image creditThe Boston Molasses Disaster occurred on January 15, 1919, in the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts in the USA. A five-story-high metal molasses storage tank burst, and a wave of molasses rushed through the streets at an estimated 35 mph (56 km/h), killing 21 and injuring 150.
The thick syrup crushed freight cars, tore Engine 31 firehouse from its foundation and, when it reached an elevated railway on Atlantic Avenue, nearly lifted a train right off the tracks.
Fluid dynamics explains why it was even more devastating than a typical tsunami.
