When Oregon blew up a whale - video

[Jon]

In 1970, the Oregon Department of Transportation decided to blow up a dead whale that had washed up on a beach. 6:41 video, cued to 2:43




More: TheExplodingWhale.com

Previously:

Giant transformer explodes in New York City - GIFs and photo
Grain bin collapses and explodes - video
Exploding gas station - video

[mklotz]

Have no fear. California has dispatched a pod of skilled tree-huggers and they are going to collect all the pieces and sew the whale back together whereupon it will be given a decent christian burial and commemorated with a star on the Hollywood walk of fame. Pixar is planning a movie titled "Boomer, The Pieceful Whale"

There is a bill in the assembly in Sacramento to close the border with Oregon in retaliation for their disrespect for animals. Oregon has sent a delegation to Sacramento to encourage passage of the bill.

[Frank S]

Have no fear. California has dispatched a pod of skilled tree-huggers and they are going to collect all the pieces and sew the whale back together whereupon it will be given a decent christian burial and commemorated with a star on the Hollywood walk of fame. Pixar is planning a movie titled "Boomer, The Pieceful Whale"

There is a bill in the assembly in Sacramento to close the border with Oregon in retaliation for their disrespect for animals. Oregon has sent a delegation to Sacramento to encourage passage of the bill.

I just figured that was where the producers of the up to now 6 part series of the movie Tremors got their idea to use umbrellas
Or maybe these folks should have watched the movies then they would have known what was going to happen

[Ed Weldon]

25 years ago when I read the Dave Barry's piece on the whale I could not stop laughing for what seemed like an hour. Every few years I'd return to it and like again last night it was worth a good laugh. One line of his will always stay with me .... "I am probably not guilty of understatement when I say that what follows, on the videotape, is the most wonderful event in the history of the universe." Dave Barry.
TheExplodingWhale.com » Dave Barry’s "Farside" article
Ed Weldon

[baja]

Thanks for posting this one, Jon, I got a good half hour of entertainment from it and the ensuing comments, lol.

[drivermark]

That was one moment that made me so proud to be an Oregonian . The folks running this state haven't gotten much smarter over the years either.

[elk-a-holic]

I once came across a published scientific paper in which the authors had a grant to determine how much explosive it takes to obliterate a horse carcass. The issue being when a packhorse died on the trail a long way back in the wilderness the carcass became a magnet for any handy bears. Along comes some hiker and the interaction between them and the bear protecting his "kill" could get interesting. I forget how much dynamite it took but several carcasses were blown up before the optimal dose was found. I thought it pretty funny and I often wondered if it was ever used in real life. Just imagine walking down a trail, finding a crater and then noting the surrounding ares being covered in strawberry jam like material..That moments before a hungry and ticked off bear shows up.