What happened at the Halifax explosion?

The Halifax Explosion occurred on December 6, 1917, when the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship laden with explosives, caught fire and detonated in the harbor of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The explosion was one of the largest man-made detonations prior to the atomic bomb, resulting in widespread destruction, killing approximately 2,000 people, and injuring around 9,000 others. The blast leveled the city’s northern end, obliterating buildings and causing a tsunami that flooded the surrounding area. In the aftermath, the disaster prompted a significant humanitarian response and led to changes in safety regulations for handling explosives.