Post-Christmas Disaster: How 26 Million Pounds of Molasses Killed or Injured 170 in the Streets of Boston in 1919

Jan. 15, 1919, was an unusually warm day for the North End of Boston, Massachusetts. Workers were busy with many city residents outside to enjoy the weather.

That’s when disaster struck around 1:00 p.m. The City of Boston in their commemorative piece said a loud rumble sound was heard, but Bostonians thought it was an elevated train nearby; it wasn’t.

A 50-foot tall tank full of 2.3 million gallons of molasses was rushing toward them at 35 miles per hour. Purity Distilling Company built the tank only four years prior.