The Day a Cargo Ship Nuked a City

A cargo ship fire triggered the largest explosion before the atomic bomb. 2,000 dead. Halifax destroyed. This true story reshaped disaster response—and it all started with a spark on the water.—and you’ve probably never heard of it.
On December 6, 1917, the SS Mont-Blanc collided with another ship in Halifax Harbor. Twenty minutes later, it exploded—flattening neighborhoods, killing 2,000, and rewriting the rules of disaster response. Here's how a small accident changed the world forever.

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🔁 Related episode: “London Ablaze: Tragedy, Blame, and Rebirth in 1666” – https://youtu.be/zB4575siib0

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⏱️ Timestamps
0:00 – A Quiet Morning in Halifax
1:08 – Two Ships, One Dangerous Secret
3:24 – Miscommunication and the Collision
5:02 – The Fire Everyone Watched
6:37 – The Explosion That Flattened a City
9:20 – Relief, Response, and a Boston Christmas Tree
11:22 – The Takeaway: Small Sparks, Big Consequences
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🔗 References
• CBC Archive Overview: https://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/the-halifax-explosion
• Canadian War Museum: https://www.warmuseum.ca/firstworldwar/history/life-at-home-during-the-war/the-halifax-explosion
• Britannica Entry: https://www.britannica.com/event/Halifax-explosion
• Anchor Distance Map: https://www.novascotiahistory.ca/halifax-explosion-artifacts-map
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Media Credits: Images and video via Wikimedia and Picryl as noted in video, images also obtained through iStock and Getty. And representative AI generated scenes as noted. Music via YouTube Music Library (Yacoby, Wind-Up Mountains, and Never Don’t Stop by Schwartzy)

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