December 6, 1917: The Halifax Explosion

On December 6, 1917, in Halifax Harbour, a Norwegian ship collided with a French ship that was loaded with explosives. The blast killed approximately 2000 people, and about 9000 were injured. The entire Richmond area of Halifax was flattened. Most of Halifax was destroyed. A tsunami created wiped out a MikMaq First Nation settlement that lived in a nearby cove. To top it off a nasty snowstorm started the next day. At the time the Halifax explosion was the largest man-made explosion ever.

  1. Write about your experiences with fireworks – Halloween, Canada Day, etc.
  2. Our everyday life has dangers we don’t always think about – stoves, knives, electricity, traffic, skateboards, campfires, etc. Write about experiences you have had with things that were dangerous.
  3. An explosion occurs when there is too much pressure in too small of a space. Write about times when you felt “explosive”.
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