circa 1800: A giant whale hauled onto the beach by fishermen. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
What happened when a 45-foot, 8-ton sperm whale washed up dead on an Oregon beach in November of 1970? Authorities blew it up.
It's what is widely considered the first "viral" news story: dead whale washes up on beach, stinks to high heaven, someone decides blowing it to pieces will make the carcass more manageable to dispose of, wacky hijinks ensue. KATU-TV has the remastered video and a bit of oral history about the incident to mark the 50th anniversary. You can watch the original clip below.
adam12Writer
Adam 12 is the Program Director of Boston's ROCK 92.9, heard weekdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. He's been flexing his encyclopedic rock knowledge in New England for over 2 decades, both on-air and online, at WBCN, WFNX, Boston.com, and indie617. At ROCK 92.9, he keeps you in the know on the big stories from the Boston music scene and writes about great places to eat, drink (beer), and to spend time outdoors in and around Boston.
