Why People Went Blind In 1917. 🪟💀

Added: 2026-05-23

In 1917, the Halifax Explosion occurred when two cargo ships collided in Halifax Harbor, with one secretly carrying 3,000 tons of military explosives. The explosion created a silent wall of pressure that traveled faster than sound, arriving before the visible flash and noise. This pressure wave turned thousands of glass panes into supersonic shrapnel, blinding an entire city in a fraction of a second. The lesson demonstrates that light travels faster than sound, and that explosive pressure waves can cause catastrophic damage even before the explosion's visual and auditory effects become apparent.