Exploding whale: In 1970, a dead sperm whale washed ashore in Florence, Ore., offering beach-goers an oddity that quickly turned into a giant, smelly problem. Local authorities weren’t sure what to do with the carcass, finally settling on a plan to use dynamite to blast it into small pieces, making it edible for birds and crabs.
Officials buried a half ton of explosives under the whale, moved everyone back a quarter mile, and pushed down the plunger. The explosion rocked the beach and sent chunks of rotting whale flying onto the crowd of spectators. There were no major injuries, although a nearby car was smashed and most of the people watching were left covered in nasty whale bits.
