Did you know that today is the 50th anniversary of the Great Exploding Whale of Florence, Oregon?
I don’t know how one celebrates this anniversary, though. Dynamiting road kill, maybe? Showering in rotting flesh?
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
There was a story Spike Milligan used to tell about some army engineers removing a stump with high explosives: “think we have enough? Better add another stick.” I imagine that’s how they sized the charge for the whale.
Perhaps—and bear with me here—by conspicuously and ostentatiously not blowing up the rotting corpse of a beached whale.
We have a serious beached whale shortage here in Minnesota.
maybe we can implode an unicellular life form ?
Didn’t realise it took place in 1970.Why didn’t they just drag it out to sea ?
I thought whales were quite capable of exploding by themselves. Taiwan, 2004,
I am trying to think of something funny to say about this, but can’t. Probably because blowing up a whale with 40 some odd boxes of dynamite is just so stupid on every level. The damage to the car shown indicates that the impact would probably have killed a person.
I first heard about this around 1980, and it was a recurring story, even then. Without video, people would think this was an urban legend like the JATO car.
As sometimes happens, there’s nothing funnier than telling the truth.
I saw that today and nearly pissed myself, especially when the reporter deadpanned that maybe next time authorities will at least remember what not to do.
One way to celebrate would be to blow up the beached whale in the White House…
It’s really the penultimate Guy thing. Most guy kids have an irresistible urge to explode things. Many men I know have a cherry bomb, M-80, or homemade gunpowder story, enhanced by age, in their past. When I was a kid, they had “chemistry sets.” They always had sulfur, potassium nitrate, and powdered charcoal among other less familiar chemicals. What the hell else do you think you were going to make?
Some guys never outgrow it.
“Hey, Guys, watch this!”
Blowing up a beached whale is so 2020.
“Did you know that today is the 50th anniversary of the Great Exploding Whale of Florence, Oregon?”
Yes! Yes, I did. I can honestly say I did!
If you happen to be in Florence, OR you can now visit a park commemorating this event.
https://www.oregonlive.com/resizer/MJrujEyPPMuBD9NXOqakzMK7N7I=/700×0/smart/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/advancelocal/POMQGLZ2QVEPVJG6Y2IWHJJZYM.jpeg
https://www.oregonlive.com/travel/2020/06/now-you-can-visit-exploding-whale-memorial-park-on-the-oregon-coast.html
I remember that when I first read it on the Internet 50 years ago.
Well, it was a long time ago.
PZ, can you (or do you want to) allow replies to comments (like on WAPO, etc.)? I often want to remark on another poster’s comments, and since you have a relatively small (and intelligent, and similarly minded) following (forgetting the trolls, which you take care of), I think something that opens up more of a “dialogue” or shared commentary would not be a bad thing.
@ABN #15
We usually do it like this around here. It’s a bit old fashioned but it works well with the generally polite discourse we have here.
davidc1 @5: IIRC, the concern with attempting to tow the carcass was that it might break up and wash back up to the beach. Though mostly the issue was that due to Oregon beaches being public right of ways, jurisdiction for removing it fell to the Oregon Department of Transportation.
As for how to celebrate? Well, a Florence brewery just debuted their latest brew: Exploding Whale Ale.
Well, one could commemorate it with a forest fir3e tanker fleet, spraying piknk slime, aka, bone pressed meat.
Given an accurate choice and masturbating with a cheese grater, enough said.
Still, it was hilarious and predictable.
@17 Thanks for the reply .As for the beer ,i bet it’s got plenty of body .lol.
Some years back I was walking in a Race for the Cure alongside Paul Lindman, the young reporter who covered the story. He had a long career on local tv and was now doing speaking engagements at business functions. He used the exploding whale incident to frame talks about planning. People here always associate him with this incident.