Record-Breaking PR Stunt Ends in Citywide Chaos

Great Molasses Flood of 1919

On January 15, 1919, a "sweet, sticky death" poured from a burst storage tank in Boston. A tide of molasses 40 feet high and 160 feet wide washed through the streets at 35 miles per hour. The molasses solidified due to the cold winter temperatures, destroying anything in its path.

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The More You Know

  • Portland was named by a coin flip. Had the coin landed the other way, the city would be known as Boston, Oregon.
  • The world's largest Barbie collection includes more than 15,000 dolls.
  • Coca-Cola once bought all the website URLs that can be read as ahh, all the way up to 62 h’s.
  • Beavers have transparent eyelids so they can see underwater.
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