Black Tom Island is in New York harbor. In 1916, it was one of the largest munitions depots in America. On the night of July 30 a massive explosion destroyed the facility leaving a 375’ by 175’ crater. The explosion broke windows 25 miles away and popped rivets in the arm of the Statue of Liberty. No tourist has been allowed up to the torch since then. $2 million in ammunition was destroyed and an estimated half a billion in property damage was done. Surprisingly, only five deaths were confirmed. At first, the explosion was falsely blamed on workers using a smudge pot to combat mosquitoes. A spark could have caused the explosion. But soon, blame was laid on German saboteurs. The munitions would have been an obvious target because although the U.S. was neutral, the munitions were being sold to Germany’s enemies. Similar to the sinking of the Lusitania, the explosion backfired on the Germans as it inflamed opinion against Germany.
https://historycollection.co/20-historic-events-even-the-movies-wont-touch/13/
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