On this day, November 12, 1970, a whale blowed up real good on the Oregon coast.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Hat tip, Dennis Donovan

Thu Nov 12, 2020, 05:10 AM: 50 Years Ago Today; Dead whale removal goes horribly wrong in Oregon 🐳 💥

Additional hat tip, regnaD kciN

Thu Nov 12, 2020, 01:58 AM: November 12 -- Fifty years ago, the greatest moment EVER in television news...

Popehat Retweeted

#OTD in 1970, the Oregon Highway Division consulted with the U.S. Navy and decided the best way to dispose of a whale carcass was to blow it up with a 1/2 ton of dynamite. The explosion caused blubber to rain down on spectators for over a 1/4 of a mile. The TV segment is classic.

A five-foot chunk of the whale hit a new Oldsmobile that spectator Walter Umenhofer had bought at a dealer's "whale of a deal" promotion. Due to the physical damage and the smell that permeated the car, insurance covered the full retail value of the Olds.

Link to tweet

Sun Nov 13, 2022: On November 12, 1970, a whale blowed up real good on the Oregon coast.

[EYESORE 9001]

1. I moved to Portland several years later

and people were still talking about this. Presumably the topic of discussion became Mr. St. Helens erupting, but I missed that too, as it happened a year after I departed.

[2naSalit]

2. Would you...

Consider that good timing?

[EYESORE 9001]

3. Actually, I was disappointed that I missed the volcanic eruption

It was no picnic in Portland, so I heard, and it was best that I missed it.