A cargo ship fire in Halifax harbour caused the largest human-made explosion of its time in 1917

historyWikipedia1917 · Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

A cargo ship fire in Halifax harbour caused the largest human-made explosion of its time in 1917

the gist

On the morning of 6 December 1917, the French cargo ship Mont-Blanc, loaded with high explosives, collided at low speed with the Norwegian ship Imo in Halifax harbour, Nova Scotia. The impact damaged barrels of benzol on deck, which leaked vapour that caught fire from sparks. About twenty minutes later, at 9:04 am, Mont-Blanc exploded. The blast flattened nearly everything within roughly 800 metres, including the Richmond district, and a tsunami followed. At least 1,782 people were killed and around 9,000 injured. Rescue trains arrived from across the region, and temporary shelters were built for the thousands left homeless. The explosion was the largest human-made blast of its era, and its cause was later disputed by inquiries.

so what

The Halifax Explosion shows how a minor collision in a busy port can turn catastrophic when dangerous cargo is involved. It remains a major chapter in Canadian history and changed how port safety was considered.

fun fact

The explosion's tsunami wiped out a Mi'kmaq community that had lived in the Tufts Cove area for generations.

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗