The Great Halifax Explosion

Author: John U. Bacon
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 006266655X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 362

Book Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER The "riveting" (National Post) tick-tock account of the largest manmade explosion in history prior to the atomic bomb, and the equally astonishing tales of survival and heroism that emerged from the ashes “Enthralling. ... Gripping. ... A captivating and emotionally investing journey.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette After steaming out of New York City on December 1, 1917, laden with a staggering three thousand tons of TNT and other explosives, the munitions ship Mont-Blanc fought its way up the Atlantic coast, through waters prowled by enemy U-boats. As it approached the lively port city of Halifax, Mont-Blanc's deadly cargo erupted with the force of 2.9 kilotons of TNT—the most powerful explosion ever visited on a human population, save for HIroshima and Nagasaki. Mont-Blanc was vaporized in one fifteenth of a second; a shockwave leveled the surrounding city. Next came a thirty-five-foot tsunami. Most astounding of all, however, were the incredible tales of survival and heroism that soon emerged from the rubble. This is the unforgettable story told in John U. Bacon's The Great Halifax Explosion: a ticktock account of fateful decisions that led to doom, the human faces of the blast's 11,000 casualties, and the equally moving individual stories of those who lived and selflessly threw themselves into urgent rescue work that saved thousands. The shocking scale of the disaster stunned the world, dominating global headlines even amid the calamity of the First World War. Hours after the blast, Boston sent trains and ships filled with doctors, medicine, and money. The explosion would revolutionize pediatric medicine; transform U.S.-Canadian relations; and provide physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who studied the Halifax explosion closely when developing the atomic bomb, with history's only real-world case study demonstrating the lethal power of a weapon of mass destruction. Mesmerizing and inspiring, Bacon's deeply-researched narrative brings to life the tragedy, bravery, and surprising afterlife of one of the most dramatic events of modern times.

Blizzard of Glass

Author: Sally M. Walker
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company (BYR)
ISBN: 1466805102
Category : Young Adult Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 161

Book Description
On December 6, 1917, two ships collided in Halifax Harbour. One ship was loaded top to bottom with munitions and one held relief supplies, both intended for wartorn Europe. The resulting blast flattened two towns, Halifax and Dartmouth, and killed nearly 2,000 people. As if that wasn't devastating enough, a blizzard hit the next day, dumping more than a foot of snow on the area and paralyzing much-needed relief efforts. Fascinating, edge-of-your-seat storytelling based on original source material conveys this harrowing account of tragedy and recovery. This thoroughly-researched and documented book can be worked into multiple aspects of the common core curriculum.

The Halifax Explosion

Author: Ken Cuthbertson
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 1443450278
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 312

Book Description
On December 6, 1917, the French munitions ship Mont Blanc and the Norwegian war-relief vessel Imo collided in the harbour at Halifax, Nova Scotia. That accident sparked a fire and an apocalyptic explosion that was the largest man-made blast prior to the 1945 dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Together with the killer tsunami that followed, the explosion devastated the entire city in the wink of an eye and instantly killed more than two thousand people. While much has been written about the disaster, there is still more to the story, including the investigation of the key figures involved, the histories of the ships that collided and the confluence of circumstances that brought these two vessels together to touch off one of the most tragic man-made disasters of the twentieth century. The Halifax Explosion is a fresh, revealing account that finally answers questions that have lingered for a century: Was the explosion a disaster triggered by simple human error? Was it caused by the negligence of the ships’ pilots or captains? Was it the result of shortcomings in harbour practices and protocols? Or was the blast—as many people at the time insisted—the result of sabotage carried out by wartime German agents? December 6, 2017, marks the centennial of the great Halifax explosion. The Halifax Explosion tells the gripping, as-yet untold story of Canada’s worst disaster—a haunting tale of survival, incredible courage and, ultimately, the triumph of the human spirit.

Curse of the Narrows

Author: Laura M. Mac Donald
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 0802718396
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 370

Book Description
In 1917, the port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, was crowded with ships leaving for war-torn Europe. On December 6th, two of them-the Mont Blanc and the Imo-collided in the Narrows, a hard-to-navigate stretch of the harbor. Ablaze, and with explosions on her deck filling the sky, the Mont Blanc grounded against the city's docks. As thousands rushed to their windows and into the streets to watch, she exploded with such force that the 3,121 tons of her iron hull vaporized in a cloud that shot up more than 2,000 feet; the explosion was so unusual that Robert Oppenheimer would study its effects to predict the devastation of an atomic bomb. The blast caused a giant wave that swept over parts of the city, followed by a slick, black rain that fell for ten minutes. Much of the city was flattened, and not one in 12,000 buildings within a 16-mile radius left undamaged. More than 1,600 Haligonians were killed and 6,000 injured; and within twenty-four hours, a blizzard had isolated Halifax from the world. Set vividly against the background of World War I, Curse of the Narrows is the first major account of the world's largest pre-atomic explosion, the epic relief mission from Boston, and the riveting trial of the Mont Blanc's captain and pilot. Laura M. Mac Donald is as adept at describing the dynamics of a chain reaction explosion as she is at chronicling unforgettable human dramas of miraculous survival, unfathomable loss, and the medical breakthroughs in pediatrics and eye surgery that followed the disaster . Using primary sources--many of which haven't been read in decades and--with a wonderful feel for narrative history, Mac Donald chronicles one of the most compelling and dramatic events of the 20th century.

Shattered City

Author: Janet Kitz
Publisher: Nimbus+ORM
ISBN: 1551098202
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 294

Book Description
This chronicle of the 1917 Halifax Explosion presents a vivid account of the historic tragedy and the relief and rebuilding efforts that followed. On December 6th, 1917, the French cargo ship SS Mont-Blanc collided with the Norwegian vessel SS Imo in the Narrows that lead into Halifax Harbor. The Mont-Blanc was carrying a shipment of explosives from New York, ultimately bound for Bordeaux, France. A fire onboard ignited the cargo, causing a blast that obliterated everything within a half-mile radius. The Richmond district of Halifax was destroyed. A tsunami created by the blast washed the Imo ashore and wiped out a Mi’kmaq community. Shattered City is the most comprehensive book on the Halifax Explosion, detailing the event, the aftermath, and the restoration. It encompasses dozens of previously unpublished stories, photographs, and documents, along with some thought-provoking coverage of the inquiry into the disaster.

Explosion in Halifax Harbour

Author: David Flemming
Publisher: Formac Publishing Company
ISBN: 0887806325
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 99

Book Description
This book offers a definitive account of the Halifax explosion and its aftermath, and the most extensive collection of images - many in colour - available in print.

The Halifax Explosion and the Royal Canadian Navy

Author: John Griffith Armstrong
Publisher: UBC Press
ISBN: 9780774808910
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 260

Book Description
Tapping into dusty national archives, a retired career officer who taught history at the Royal Military College of Canada analyzes a landmark, yet little studied, event in Canadian history. Armstrong chronicles a classic case of government bungling and cover-up following the 1917 collision of two Allied warships in Halifax Harbor, which killed some 1,600 persons and razed much of the city. Includes maps and photographs. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The Blind Mechanic

Author: Marilyn Davidson Elliot
Publisher: Nimbus+ORM
ISBN: 1771086777
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 272

Book Description
A daughter’s inspiring biography of her father, who lost his sight in a massive maritime disaster—and went on to build a rewarding life and career. Eric Davidson was a beautiful, fair-haired toddler when the historic Halifax Explosion struck, devastating the Nova Scotia capital and killing almost two thousand people while seriously injuring thousands more. Eric lost both eyes—a tragedy that his mother never fully recovered from. Eric, however, was positive and energetic. He also developed a fascination with cars and how they worked—and he later decided, against all likelihood, to become a mechanic. Assisted by his brothers, who read to him from manuals, he worked hard, passed examinations, and carved out a decades-long career. This is the true story of his remarkable life and relentless determination, as told by his daughter.

Aftershock

Author: Janet Maybee
Publisher: Nimbus+ORM
ISBN: 177108345X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 235

Book Description
One of the greatest maritime disasters in history is reexamined in light of new evidence in this revealing chronicle of the 1917 Halifax explosion. On December 6, 1917, harbor pilot Francis Mackey was guiding the SS Mont Blanc, a French munitions ship, into Bedford Basin to join a convoy across the Atlantic when it was rammed by the Belgian Relief vessel SS Imo. The resulting massive explosion destroyed Halifax's north end and left at least two thousand people dead, including pilot William Hayes aboard Imo. The tragedy left the country in shock—and looking for someone to blame. Federal government and naval officials found in Pilot Mackey a convenient target for public anger. Charged with manslaughter, he was imprisoned, villainized in the press, and denied his pilot's license even after the charges were dropped. A century later he is still unfairly linked to the tragedy. Through interviews with Mackey's relatives, transcripts, letters, and newly exposed government documents, author Janet Maybee explores the circumstances leading up to the Halifax Explosion, the question of culpability, and the unjust, deliberate persecution that followed for Mackey and his family.

No Safe Harbour

Author: Julie Lawson
Publisher: Markham, Ont. : Scholastic Canada
ISBN: 9780439969307
Category : Halifax Explosion, Halifax, N.S., 1917
Languages : en
Pages : 249

Book Description
Charlotte struggles to find her twin brother after the rest of her family is killed in the tragic Halifax explosion. No Safe Harbour is set in the months before and after the December 6, 1917 Halifax explosion, which was the largest man-made blast in history until the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The explosion levelled most of the city and sent shards of glass and burning debris flying for miles. It left thousands dead, blinded or homeless. Suddenly orphaned, Charlotte turns to her diary to help her cope with the events that killed her entire family -- leaving her older brother, still fighting in the trenches of WWI, as her only surviving relative. This is an affecting story of loss and recovery, powerfully told by award-winning author Julie Lawson.