/oss/taxonomy/term/4715/all en /oss/article/history-general-science/shocking-catastrophe-beirut <p>The Beirut explosion may be the worst ammonium nitrate disaster in history, but it is not the first such calamity. Let’s go back to the early morning of April 16, 1947 when spectators flooded to the docks in Texas City, Texas, drawn by the bright orange flames and the massive plume of black smoke that enveloped the S.S. Grandcamp, a French ship that had caught fire in the harbour. Then, as people marveled at the inferno, and quick-thinking vendors circulated with peanuts and other refreshments, there was a reverberating explosion.</p> Fri, 07 Aug 2020 16:40:11 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8358 at /oss