5. The 1919 Boston Molasses Flood
On January 15, 1919, people on the outskirt of Boston heard a dull roar, when 2.3 million gallons of thick, sticky molasses rushed into their neighborhood; sweeping away cars, horses, wagons, small buildings and unsuspecting pedestrians. The towering six story-tall tank filled with molasses exploded with such a force that a sheet of steel leveled a nearby fire station. Witnesses said that before the explosions, rivets of the tank shot out into the air in quick successions like machine guns. 21 people died and 150 injured in the accident. It took the rescue team four days to search for the victim through the thick syrup. Many of the dead were unidentifiable because they were completely glazed by the molasses. It took more than 6 months to clean up the mess.