Long before memes and viral videos dominated our screens, an absurd incident involving a whale, dynamite, and a lot of blubber captured the imagination of an entire generation.

On November 12, 1970, an Oregon highway engineer named George Thornton faced an unusual problem: a massive 45-foot sperm whale had washed up near Florence, decomposing and creating an unbearable stench. With limited options for disposal, Thornton made a decision that would become legendary - he decided to use half a ton of dynamite to “solve” the problem.

The plan was bizarrely simple: blow the whale into small pieces that seagulls and crabs could consume. Approximately 75 spectators and news reporters gathered a quarter-mile away, anticipating what would become an epic mishap. When the dynamite detonated, things went spectacularly wrong.

Instead of disintegrating neatly, massive chunks of whale blubber rained down on the surrounding area. One particularly large piece smashed the roof of a nearby car. The television reporter Paul Linnman captured the chaotic scene, describing how “the humor of the entire situation suddenly gave way to a run for survival”.

What makes this story truly remarkable is how it became an early internet phenomenon. Decades after the incident, humor writer Dave Barry wrote about the exploding whale, and someone posted the story on an early internet bulletin board. Suddenly, people were calling the highway department, outraged about an event that had happened years earlier.

George Thornton, the engineer behind this infamous moment, remained reluctant to discuss the incident for years. In a darkly humorous moment, he once remarked that every time he talked about it, “it blew up in my face”. He passed away in 2013, just days before the event’s anniversary.

Today, the “Exploding Whale” remains a testament to an era of problem-solving that prioritized dramatic solutions over careful planning. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the most unbelievable stories are the true ones.