpqefYrh_a9E

[@ooooneeee]

And those regulations need to be enforced, with prejudice.

[@hybridShinx]

Ppl back then are pricks, full of ego and zero standards

[@whatsthekeytothekeykat]

This event was what began the regulations of having all building plans to be approved by an engineer before and while being built, a trend that thankfully spread across the U.S.

[@TheAsianOfChaos]

There is definitely a spectrum. Standards for shit like this? Absolutely… standards for a storage shed and requiring permits for them? Naw fuck that

[@JBM113]

The heating unit that kept the molasses extremely hot for ease of flow when using it. In an effort to rush rum production, unnecessary pressure was applied to the heating unit causing it to explode, sending a 40 ft(as shown on the monument on commercial st) wave through the city killing 21 people(eight were found somewhat cooked for an idea of how hot the fluid really was. To know more visit the hospital close by to see the pics). Oh and lots of animals were definitely killed in the making of this historical moment. Funny thing is, for a moment the explosion was blamed on an Italian anarchist group known for being the worst bombers in the history of blowing things up(but somehow managed to blow themselves up easily). The outside temp of 48° is also said to have been a contributing factor in the wave reaching almost as far as Scollay Square(now Government center) The smell was definitely real until around the time the Big Dig started. I was born less than 3 miles away from the site. Bonus: there is a hidden monument for the wave somewhere very close to an area I mentioned.

[@noahmccann4438]

While this event has been talked about other times on KZbin (I mean, what hasn’t?), I found this particular video to be an engaging and descriptive retelling of the event, and I learned some new things. I’m quite enjoying this recent video series and hope to see it get the attention it deserves.

[@vatronem4182]

The Boston Malassacre

[@LauraMorby]

This deserves way more views. Watched this on my trip to Boston, & I loved every minute of this deep dive.

[@TheRadioAteMyTV]

Wow, you said deep dive on a video that is about people drowning in molasses. SMH.

[@amyhull754]

This was FASCINATING. I didn't know that molasses was a non-Newtonian liquid...nor that there were multiple types of non-Newtonian liquids! Thank you for the clear, easy-to-follow explanation, graphics, physics, and math. This was really cool. (I already knew about the Great Molasses Flood, but not much of the science behind it!)

[@TheRadioAteMyTV]

Honey when stirred will increase resistance (non-Newtonian reaction) but mayonnaise or ketchup will thin when stirred (non-Newtonian reaction). So you can see both extremes with a honey sample and a mayonnaise sample, both returning to their original viscosity when no longer being stirred.

[@floydthompson8668]

This is absolutely the best docu I've ever seen on the molasses spill! SUPER JOB!!!

[@TheRadioAteMyTV]

Certainly the most science filled one.

[@nsxdeluxe1740]

Amazing video and thank you for using the metric system

[@jillianholland300]

Wish you had published this vid like 6 months ago when I had an engineering project on this topic lol! Another interesting detail is that the overseer of the tank who was charged for the damage wasn’t even a qualified engineer/tank technician!

[@TheRadioAteMyTV]

If it really was a terrorist attack by the anarchists (who did kill the president and lots of other world leaders and many other terrorist attacks in that era), then that wouldn't have made a bit of difference. One of the reasons the trial went to record lengths was the debate over the anarchist attack being valid. In the end they blamed the company but you can tell by the length of the trial it was not a sure thing what caused it.

[@suchomimustenerensis]

Imagine losing you life to a 25 foot tall wave of thicc wannabe maple syrup.

[@hybridShinx]

Bet the writings on the tombstone would be hillarious

[@suchomimustenerensis]

@@hybridShinx Here lies Bob Date ?_? Cause:25 foot tall Molasses flood

[@cavemanlovesmoke4394]

@@suchomimustenerensis *died a sweet death*

[@superdemon6051]

@@cavemanlovesmoke4394 right before I died I would lick some of it

[@Interstellar_UwU]

OMG I DIED--

[@Gojifan-gs6zp]

I was reading one of the “I survived” books cause I was bored and I found this kind of “I survived” book! After I read the book did some research and found this, thanks for the facts!

[@TheRadioAteMyTV]

I wonder if they will do an I survived book on the Pennsylvania chocolate factory that blew up last week? I am sure there are hundreds already in print about school shootings now too.

[@amrimonroe429]

I heard about this on Tiktok and needed to know more. Thank you all questions I had where answered. Very informative video 😊

[@TheRadioAteMyTV]

OMG, something intelligent on TikTok? Oh wait, you said you needed to learn more. Still, first I ever heard of that happening on TikTok, unless it was a Molasses Swimming Challenge or something normal there.

[@DeAnnaParisRN]

I heard it described as a “mollassacre” a couple of days ago on a tour in Boston

[@shmoneyG7]

Lol that’s a good way of saying it

[@FruityGroovy]

Another factor to the what could have caused the tank to explode is that the molasses they put into the tank was heated up to make it easier to transfer. That top layer of hot molasses, combined with the cold molasses that was in the tank during the winter, caused a sort of fermentation process to happen, building up more pressure in the tank.

[@karlam323]

So I've been catching up on my pods today at work and natural disaster pod talked about this. Curious and on break. This great video popped up. Thank youuu

[@jgoshert]

I really enjoy your video series. Interesting and deep, while being fun and well produced.

[@MikeBMW]

Best video on this event (after watching many). Thanks! :)

[@moaazissa9343]

This is what is called sweet disaster.

[@ddivincenzo1]

My paternal granddad worked on the docks in Charlestown and stated that on hot days, one could smell the molasses coming up from the cement and bricks for years.

[@babytexan3038]

Very well done video. Thanks!

[@Mykasan]

I love to hear more about this story. It's so interesting

[@user-vn7ce5ig1z]

The History Guy did a video on it last week: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5WzpqefYrh_a9E

[@karennagel-edwards6572]

There is this book (Dark Tide) as well - I read it for a book group a couple of years ago: www.amazon.com/dp/B004477UGC/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

[@acatonceattackedmeandscrat6302]

Yeah i really like Boston history

[@superdemon6051]

Nice I have the i survived the molasses flood book

[@aliaaragab1581]

Awesome work ❤️, it's the best and simplist video I've watched talking about the great molasses flood

[@TheRadioAteMyTV]

If you thought this video was simple, dang, you got more brains than that tank had molasses!

[@A-X-1621]

Rip to the victims who were lost in the sauce.

[@Adam_mohammed_]

So amazing ❤ thanks

[@Meckmester]

A ton has always been 1000 kg, making the 826.000 kg = 826 ton not a little over 910 ton. Have I missed something?

[@epzilon7034]

Yeah a ton is a thousand kilos.

[@muneebsaeed2069]

i love the new presentation style, nat geo (the fun parts) vibes

[@reetachauhan613]

Very insightful.

[@foko3036]

Great video.

[@jesus85ize]

Lore? well I live in the back bay of Boston and on hot sticky days humid days you can smell coffee or what it smells like is like cappuccino or a coffee like substance. You will probably if you are new to the area brush it off as a coffee shop smell, but you will smell it everywhere even an alleyways, etc. where it would almost seem that every corner has a coffee shop that’s brewing. but the next day if it’s rainy or a little cooler out, you don’t smell anything. The smell comes when it’s very hot out and what people believe is that the molasses sunk into little nooks and crannies within the city which were unable to be cleaned out and dried into the cement and or wood, and became part of the infrastructure almost. Due to multiple construction in the city, the smell has become faint, and faint over the years and decades, but up until this day, even last year, the summer of 2023, you could smell it even more. With a construction of a neighborhood where they knock down a building in this area, and built a new one you could actually smell it even stronger when they removed the basement to pour a new one. The basement was over 250 years old, and there are some structures within the city that you cannot touch that are part of the historic society that have been there since the early 1600s. Cannot remove these buildings. You could only refurbish them therefore that nooks and crannies of these buildings have that molasses that seep in, this you can definitely smell it but it’s like I said, only during very humid days. Not so much hot but hot and sticky days. Just the other day it smelt a little bit like a coffee shop throughout the area like how your kitchen would smell after you poured a Keurig cup. It was more stronger. It seems back in the day, and is becoming more faint as time goes by due to the changes in the area, but the historic areas, which are more or less untouched you could still smell.

[@christaylor1058]

I worked in the North End for 5 years. I walked during lunch during those five years during the hottest days of summer. I'd sit in the North End Playground were the memorial plaque is. I have never smelled anything like that.

[@kuma9239]

Amazing production quality. Congratulations!

[@TheRadioAteMyTV]

It's PBS, they have your tax dollars to make it.

[@kuma9239]

@@TheRadioAteMyTV I'm not even american.

[@MelbourneMobileDetailing]

What a way to go... A sweet sweet ride one would think

[@johnjohn-cs9eu]

Love the models HATE CGI

[@troybrown6264]

A few days ago I watched The History Guy's presentation of this event.

[@christaylor1058]

His was a good one, not as technical as this one (which I liked.)

[@RealityContradiction]

How did only 21 people die ?? Thats amazing

[@PCBSLC]

So great to see Dr Dainis on Reactions! I've enjoyed being subscribed to both for a while now. Excited to watch this series!

[@og2tone236]

Love it please keep it up

[@esteb6544]

Great series!

[@MEGABUMSTENCH]

THE MOLASSES ACCELERATES

[@luftwaffle3766]

bukakke themed slip and slide

[@pebui]

Science and history is a good combo.

[@Iamrightyouarewrong]

It was an abnormally warm day, and the valve that was to let off the build up of excess alcohol, was closed. It popped, flowed like water and stopped like cement. Almost like a pyroclastic flow with-out the burn.

[@BlackWolf42-]

wut? Are you saying there was alcohol in that massive tank? Why would there be alcohol in the tank? Typically the molasses was removed in small batches to another location where it was diluted with water and left to ferment.

[@Iamrightyouarewrong]

@@BlackWolf42- their was in that tank, which is accounted for now, unintended alcohol vapors that occurred from natural bacteria in molasses, they installed a valve on top of the tank too open in the summer cause the heat would exacerbate fermentation, on this day being in winter the valve normally closed, was a warmer day than usual. The amount, condition of storage AND the condition of the environment of that day all lead to the disaster.

[@BlackWolf42-]

@@Iamrightyouarewrong Makes sense. I appreciate the clarification.

[@Iamrightyouarewrong]

@@BlackWolf42- there was an account that when it was "topped off" it "RUMBLED" that was in the morning, a better way to put it would "the amount, storage and temperature of the molasses was an impending disaster that was, in retrospect, avoidable"

[@TheRadioAteMyTV]

Did you miss that there was a five year trial where the debate was about an anarchist attack? They never really could prove or disprove whether the cause was an attack or natural reaction, that's one of the reason the trial took so long. Anarchists were killing presidents and world leaders and doing terrorist actions all over the world then. It was not a sure thing why it blew up. The judge finally blamed the company but not without years of debate. President McKinley learned all about them too.

[@dimitrifayolle896]

Metric kilograms and Imperial tons? Fuck yeah!

[@xBris]

The "untold" great molasses flood that hundreds of youtubers have made quite popular videos about. Thanks ACS ;)

[@user-vn7ce5ig1z]

Including The History Guy just last week.

[@alejotassile6441]

Feet? Miles per hour? Fine. Keep your secrets

[@corettaha7855]

It seems redundant to say the tank was too weak to hold the load since it obviously wasn’t strong enough to.

[@Vexarax]

The company (as a defence during the trial) actually claimed the tank was blown up by anarchists who dropped explosives through the top. Factories (owned by the same company) had been targeted by anarchists using explosives and similar techniques, hence why they used it as a defence. The same tank had held that much molasses up to 7 times prior without rupturing. However the temperature had been 2 degrees two days prior, and was 40 degrees on the day it ruptured. So it could have been something to do with the rapidly changing temperature putting pressure on the already very weak structure (as the molasses changes in consistency), and also the trial took fermentation into account as old molasses was being added on top of new molasses (something like that anyway) - also the new molasses was warmer than the old molasses sitting in the bottom which could have affected it. But the only reason the defence of explosives having been used failed is because they couldn't prove it as no one had _seen_ someone slipping explosives in, so they couldn't prove it happened!

[@katiehall2151]

Who else first heard of this in A Head Full of Ghosts?

[@johnjohn-cs9eu]

THE PERPETRATOR EMPTIED A BUCKET OF YEAST INTO THE TANK simples

[@bluenomadbruh]

This is as dark as it is brilliant for those who get it.

[@selachian]

Oh my God, can you please just use metric tons? 826000 kg is 826 tons, nothing else.

[@ooooneeee]

Molasses is more than just water, sugar and amino acids. Or also contains B Vitamins and minerals, which is why it's good food for the yeast. And more nutritious than refined white sugar.

[@asd36f]

Interesting times in Boston in 1919 - a molasses flood and a police strike :-)

[@jaykay030]

Cause of death: Molasses Not again!

[@melody3741]

I thought viscosity behaved differently at different scales

[@TheRadioAteMyTV]

I just watched a bunch of videos about the flood. This one is not like the others.

[@sooooooooDark]

i got condom ad b4 this 😳

[@jimmyjames_yt]

Weirdo

[@MsTinkerbelle87]

The science part my brain is like:🧐🦗🦗

[@RISHIKUMAR-mc8sf]

Amazing 😮🤗🤗

[@penguinYT1]

There is actually a filk song memorializing this event.

[@maxmusterman3371]

y no integral

[@frankgraham1996]

This was a sticky situation for Boston. At least they can't blame this on Babe Ruth.

[@nucspartan321]

Great story

[@bluskysz]

Wait so slow syrup flooded a city?

[@arandomperson5434]

Well it was hot molasses. Hot molasses has the consistency of running water, not to mention it ripped a man’s arm off as it cooled down due to it returning to a very thick state

[@joemamma9642]

i never thought this was even real.

[@frankgraham1996]

The " Bloob" really happened.

[@invertedpolarity6890]

History guy beat you to it already.

[@jsEMCsquared]

MMMMMM, Ethanol... i dont have an alcohol problem after all!

[@princecharmonpoirtoi]

who cares if you cannot get a date, you know your molasses science!

[@johnjohn-cs9eu]

What is concerning is booze companies can mix flavors with synthetic alcohol they don't need molasses

[@maytang9792]

well they can do that now but not back then

[@Grandcathedral]

Not in the 1900s...

[@stadtrandkollektiv7498]

Celsius 💖

[@skeasy5437]

It is now the 103rd year, ladies and gentlemen!

[@theoldar]

Those poor Design Preservation Models buildings.

[@nathanverian6631]

Who is here for a school assignment

[@lindanorris2455]

DUH...THE TRAINGLE TRADE.

[@peteytwofinger]

this gal is really smart , i am such a big dummy .

[@mirandamirae]

was it ever proved to be intentional?

[@zorvlatch]

Just imagine like the big gas tank, am I right?

[@Tsunami-dragons]

0:24 U didn't that it was a tsunami

[@ThiagoAndrade322]

Use metric system, please

[@rachelh5211]

Why? This took place in the US and the program is based in the US. So it makes sense for them to use US measurements....

[@ThiagoAndrade322]

@@rachelh5211 using your mentality the pray in Catolic Church must been spoken in latim.

[@anirbasnoel649]

I survived brought me here.

[@DansilSchroeder]

I'll go ahead and answer the first question before the video progresses: wanna know why? Rum :T

[@levelUpmarketing0]

Thanks 🙏 to your KZbin channel 🔥🔥 I’m done ✅ complaining 😭 and have decided 🤸🏽‍♂️ to start a KZbin channel

[@ngracc]

sthu

[@kiahdaviega3932]

i definetly came here because I'm a physics junkie

[@vickieclick6116]

This is very educational. I love this video!

[@scotthayes4135]

Molasses is used in cookies.

[@hsavietto]

Can we have a version translated to metric system?

[@ebiii3106]

Cool video but didn’t want to go back to math class

[@SurBean]

Maybe you should’ve stayed to figure out that, that was science and not math

[@ispeakforthebeans]

I just don't tend to expect such click-baity thumbnails from Reactions

[@NATHANgnm]

Celsius.... does math in american

[@EM.1]

Chemistry and physics science always use the International Measurement System for temperature it’s Kelvin, but it’s widely used Celsius because it’s more known and easy to convert with Fahrenheit

[@bluenomadbruh]

@@EM.1 it is way easier to convert Celsius to Kelvin or vice versa, than covert them to F or viceversa.

[@EM.1]

@@bluenomadbruh i completely agree with you!!! Sadly in school it’s still widely used F as temperature indicator, so you learn it in F and then because He, Cu, N, Au, CO, H2O2 and bigger and more complex compound have the same properties everywhere in the planet, people use International Measurements System (I mean IMS it’s exactly meant to be used everywhere as standardized way to express a data) but everyone that have middle school or high school knowledge of chemistry due to learning them in the USA can’t understand even the most basic informations regarding science in general, because there’s the conversion problem due to knowing only F grades that aren’t used unless in USA. First thing I had done when I was a 5th grader was to make conversions exercises in order to be able to remember K and C for everything that was taught using F, I got reprimanded many times by the teachers because I ignored F and automatically written the results, the relation of the experiment, the reactions etc… or just the temperature/timeline in K or in C, IMS exist for a specific reason and I stick to the IMS indications.

[@bluenomadbruh]

@@EM.1 it is so sad because it is practically just one country that uses it. ONE! I can't believe they would reprimand you for that. You were not wrong.

[@EM.1]

@@bluenomadbruh thank you for your support. I really appreciate it, most of the people don’t understand that it’s only us Americans that use F grades and want that everyone transforms the K or C grades in F. Chemistry and science in general, must be taught using the most used and widely known measurement units based on a worldwide perspective, even more if the world has adopted a universal system standardized to help people from different parts of the world to understand each other: International Measurement System. But yes sadly I got used to be constantly reprimanded because of using C or K grades and not F grades that are used only in USA.

[@jesielt]

Cockroaches paradise

[@Andy_Babb]

You can still smell molasses on a hot, hot and humid day. True story.

[@AlyssandriaMessina]

clickbait

[@mr.martins3737]

this girl is the definition of mangia cake

[@8skin]

Just learned that air is apparently a fluid lol?

[@arandomperson5434]

Air is gaseous. Gas is a fluid, because it doesn’t have a fixed shape like solids

[@hybridShinx]

Me: hey, this tank needs serious help ! Molass company: ok we will paint it in a dark colour, happy ? Me: i take it back, yous are going straight to hell

[@Vexarax]

Haha! One of the workers actually kept trying to speak out about the state of the tank and was told if he didn't shut up he'd get fired. He was having premonitions of it rupturing and would get up every night at midnight to sneak over and release molasses through the valve into the harbour, hoping to relieve the pressure. His wife thought he was having an affair. But anyway, 4 months before the explosion he quit due to stress and joined the army :o He tried really hard for ages to prevent it from happening though :c

[@hybridShinx]

@@Vexarax hope he survived the war lol

[@Vexarax]

@@hybridShinx - haha, he did actually! He gave an extremely detailed testimony during the trial :)

[@hybridShinx]

@@Vexarax must have got one hell of a luck there, even if he's no longer here, hope his grandkids would have such luck in the future

[@Vexarax]

@@hybridShinx - even the judge in the case was an experienced military man! He served in some kind of special military division in WW1 as a general or something (I really should know more, but that's the gist of it. I'm doing extensive research currently as I eventually want to make my own video about this but going into more detail about the disaster itself and the people involved as opposed to the physics of the actual flood). Many people who survived had a lot of luck I think!!! But on the flip-side, one firefighter survived four hours keeping his head above the molasses but in the last few minutes as he was being rescued he couldn't hold his head up any longer and drowned :c and lots of horses had to be shot because they were suffering so badly from injuries due to all the debris carried in the wave (that's what caused the most damage to bodies, all the metal and jagged wood and things that were picked up in the flood). So not everyone was so lucky sadly :c