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The Resource The great Halifax explosion : a World War I story of treachery, tragedy, and extraordinary heroism, John U. Bacon

The great Halifax explosion : a World War I story of treachery, tragedy, and extraordinary heroism, John U. Bacon

Creator
Author
Summary
After steaming out of New York City on December 1, 1917, laden with a staggering three thousand tons of TNT and other explosives, the munitions ship Mont-Blanc fought its way up the Atlantic coast, through waters prowled by enemy U-boats. As it approached the lively port city of Halifax, Mont-Blanc's deadly cargo erupted with the force of 2.9 kilotons of TNT -- the most powerful explosion ever visited on a human population, save for Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Mont-Blanc was vaporized in one fifteenth of a second; a shockwave leveled the surrounding city. Next came a thirty-five-foot tsunami. Most astounding of all, however, were the incredible tales of survival and heroism that soon emerged from the rubble. This is the unforgettable story told in John U. Bacon's The Great Halifax Explosion: a ticktock account of fateful decisions that led to doom, the human faces of the blast's 11,000 casualties, and the equally moving individual stories of those who lived and selflessly threw themselves into urgent rescue work that saved thousands. The shocking scale of the disaster stunned the world, dominating global headlines even amid the calamity of the First World War. Hours after the blast, Boston sent trains and ships filled with doctors, medicine, and money. The explosion would revolutionize pediatric medicine; transform U.S.-Canadian relations; and provide physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who studied the Halifax explosion closely when developing the atomic bomb, with history's only real-world case study demonstrating the lethal power of a weapon of mass destruction. Mesmerizing and inspiring, Bacon's deeply-researched narrative brings to life the tragedy, bravery, and surprising afterlife of one of the most dramatic events of modern times
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Edition
First edition.
Extent
ix, 418 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates
Contents
  • Part I: A forgotten story
  • A century of gratitude
  • Under cover of darkness
  • Part II: O Canada
  • "Why aren't we Americans?"
  • Waking up just in time
  • Part III: The Great War
  • A near to Hell
  • Halifax at war
  • Life and death on the Western Front
  • Halifax Harbour
  • "It can't be any worse"
  • "The city's newer part"
  • Wounded inside and out
  • Part IV: A dangerous dance
  • Two ships
  • December 5, 1917
  • A game of chicken
  • "Look to your boats!"
  • Box 83
  • "Oh, something awful is going to happen"
  • Part V: 9:04:35 a.m.
  • One-fifteenth of a second
  • Parting the sea
  • Blown away
  • They're all gone
  • The panic
  • Part VI: Help
  • No time to explain
  • Ready to go the limit
  • A steady stream of victims
  • Blizzard
  • Lost and found
  • The last stop
  • The yanks are coming
  • A working sabbath
  • "It's me, Barbara!"
  • Small gifts
  • A toast to allies
  • Part VII: Rebuilding
  • The missing and the dead
  • The inquiry
  • Christmas, 1917
  • Orphans
  • "Don't stare"
  • The trials
  • The wholesome discord of a thousand saws
  • Part VIII: Facing the future
  • New lives
  • The accidental doctor
  • The lasting impact
  • The reunion
Isbn
9780062666543
Instance
Label
The great Halifax explosion : a World War I story of treachery, tragedy, and extraordinary heroism
Title
The great Halifax explosion
Title remainder
a World War I story of treachery, tragedy, and extraordinary heroism
Statement of responsibility
John U. Bacon
Creator
Author
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
After steaming out of New York City on December 1, 1917, laden with a staggering three thousand tons of TNT and other explosives, the munitions ship Mont-Blanc fought its way up the Atlantic coast, through waters prowled by enemy U-boats. As it approached the lively port city of Halifax, Mont-Blanc's deadly cargo erupted with the force of 2.9 kilotons of TNT -- the most powerful explosion ever visited on a human population, save for Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Mont-Blanc was vaporized in one fifteenth of a second; a shockwave leveled the surrounding city. Next came a thirty-five-foot tsunami. Most astounding of all, however, were the incredible tales of survival and heroism that soon emerged from the rubble. This is the unforgettable story told in John U. Bacon's The Great Halifax Explosion: a ticktock account of fateful decisions that led to doom, the human faces of the blast's 11,000 casualties, and the equally moving individual stories of those who lived and selflessly threw themselves into urgent rescue work that saved thousands. The shocking scale of the disaster stunned the world, dominating global headlines even amid the calamity of the First World War. Hours after the blast, Boston sent trains and ships filled with doctors, medicine, and money. The explosion would revolutionize pediatric medicine; transform U.S.-Canadian relations; and provide physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who studied the Halifax explosion closely when developing the atomic bomb, with history's only real-world case study demonstrating the lethal power of a weapon of mass destruction. Mesmerizing and inspiring, Bacon's deeply-researched narrative brings to life the tragedy, bravery, and surprising afterlife of one of the most dramatic events of modern times
Cataloging source
YDX
http://library.link/vocab/creatorDate
1964-
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Bacon, John U.
Dewey number
971.6/22503
Illustrations
  • illustrations
  • plates
Index
index present
LC call number
F1039.5.H17
LC item number
B33 2017
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
bibliography
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Halifax Explosion (Nova Scotia : 1917)
  • Halifax Explosion, Halifax, N.S., 1917
  • Halifax (N.S.)
  • Explosions
  • HISTORY / Canada
  • HISTORY / Military / Biological & Chemical Warfare
  • HISTORY / Military / World War I
  • Explosions
  • Nova Scotia
Label
The great Halifax explosion : a World War I story of treachery, tragedy, and extraordinary heroism, John U. Bacon
Instantiates
Publication
Copyright
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 393-397) and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Part I: A forgotten story -- A century of gratitude -- Under cover of darkness -- Part II: O Canada -- "Why aren't we Americans?" -- Waking up just in time -- Part III: The Great War -- A near to Hell -- Halifax at war -- Life and death on the Western Front -- Halifax Harbour -- "It can't be any worse" -- "The city's newer part" -- Wounded inside and out -- Part IV: A dangerous dance -- Two ships -- December 5, 1917 -- A game of chicken -- "Look to your boats!" -- Box 83 -- "Oh, something awful is going to happen" -- Part V: 9:04:35 a.m. -- One-fifteenth of a second -- Parting the sea -- Blown away -- They're all gone -- The panic -- Part VI: Help -- No time to explain -- Ready to go the limit -- A steady stream of victims -- Blizzard -- Lost and found -- The last stop -- The yanks are coming -- A working sabbath -- "It's me, Barbara!" -- Small gifts -- A toast to allies -- Part VII: Rebuilding -- The missing and the dead -- The inquiry -- Christmas, 1917 -- Orphans -- "Don't stare" -- The trials -- The wholesome discord of a thousand saws -- Part VIII: Facing the future -- New lives -- The accidental doctor -- The lasting impact -- The reunion
Control code
ocn973116343
Dimensions
24 cm
Edition
First edition.
Extent
ix, 418 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates
Isbn
9780062666543
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Other physical details
illustrations
System control number
(OCoLC)973116343
Label
The great Halifax explosion : a World War I story of treachery, tragedy, and extraordinary heroism, John U. Bacon
Publication
Copyright
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 393-397) and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Part I: A forgotten story -- A century of gratitude -- Under cover of darkness -- Part II: O Canada -- "Why aren't we Americans?" -- Waking up just in time -- Part III: The Great War -- A near to Hell -- Halifax at war -- Life and death on the Western Front -- Halifax Harbour -- "It can't be any worse" -- "The city's newer part" -- Wounded inside and out -- Part IV: A dangerous dance -- Two ships -- December 5, 1917 -- A game of chicken -- "Look to your boats!" -- Box 83 -- "Oh, something awful is going to happen" -- Part V: 9:04:35 a.m. -- One-fifteenth of a second -- Parting the sea -- Blown away -- They're all gone -- The panic -- Part VI: Help -- No time to explain -- Ready to go the limit -- A steady stream of victims -- Blizzard -- Lost and found -- The last stop -- The yanks are coming -- A working sabbath -- "It's me, Barbara!" -- Small gifts -- A toast to allies -- Part VII: Rebuilding -- The missing and the dead -- The inquiry -- Christmas, 1917 -- Orphans -- "Don't stare" -- The trials -- The wholesome discord of a thousand saws -- Part VIII: Facing the future -- New lives -- The accidental doctor -- The lasting impact -- The reunion
Control code
ocn973116343
Dimensions
24 cm
Edition
First edition.
Extent
ix, 418 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates
Isbn
9780062666543
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Other physical details
illustrations
System control number
(OCoLC)973116343

Subject

Genre

Library Locations

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      2 North Main Street, Andover, MA, 01810, US
      42.6568333 -71.141443

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