The Great Molasses Flood in Boston

In 1919, Boston experienced one of the strangest disasters in American history: a massive wave of molasses barreling through the streets of the North End. When a 50-foot-tall storage tank burst, over 2 million gallons of sticky syrup surged at 35 miles per hour, destroying buildings, flattening horses, and tragically killing 21 people.

Comedians Robert Bacon and Mike Kauffman dive into this bizarre catastrophe, exploring how a poorly constructed tank, negligence, and a community that underestimated sticky liquids led to one of history’s most absurd—and deadly—floods. From eyewitness accounts of people and animals trapped in syrup to the cleanup efforts that took weeks, this episode is equal parts tragedy and dark comedy.It’s a story of engineering failure, human error, and one of the most unexpectedly hilarious disasters you’ll ever hear about on Mistakes Were Made.

Keywords:
Great Molasses Flood podcast, Boston disasters history, Mistakes Were Made podcast, comedy history podcast, sticky disasters, 1919 Boston flood, weird history stories, engineering failures in history, historical accidents podcast, funny history podcast.