Today In History:  04 October  [1918]   --  An accidental explosion kills more than 100 people in New Jersey.

An explosion kills more than 100 people and destroys a Shell Loading Plant in New Jersey.

The T. A. Gillespie Company Shell Loading Plant explosion, began at 7:36 pm EDT on Friday, October 4, 1918, at an ammunition plant. The initial explosion, generally believed to be accidental, triggered a fire and subsequent series of explosions that continued for three days, totaling approximately six kilotons, killing about 100 people and injuring hundreds more. The facility, one of the largest in the world at the time, was destroyed along with more than 300 surrounding buildings. Over a century later, explosive debris continues to surface regularly across a 1.2-mile (1.9 km) radius.

PHOTO: Man standing in a large crater from the explosion of 1 million pounds (0.5 kiloton) of stored ammonium nitrate.

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Photo Attribution:  Public Domain via Wikimedia.