A Staten Island neighbor was 7 years old when the Black Tom explosion took place. He was terrified as no one knew what had happened. He lived to be 97 and was one of the few New Yorkers to live through Black Tom and the 9/11/01 attacks. The first I ever heard of Black Tom was from this wonderful old timer who passed in 2006.
dfc99nyc My Father Archie Belanger was born in 1908. He lived in Brooklyn. He spoke of it. He was paid a penny a piece for every . 45 A.C.P. bullet that he picked up. My Grandfather helped investigate the fire. He also helped to put it out.
Sir, what you are doing on this channel is more important than many people realize. By making these videos, you help ensure that events that helped shape the world we live in, and lessons learned from them, are not completely forgotten. Your channel is one of the best uses of youtube's services that I have ever seen. Thank you, and I hope you have a lovely day. I will certainly be looking for more of your content!
Being a life long resident of Bayonne this is something we learn in high school! Repercussions were felt along the shore from Hoboken to the peninsula city of Bayonne which is connected to Staten Island by the Bayonne bridge and is also the city connected to jersey city.
My son Joseph and I sat here and watched this and were truly impressed. I love sharing these with my kids and instill in them a love of history. Thank you so very much for your efforts. This was a fascinating piece of our past.
JAS Aerial Children will remember better when you participate and add to the experience. All kids should have such learning. It turned me into an encyclopedia and I earned the name Poindexter.
Learned about this event this week and found myself here. This is one of the most fascinating stories in American history especially when it comes to The Great War. Yet, it isn't discussed in most history classes, thank you so much for this video!
Thanks for all this information. My husband's father grew up an orphan, and the nuns running the orphanage told him that both his parents died in the Black Tom Munitions plant explosion. Back in the 80s and 90's, as younger adults, we could very little information about Black Tom, and no records that anyone had died.
You indicate there were 4 reported deaths, I've seen conflicting reports that state as many as 22 have died. Any way to get the names of those who died?
These ten minute 'classes', are so enriching! They've served to remind me why 'History", "American Studies I thru IV", and "AP Problems of Democracy", were my favorite subjects throughout my high school career.
What learned today is the star shaped stone foundation of the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty was originally an army fort. I had assumed it was just more flamboyant construction for the statue.
There are a bunch of those star-shaped forts up and down the U.S. East Coast. They were built during the late 18th and early 19th centuries for coast defense.
@@nikoanton8533 bedlow' the guy who owned the island, was a hugonoet, the statute of liberty was given as gift from France, the guy was an 'Athests" ( He didn't want to say hugunoets or protestant publicly ) The huguneots were persecuted by the Catholic church, 1500 in france, 'the reformation" before the french revolution. St Bartholomew day massacre" ordered by Catherine Medici , aka Queen Margot. 100,000 hugunoets , attacked in the church, in their homes, on the streets. The huguneots lived in 60 " walled cities" Star forts, their emblem. Is a Maltese cross with a dove hanging below. ( star forts strongly resemble the design ) 400,000 left France, for England, Africa, USA, Germany, Russia, where they were welcomed, being exceptional craftsman and silk makers. 21 USA presidents were huguneots, their monuments are all over Washington. Including George Washington himself. The biggest organisation you've never heard of ? There not freemasons, freemason started by brittish soldiers. Nor are they Knights templars. The declaration of independence was put together by whom ? I'll let you guess. The same as Martin Luther got the 'Edict of Nantes' a toleration bill for how citizen are to be treated fairly and equally by kings. The exact same struggle we are now facing across the realm.
Some viewers have argued that the act should not be called terrorism. That is a fair discussion. However, my argument is that the motive was political and the act illegal, and so meets the fair definition of the term. To claim that is was merely sabotage and not terrorism, you have to assume that it was mere coincidence that these 100,000 pounds of explosives were set off so close to New York City, and that the widespread damage was happenstance rather than a message. The far more obvious explanation is that the goal was to demonstrate the consequences of munitions production in the hopes of moving public opinion against the policy.
The shark attacks you mention in the video are worth talking about on its own....as they are said to have inspired the movie Jaws....am somewhat surprised you didn't mention it in this video
Bruce Hoffman says that terrorism is the use/threat of violence by a non-state actor to achieve political objectives. so.... that's why I'd argue that the (Black Tom) explosion would, technically, should not be categorized as a terrorist attack. The non-state actor part being critically missing from this incident.
898792 the State Department says “subnational groups or clandestine agents.” The fact that they chose to use clandestine agents is meaningful, and why it characterizes as terrorism.
just because you can classify it as a terrorist attack dosnt mean they had no justification for destroying it. the germans had every reasons and every right to attack that military target. not only did they destroy a large cash of ammunition but they also stopped further ammunition from being ship from their for quite some time.
You should do an installment on the 1917 Halifax explosion. Not many know about it and it’s definitely history worth remembering. I lived in the northern NJ area all my life up until recently, and had never heard of the Black Tom explosion. Thanks!
We had a similar disaster in London, at a place caled Silvertown, in 1915, when a refining plant operated by Brunner Mond Ltd caught fire, and basically destroyed the neighbourhood.
Dear History Guy, Please bring back your intro and jingle, "Hi, I'm the History Guy. I have a degree in history and and I LOVE history...." It unashamedly declares your passion for your subject, which I believe is the reason so many of your fans come here time and time again to see your work. Your content is fantastic and it deserves to be introduced with some fanfare. You are a scholar and a gentleman. Keep up the great work!
I love your videos. Some things I knew about, but not in the level of detail you provide, and other events like this one are new to me. While I'm no history buff I love learning about important events from the past. When shown on TV specials they never give as many details in 40+ minutes as you do in 10-12.
I was absolutely fascinated with this story. I don't remember having heard it before and the facts surrounding it are astounding. What a blast it was indeed! Thank you for posting this.
I am a newcomer to your videos. You are to be commended for making history interesting, fun, and compelling. If only I had a teacher like you back in the Dark Ages when *I* was in school. Thank you for the hard work and dedication. I'm spreading the word.
Wonderful channel and wonderful post! The history of anything is so important. I'm irked at my young self for failing to appreciate this. Now I fear that I cannot live long enough to to learn as much much as I'd like to know.
My mother was born in 1926 in New Jersey and took a class trip to the Statue of Liberty (probably in the early 1930's). She said her class went up into the arm so it must have reopened for a time before it was permanently closed.
It's said that to get to the crown you had to climb a narrow winding staircase and many wrongly believed they were at the torch instead so she was probably just mistaken
@@nickhall5959 I can assure you, she was not mistaken. When the Statue of Liberty was on TV she would point to the torch and say that's where she went. Quite a thill for a girl in the 1930's. When I went there in the 1970's (pre-remodel) they would only allow us up to the crown and things were very rusty.
I went there two years ago for the 100th anniversary of black tom and you can still see where the railroad cars were placed on the pier and seeing some of the old boat tie downs
His 'pitch' is equal to the best of British documentaries. Not overstated, not over-dramatised; he reminds me of Stephen Ambrose, who besides Shelby Foote was surely the greatest ever American historian, because he stated facts, not 'hype'.
Its cuz you are from a different parallel earth just like half of us here. In your time line there was no attack by the germans in the eastern coast, no attack by Japanese 9000 balloons in the western coast except the Pearl Harbor attack, and Ben Franklin discovered electricity....not some cat from the 1600's. Plus there was only 1 manned moon landing not freaking 6. We jumped somehow, now millions of us are freaking out...except me of course cuz my timeline sucked.
@@luscent3737Thank you for shedding light on this. I’ve never heard of 6 manned moon landings either, just as many of the changes going on. Of course the balloons and this black tom explosion should have been common knowledge if everyone present in the same timeline. I’m not sure about any of it but I know there’s too many people who remember the exact same alternate version of things that apparently weren’t so, and who don’t remember any key events like black tom. I’m starting to really believe in the merging timeline theory.
Thank you for your channel, it is very interesting. One could have a channel devoted to disastrous fires and explosions and almost never run out of material, there have been so many. Texas City, New London school and Halifax were some big ones.
Thanks for all the great videos; important stories you are keeping alive. If I may, I'd like to recommend the 1910 Wellington avalanche, the deadliest avalanche in US history
Your videos are the best thing I have found on TH-cam. I really appreciate it and I look forward to email alerts announcing a new video. Thank you very much. Have a great weekend.
I think it's great that you are able to convey so much information in twelve minutes. You have to talk very fast, but you do it in such a way that we can absorb it all. I really enjoy watching your videos and learning some little known history. Thank you!
Nicely done. It occurs to me that you put much time in researching these stories. Many of us enjoy your efforts; is there a way that we can support you in your efforts? It is particularly appropriate that I put this comment in this video of Black Tom. Yours, respectfully, Tom Black.
As a young teenager, my grandmother lived through this event. She and her family lived in Jersey City quite close to this area and talked about the extent of this explosion and its impact. This is an excellent video. If anyone is interested, here's a book containing a very detailed account of Black Tom and the Germans sabotage activities in New Jersey and New York. Sabotage at Black Tom: Imperial Germany's Secret War in America, 1914-1917 Hardcover - May 1, 1989 by Jules Witcover
One of the biggest non-nuclear blast of all time. Texas City, Halifax, (picric acid), rate about as big. The biggest non-nuclear was the single-shot demolition of the submarine pens on the Baltic (or thereabouts) after the Nazis fell. A test shot done by the U.S. during the race for a nuclear bomb consisted of the acclumulation of (I think) 10, 000 tons in one big stack and set off to try to get an idea of the force in the kiloton range. Since this was probably stacked or arranged in a very efficient manner to achieve total detonation, it might be the biggest in yield. Accidental detonations are usually very inefficient. Munitions often are as much scattered as detonated. Even deliberate blasts by amateur bombers result in a wide dispersal of most of the explosive material. At Oklahoma City, well over half of the ANFO was non-detonated, due to a lack of good workable knowledge of how to prime and tamp a large amount of material. By series-jumping all those barrels with det cord, once the first one went off, barrels further down the det-line were blown apart and scattered. A mis-guided attempt to erect a "shaped-charge" configuration with the barrels had a lot to do with the loss of so much efficiency once it went off. No attempt to tamp the array to gain those micro-seconds necessary to get more of it to go off was done, and probably not well understood by Tim McVeigh. In the detonation of "gadget" at Algomordo it was of supreme importance that every separate shaped block of high-and-"lower" speed explosive went off at a ridiculously simultaneous moment in order to cause a precisely focused inbound blast front on its way into compressing the core. Anything else would tear the bomb apart and result in a very inefficient detonation or even a "dud" that scattered Plutonium all over the desert! This was done with the help of dozens of capacitors charged and released to set off the primer caps. The wires were all EXACTLY the same length, and of course set off in parallel. Other considerations helped the end result work well! The entire success was based on the mechanics of achieving uniform compression. There were months of tests trying to figure out how to achieve that. That was the real science behind a successful device!
Sir, I've recently begun viewing your series of videos and extend to you my gratitude to you for doing such a wonderful job of researching, recording and producing wonderful material. So much of what I observe published here is without merit and serves only to prop-up the egos of those who post it, but you, and those who assist you in production of this material, provide entertainment and education for me which fills my soul. Thank you.
Greetings, good sir. I happened upon your videos just two days ago, and have already watched a couple dozen of them, mainly the ones dealing with aviation, disastrous non-nuclear explosions, and WWII. Speaking of wars, there's one particular piece of forgotten military history that might be worth covering: the Civil War battle of Monocacy that began near the town of Frederick, Maryland, on July 9th, 1864. This Union holding action was called "The Battle that saved Washington D.C." The NPS website states that "Monocacy was not one of the largest battles of the Civil War, but it had an impact much larger than many know." If only there was someone on TH-cam who liked to talk about obscure yet important moments in history...
Kudos to The History Guy. Your videos are important - not only informative, but filled with facts and insights gleened from them. The shows are an awesome tool for society to avoid the downfall of Napoleon's addage that those who fail to learn from history's mistakes are doomed to repeat them.
The series of shark attacks you mentioned were the inspiration for Peter Benchley's book JAWS. The shark is believed to have been a 300 pound, 7 foot juvenile Great white that travelled up river. Due to a rare lunar gravitational cycle and the gravity it produced, the tide caused an unusually high salinity factor up farther inland than normal and the normally brackish water was adequate for the great white to swim inland where the last attacks took place. It was believed killed by a fisherman with an oar.
maxsmodels that was an interesting story. However, due to the popularity of “shark week” there is plenty on YT about the events, and I didn’t think I had anything to add.
Bull sharks are also suspect in those attacks due to their ability to live in both fresh and salt water, it's doubtful that either will be definitely proven
It would be highly unusual for a juvenile that size to attack a grown man; the man that tried to save the boy would have been almost the same size as the shark! It would’ve had to have been a ten-footer at least- seems I remember something about a fisherman catching a ten footer and finding an arm when they cut open the stomach...
maxsmodels When I was in 4th grade I attended Broad St. School in Matawan, NJ. Site of the last attack. One of the boys who were swimming in the creek that day worked in the school. Remember the librarian telling us. The boy & the man who tried to save him are buried in Rose 🌹 Hill cemetery in Matawan with views of the Raritan Bay. Said to be quite haunted.
I first read, with great interest, about the Black Tom incident many years ago, but it has since faded in memory. Thank you for the very interesting look back at this occurrence.
Thank you for posting this. I had heard of this story, but your description of the event is excellent. I had read a book on the 1917 explosion in Halifax involving a French munitions ship, the Mont-Blanc; the devastation caused by that explosion was incredible. (Until the invention of the atomic bomb, explosions since that time had been measured in comparison to the Halifax explosion.) Interestingly, the Mont-Blanc didn't begin it's voyage in Nova Scotia; it was actually begun in New York, where the explosives were loaded on the ship. But the authorities in New York would not let the Mont-Blanc into the harbor; the loading of the ship had to be done in Gravesend, Brooklyn because of the concern of an explosion. When I read that the Canadian authorities had allowed this same ship in to the harbor at Halifax, I couldn't understand why the Canadians couldn't figure out something that the Americans already had; now I know. It took a similar explosion just a year prior for the Americans to figure out that you don't keep munitions ships in the middle of population centers.
I absolutely love your shows. Since high school and possibly college, I think I get a greater affinity of history lessons from you than any other source my in life. I have fond memories of teachers that work great mentors and life lessons learnt that are forever embedded in my memory. I have to say you’re getting to be one of those people. In today’s day and age we get so much crap for media we don’t know what the truth is anymore and by watching your shows I’m returning to a time when knowledge was pure strong and powerful. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I found this channel about a month ago. Since then I have watched about one or two videos every day. Always informative and leads me to further investigation.
Exciting and educational as always! One of my top three channels of all TH-cam, and my #1 favorite educational channel! Having watched dozens of your shows; I've yet to find one that I haven't really enjoyed, and this is the Only channel I can say that about in all of TH-cam.
The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered The history of the line should include the funding source. I believe it’s from the Comstock Load of silver from Virginia City Nevada.
I was discussing this episode with a co-worker when he mentioned to me the Texas City Disaster of 1947. Not originally being from TX, I had never heard of this before. It is said to be the deadliest industrial accident in U.S. History. However, I found no good videos about it, so wanted to offer it to you as a suggestion.
Were you a good student who voluntarily showed up to class and paid attention? Because that is what you are doing when you click this video. You are volunteering your time and attention to watch a video. Teachers don't get to choose their students, and have to teach lots of bratty students lessons students don't want to learn. In short, teachers are fine, you were a typical shitty kid like the rest of us.
I'm torn between not wanting to sound silly and missing the opportunity to tell you that I really enjoy listening to your videos. I think if I had to be something other than a science teacher, I would have picked being a history teacher. Great stuff, well told.
Very informative again,you are a great history guy!, But sure would like to hear more on the GREAT MINNESOTA FIRESTORM. Which also should never be forgotten,could of changed much including our capital city!!,thank you again ..PAPA GUNN .
Can you check on a sabotage plot on the Trojan powder plant outside Allentown PA. They made Dynamite, prussic acid,nitric acid and I believe 20 mm shells. I heard the tale from a old farmer who was renting a farm house. The barn allegedly store the machines for the shells. Rainy night fierce thunderstorms sabotors sneaking thru the ditches outside the plant. Twice in the 1960s bunkers full of explosives went off, nice mushroom cloud, harmonic sound damage 30 miles south.
I absolutely love your program. I have basically been binge watching since I discovered it. Please keep doing what you’re doing! This is absolutely amazing, great job!
Growing up in Canada I never knew of this explosion, but only of another related to munitions from New York in Halifax harbor a year and a half later where the death toll was significantly more. Perhaps sir you could also do a lesson on this explosion as well. Very interesting.
The long and short of Halifax is that one boat, the SS Clara, was on the wrong side of the channel, another, the SS Imo, had to avoid them while going above the set speed of I believe.. 5 nautical miles?, and in so doing went into the wrong side (having been on the right side, but moving to the wrong one to avoid collision). The reason the SS Imo was going over the the speed limit was to make up for lost time after a day's delay in harbor. After that, another boat, the SS Mont Blonc, loaded with munitions bound from (or to?) france ended up crashing into the affore-mentioned boat as a result of both of them refusing to get out of each other's way until it was too late. This led to the Mont Blonc crashing into the shore, and the explosives on board cooking off and subsequently exploding. If you want to know more, here's a link to "Plainly Difficult's" video on the explosion. th-cam.com/video/bHZZVUv4Sis/w-d-xo.html
It occurred to me while watching this video that the reason The Black Tom explosion isn't well remembered is because the Halifax Explosion eclipsed it...and, like you, I'd love to see the History Guy do an episode on this.
Rob Meekel I think that a large reason most people know about the Halifax explosion is from the Heritage minutes commercial. It's right up there with the house hippo and smelling burnt toast 🙂
~56k views, 2.8K likes... 30 dislikes. Only 30 dislikes. On youtube, home of the Weak Trolls, the Paid Downvote, the People With Agendas. That is unheard of. So many positive comments here as well. Great stuff, keep up the good work HG!
Fabulous! Marvelous! I admit, I ran across your channel by accident. And a great accident it is. So many new things to learn. Keep it coming. I now have an educational binge. Thanks!
There was an explosion in Richmond California during the 2nd world war that was huge and was an ammo explosion. It's a story that should be remembered.
As a history nut as well, my house is a museum, I find this fascinating. I used to always get in trouble at school , when I would correct the teacher on history. Since I am new to your sight I wonder if you did a bit on Finland, the little country that held off Russia for quite awhile during WW2
In the early 80's, our ship left dry dock in Brooklyn and swang by Jersey to load ammo all day. The pier was a mile long. I guess this incident is why it was a mile long.
Another great piece, and so many more to catch up on. I have flown over most of New Jersey in blimps, and it is literately littered with old munition depots. I have been told part of another depot located in Edison, NJ on the Raritan River was partially destroyed by fire during WWII. There still remains a very large Navy Weapons depot in Monmouth County, NJ with a railroad to a newer pier in Raritan Bay near Sandy Hook, NJ. I had a birds eye view of most of the coastal defenses in the area that extended back to the Revolutionary War, and although I have seen and photographed the Statue of Liberty from the air many times, I did not know the base had been a fort. Thanks again.
Billy Strong in high school I did have a history teacher this good. I think he is the reason I love history the way I do and we remained friends after I graduated. Even got to have a few nice discussions over tea with him and his wife in their home. Then again, I also had one of the most boring history teachers I’ve ever encountered in that same school...actually probably the most boring teacher period. She was a good woman and I hate to say anything disparaging...but I dreaded that class.
Public indoctrination is a better term. We have a suit filed against our school district because on the day of that national gun walkout crap my eldest daughter did not participate. Instead the school locked her in a classroom by herself.
I get to be the 1,000th comment! Thank you for the stories that shouldn’t be lost to history. I’ve never been disappointed by any of them. I’m originally from Westerly RI. A known U-boat is sunken between Misquamicut and Block Island. It’s a local dive site, and nobody seems to know anything about the attack. I would be greatly appreciative if you were able to compose a video about it. There’s lots of dive videos showing it on TH-cam. I believe it’s number was U-853. Thanks again!
When I visited the Statue of Liberty they briefly talked about the black Tom explosion. Apparently one person was blown a mile away and landed on an island and survived
A Staten Island neighbor was 7 years old when the Black Tom explosion took place. He was terrified as no one knew what had happened. He lived to be 97 and was one of the few New Yorkers to live through Black Tom and the 9/11/01 attacks. The first I ever heard of Black Tom was from this wonderful old timer who passed in 2006.
dfc99nyc Fascinating !
I like history and never heard of this. Thanks for sharing. What strange book ends that an 911.
Was he aware of the 9/11 was a false flag event questions. Or was he 100% sure the government never lies?
@@miltonperez3421 I'm 100% certain that your conjecture is meaningless. History is not propaganda, find another place to spew your nonsense.
dfc99nyc My Father Archie Belanger was born in 1908. He lived in Brooklyn. He spoke of it. He was paid a penny a piece for every . 45 A.C.P. bullet that he picked up. My Grandfather helped investigate the fire. He also helped to put it out.
Sir, what you are doing on this channel is more important than many people realize. By making these videos, you help ensure that events that helped shape the world we live in, and lessons learned from them, are not completely forgotten. Your channel is one of the best uses of youtube's services that I have ever seen. Thank you, and I hope you have a lovely day. I will certainly be looking for more of your content!
I dare say, you are the Ken Burns of History snippets! Well done, Sir!
Being a life long resident of Bayonne this is something we learn in high school! Repercussions were felt along the shore from Hoboken to the peninsula city of Bayonne which is connected to Staten Island by the Bayonne bridge and is also the city connected to jersey city.
On a slightly different note: the peninsula city of Bayonne was used in the film war of the world's 2005 ! 4:45
My son Joseph and I sat here and watched this and were truly impressed. I love sharing these with my kids and instill in them a love of history. Thank you so very much for your efforts. This was a fascinating piece of our past.
Good for you, Those kids will not get anything close to this unless they are in a Masters Degree program. Sad.
This is a great presentation from The History Guy: First time I've ever heard of this incident.
JAS Aerial Children will remember better when you participate and add to the experience. All kids should have such learning. It turned me into an encyclopedia and I earned the name Poindexter.
History is like movies you research. Very fun
JAS Aerial I use to watch the history channel with my grandson when he was a little kid......I hope he always enjoy history....he is 20 years old now.
Learned about this event this week and found myself here. This is one of the most fascinating stories in American history especially when it comes to The Great War. Yet, it isn't discussed in most history classes, thank you so much for this video!
My grandmother was 18 and remembered both Black Tom and lived to see 911. She passed in her sleep on Oct. 22, 2001 at age 102.
Damn, she died on my Birthday.
Thanks for all this information. My husband's father grew up an orphan, and the nuns running the orphanage told him that both his parents died in the Black Tom Munitions plant explosion. Back in the 80s and 90's, as younger adults, we could very little information about Black Tom, and no records that anyone had died.
You indicate there were 4 reported deaths, I've seen conflicting reports that state as many as 22 have died. Any way to get the names of those who died?
Liar
These ten minute 'classes', are so enriching! They've served to remind me why 'History", "American Studies I thru IV", and "AP Problems of Democracy", were my favorite subjects throughout my high school career.
AP problems of Democracy Advanced Placement? Thank God we don't live in a Democracy!
What learned today is the star shaped stone foundation of the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty was originally an army fort. I had assumed it was just more flamboyant construction for the statue.
There are a bunch of those star-shaped forts up and down the U.S. East Coast. They were built during the late 18th and early 19th centuries for coast defense.
I knew it was shaped like a star fort but didn’t know it had actually been one. Great video!
Bolt MyWay v
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@@nikoanton8533 bedlow' the guy who owned the island, was a hugonoet, the statute of liberty was given as gift from France, the guy was an 'Athests" ( He didn't want to say hugunoets or protestant publicly )
The huguneots were persecuted by the Catholic church, 1500 in france, 'the reformation" before the french revolution.
St Bartholomew day massacre" ordered by Catherine Medici , aka Queen Margot. 100,000 hugunoets , attacked in the church, in their homes, on the streets.
The huguneots lived in 60 " walled cities" Star forts, their emblem. Is a Maltese cross with a dove hanging below. ( star forts strongly resemble the design )
400,000 left France, for England, Africa, USA, Germany, Russia, where they were welcomed, being exceptional craftsman and silk makers.
21 USA presidents were huguneots, their monuments are all over Washington. Including George Washington himself.
The biggest organisation you've never heard of ?
There not freemasons, freemason started by brittish soldiers. Nor are they Knights templars.
The declaration of independence was put together by whom ?
I'll let you guess. The same as Martin Luther got the 'Edict of Nantes' a toleration bill for how citizen are to be treated fairly and equally by kings. The exact same struggle we are now facing across the realm.
Some viewers have argued that the act should not be called terrorism. That is a fair discussion. However, my argument is that the motive was political and the act illegal, and so meets the fair definition of the term.
To claim that is was merely sabotage and not terrorism, you have to assume that it was mere coincidence that these 100,000 pounds of explosives were set off so close to New York City, and that the widespread damage was happenstance rather than a message. The far more obvious explanation is that the goal was to demonstrate the consequences of munitions production in the hopes of moving public opinion against the policy.
The shark attacks you mention in the video are worth talking about on its own....as they are said to have inspired the movie Jaws....am somewhat surprised you didn't mention it in this video
hyfy1970 they are a great story, but they’ve shark weeked already. I didn’t feel that I had anything new to add.
Bruce Hoffman says that terrorism is the use/threat of violence by a non-state actor to achieve political objectives. so.... that's why I'd argue that the (Black Tom) explosion would, technically, should not be categorized as a terrorist attack. The non-state actor part being critically missing from this incident.
898792 the State Department says “subnational groups or clandestine agents.” The fact that they chose to use clandestine agents is meaningful, and why it characterizes as terrorism.
just because you can classify it as a terrorist attack dosnt mean they had no justification for destroying it. the germans had every reasons and every right to attack that military target. not only did they destroy a large cash of ammunition but they also stopped further ammunition from being ship from their for quite some time.
I'm a history buff and used to live in NYC but never heard of this. Until now.
I lived in Union City, and to be fair, I've never met anyone who lived in the area before the 60s, so maybe that's why.
No it's called the Mandela effect. Look it up
MANDELA!!!!!!!!!!
@@lapetitefleur3482ummmmm….. not really the same thing 🙄
Definitely mandela effect. Not everyone lived in this time line.
You should do an installment on the 1917 Halifax explosion. Not many know about it and it’s definitely history worth remembering. I lived in the northern NJ area all my life up until recently, and had never heard of the Black Tom explosion. Thanks!
We had a similar disaster in London, at a place caled Silvertown, in 1915, when a refining plant operated by Brunner Mond Ltd caught fire, and basically destroyed the neighbourhood.
Dear History Guy,
Please bring back your intro and jingle, "Hi, I'm the History Guy. I have a degree in history and and I LOVE history...." It unashamedly declares your passion for your subject, which I believe is the reason so many of your fans come here time and time again to see your work. Your content is fantastic and it deserves to be introduced with some fanfare.
You are a scholar and a gentleman. Keep up the great work!
The introduction has spurred quite a lot of discussion.
I usually skip the intro by double tapping.... mr history guy you’re welcome to bringing it back I won’t mind .... but I’ll still skip the intro :)
I liked the intro as well. I wasn't aware there had been discussion of it previously.
not a fan of the jingle. please leave as is.
I love your videos. Some things I knew about, but not in the level of detail you provide, and other events like this one are new to me. While I'm no history buff I love learning about important events from the past. When shown on TV specials they never give as many details in 40+ minutes as you do in 10-12.
Excellent story, well told. Your channel needs more subscribers. There's a huge interest out there for overlooked historical events!
I was absolutely fascinated with this story. I don't remember having heard it before and the facts surrounding it are astounding. What a blast it was indeed! Thank you for posting this.
I am a newcomer to your videos. You are to be commended for making history interesting, fun, and compelling. If only I had a teacher like you back in the Dark Ages when *I* was in school. Thank you for the hard work and dedication. I'm spreading the word.
Wonderful channel and wonderful post! The history of anything is so important. I'm irked at my young self for failing to appreciate this. Now I fear that I cannot live long enough to to learn as much much as I'd like to know.
My mother was born in 1926 in New Jersey and took a class trip to the Statue of Liberty (probably in the early 1930's). She said her class went up into the arm so it must have reopened for a time before it was permanently closed.
It’s a Mandela effect
I don’t think I had ever realized that one time you could climb up into the arm of the Statue of Liberty. Great story thanks for sharing.
It's said that to get to the crown you had to climb a narrow winding staircase and many wrongly believed they were at the torch instead so she was probably just mistaken
@@nickhall5959 I can assure you, she was not mistaken. When the Statue of Liberty was on TV she would point to the torch and say that's where she went. Quite a thill for a girl in the 1930's. When I went there in the 1970's (pre-remodel) they would only allow us up to the crown and things were very rusty.
@@okjoe5561 Yeah sure, whatever you say. You have no idea how many people claim to have been to the torch, but their childhood memories are hazy.
I went there two years ago for the 100th anniversary of black tom and you can still see where the railroad cars were placed on the pier and seeing some of the old boat tie downs
Fascinating, this is one of the most interesting channels I have subscribed to.
His 'pitch' is equal to the best of British documentaries. Not overstated, not over-dramatised; he reminds me of Stephen Ambrose, who besides Shelby Foote was surely the greatest ever American historian, because he stated facts, not 'hype'.
Andrew Emery I LOVE Shelby Foote! Ken Burns Civil War!
I loved listening to Shelby Foote during Ken Burns "Civil War".
Yes, and well-researched... and I especially like that he delivers so much information with no fluff or filler.
I concur!👏👏👏👏
I had never heard of this before; it's astounding that such a major event is hardly known today. Thank you for making these videos!
I believe this event never happened, and someone's trying to fabricate the historical record.
Its cuz you are from a different parallel earth just like half of us here. In your time line there was no attack by the germans in the eastern coast, no attack by Japanese 9000 balloons in the western coast except the Pearl Harbor attack, and Ben Franklin discovered electricity....not some cat from the 1600's. Plus there was only 1 manned moon landing not freaking 6. We jumped somehow, now millions of us are freaking out...except me of course cuz my timeline sucked.
@@luscent3737Thank you for shedding light on this. I’ve never heard of 6 manned moon landings either, just as many of the changes going on. Of course the balloons and this black tom explosion should have been common knowledge if everyone present in the same timeline. I’m not sure about any of it but I know there’s too many people who remember the exact same alternate version of things that apparently weren’t so, and who don’t remember any key events like black tom. I’m starting to really believe in the merging timeline theory.
MANDELA EFFECT
Thank you for your channel, it is very interesting.
One could have a channel devoted to disastrous fires and explosions and almost never run out of material, there have been so many. Texas City, New London school and Halifax were some big ones.
I'm very happy to have found your channel, please continue to share history with us
I'm a history buff, but I had never heard this story. I learned something today. Thanks!
The "history" taught in most schools these days is all about how racist, sexist, and homophobic America is.
Same here....
A day without learning is a day wasted
Check out the Boston molasses flood. Bizarre
Cuz it's fake
Thanks for all the great videos; important stories you are keeping alive. If I may, I'd like to recommend the 1910 Wellington avalanche, the deadliest avalanche in US history
Your videos are the best thing I have found on TH-cam. I really appreciate it and I look forward to email alerts announcing a new video. Thank you very much. Have a great weekend.
I think it's great that you are able to convey so much information in twelve minutes. You have to talk very fast, but you do it in such a way that we can absorb it all. I really enjoy watching your videos and learning some little known history. Thank you!
This channel is awesome. Thank you for making these videos. This is better than watching the history channel.
Nicely done. It occurs to me that you put much time in researching these stories. Many of us enjoy your efforts; is there a way that we can support you in your efforts? It is particularly appropriate that I put this comment in this video of Black Tom. Yours, respectfully, Tom Black.
Tom Black you can become a patron of The History Guy: www.patreon.com/thehistoryguy.
The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered. Done!
Really interesting story. I was unaware the arm of the Statue Of Liberty was closed off due to damage from the explosion! Thanks for sharing this.
As a young teenager, my grandmother lived through this event. She and her family lived in Jersey City quite close to this area and talked about the extent of this explosion and its impact. This is an excellent video. If anyone is interested, here's a book containing a very detailed account of Black Tom and the Germans sabotage activities in New Jersey and New York.
Sabotage at Black Tom: Imperial Germany's Secret War in America, 1914-1917 Hardcover - May 1, 1989
by Jules Witcover
Your videos are outstanding. I wish we would’ve had this type of information when I was in high school. Please keep up the great work.
Another great little piece of history! Another one that I had never heard of. To me, you are indispensable. Thank you so much!
Huge Explosion at Black Tom Island
Halifax: "Hold my Beer."
Concorde4711
Oh yea. As an American, I was amazed a few years ago reading about the disaster.
That is history that should NOT be forgotten.
There was also one in Texas in 1947 that was considered to be one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history.
We still rule, when it comes to screw-ups. Oh Canada....
One of the biggest non-nuclear blast of all time. Texas City, Halifax, (picric acid), rate about as big. The biggest non-nuclear was the single-shot demolition of the submarine pens on the Baltic (or thereabouts) after the Nazis fell. A test shot done by the U.S. during the race for a nuclear bomb consisted of the acclumulation of (I think) 10, 000 tons in one big stack and set off to try to get an idea of the force in the kiloton range. Since this was probably stacked or arranged in a very efficient manner to achieve total detonation, it might be the biggest in yield. Accidental detonations are usually very inefficient. Munitions often are as much scattered as detonated. Even deliberate blasts by amateur bombers result in a wide dispersal of most of the explosive material. At Oklahoma City, well over half of the ANFO was non-detonated, due to a lack of good workable knowledge of how to prime and tamp a large amount of material. By series-jumping all those barrels with det cord, once the first one went off, barrels further down the det-line were blown apart and scattered. A mis-guided attempt to erect a "shaped-charge" configuration with the barrels had a lot to do with the loss of so much efficiency once it went off. No attempt to tamp the array to gain those micro-seconds necessary to get more of it to go off was done, and probably not well understood by Tim McVeigh. In the detonation of "gadget" at Algomordo it was of supreme importance that every separate shaped block of high-and-"lower" speed explosive went off at a ridiculously simultaneous moment in order to cause a precisely focused inbound blast front on its way into compressing the core. Anything else would tear the bomb apart and result in a very inefficient detonation or even a "dud" that scattered Plutonium all over the desert! This was done with the help of dozens of capacitors charged and released to set off the primer caps. The wires were all EXACTLY the same length, and of course set off in parallel. Other considerations helped the end result work well! The entire success was based on the mechanics of achieving uniform compression. There were months of tests trying to figure out how to achieve that. That was the real science behind a successful device!
I was going to say exactly this.
Sir, I've recently begun viewing your series of videos and extend to you my gratitude to you for doing such a wonderful job of researching, recording and producing wonderful material. So much of what I observe published here is without merit and serves only to prop-up the egos of those who post it, but you, and those who assist you in production of this material, provide entertainment and education for me which fills my soul. Thank you.
I just really love all these things that tie our history together.
Mike
3:36 those are the most magnificent and brave-looking horses I've ever seen. This would make such an exciting movie.
As per usual, you've packed so much information into your video, I have to go digest it awhile now. :)) Thank you for stretching my mind!
The comprehensive facts that you've put together to make this video are first class.
Greetings, good sir. I happened upon your videos just two days ago, and have already watched a couple dozen of them, mainly the ones dealing with aviation, disastrous non-nuclear explosions, and WWII.
Speaking of wars, there's one particular piece of forgotten military history that might be worth covering: the Civil War battle of Monocacy that began near the town of Frederick, Maryland, on July 9th, 1864. This Union holding action was called "The Battle that saved Washington D.C." The NPS website states that "Monocacy was not one of the largest battles of the Civil War, but it had an impact much larger than many know." If only there was someone on TH-cam who liked to talk about obscure yet important moments in history...
Zagnorch that is an interesting battle, and I will likely do an episode in the future.
This is a truly awesome channel - maybe one of the best on TH-cam!
A super fantastic upload. I simple love this show and one of two channels I follow on a regular basis.
Kudos to The History Guy. Your videos are important - not only informative, but filled with facts and insights gleened from them. The shows are an awesome tool for society to avoid the downfall of Napoleon's addage that those who fail to learn from history's mistakes are doomed to repeat them.
The series of shark attacks you mentioned were the inspiration for Peter Benchley's book JAWS. The shark is believed to have been a 300 pound, 7 foot juvenile Great white that travelled up river. Due to a rare lunar gravitational cycle and the gravity it produced, the tide caused an unusually high salinity factor up farther inland than normal and the normally brackish water was adequate for the great white to swim inland where the last attacks took place. It was believed killed by a fisherman with an oar.
maxsmodels that was an interesting story. However, due to the popularity of “shark week” there is plenty on YT about the events, and I didn’t think I had anything to add.
Bull sharks are also suspect in those attacks due to their ability to live in both fresh and salt water, it's doubtful that either will be definitely proven
A man was killed by a great white shark on Cape Cod earlier this year.
It would be highly unusual for a juvenile that size to attack a grown man; the man that tried to save the boy would have been almost the same size as the shark! It would’ve had to have been a ten-footer at least- seems I remember something about a fisherman catching a ten footer and finding an arm when they cut open the stomach...
maxsmodels When I was in 4th grade I attended Broad St. School in Matawan, NJ. Site of the last attack. One of the boys who were swimming in the creek that day worked in the school. Remember the librarian telling us. The boy & the man who tried to save him are buried in Rose 🌹 Hill cemetery in Matawan with views of the Raritan Bay. Said to be quite haunted.
Thank you so much for all the time and effort you put into these videos.
I first read, with great interest, about the Black Tom incident many years ago, but it has since faded in memory. Thank you for the very interesting look back at this occurrence.
I listen to your segments while I drive. I really enjoy them. Thank you.
Thank you for posting this. I had heard of this story, but your description of the event is excellent.
I had read a book on the 1917 explosion in Halifax involving a French munitions ship, the Mont-Blanc; the devastation caused by that explosion was incredible. (Until the invention of the atomic bomb, explosions since that time had been measured in comparison to the Halifax explosion.)
Interestingly, the Mont-Blanc didn't begin it's voyage in Nova Scotia; it was actually begun in New York, where the explosives were loaded on the ship. But the authorities in New York would not let the Mont-Blanc into the harbor; the loading of the ship had to be done in Gravesend, Brooklyn because of the concern of an explosion.
When I read that the Canadian authorities had allowed this same ship in to the harbor at Halifax, I couldn't understand why the Canadians couldn't figure out something that the Americans already had; now I know. It took a similar explosion just a year prior for the Americans to figure out that you don't keep munitions ships in the middle of population centers.
Holy crap! I had no idea about any of this. Thank you! Every one I watch is worth watching. 👍
von Rintelen wrote a great book called 'The Dark Invader', where he admits to this attack. Excellent read.
I absolutely love your shows. Since high school and possibly college, I think I get a greater affinity of history lessons from you than any other source my in life. I have fond memories of teachers that work great mentors and life lessons learnt that are forever embedded in my memory. I have to say you’re getting to be one of those people. In today’s day and age we get so much crap for media we don’t know what the truth is anymore and by watching your shows I’m returning to a time when knowledge was pure strong and powerful. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Another excellent history narrative. It is no wounder your list of subscribers has doubled in the last month or so.
I found this channel about a month ago. Since then I have watched about one or two videos every day. Always informative and leads me to further investigation.
I am so enjoying your videos. Thank you for all the effort.
You are a great story teller!!
Exciting and educational as always! One of my top three channels of all TH-cam, and my #1 favorite educational channel! Having watched dozens of your shows; I've yet to find one that I haven't really enjoyed, and this is the Only channel I can say that about in all of TH-cam.
please do an episode on the Port Chicago CA, explosion , in WWII. my Grandfather was stationed there at the time
I do plan to in the future yes.
Boy I found your channel a couple days ago HISTORY GUY and I’ve been binge watching ever since, great channel!
Thanks for your hard work on this! Well done.
Pretty good video! Would love to see one from you on the Halifax Explosion too someday
Can you do a video on the Telegraph line laid across the Atlantic during the 1800s?
Yes, I think that is likely.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel would really enjoy such a video!
The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered The history of the line should include the funding source. I believe it’s from the Comstock Load of silver from Virginia City Nevada.
Truly good suggestion!
Or maybe a story about the NY bridge builders that got caissons disease (the bends) when coming up from the bottom of the Hudson River?
You always provide quality historical accounts of events never really covered in school or the news. Thanks!
It seems odd that I hadn't heard of this before. Thanks for another interesting video History Guy.
no one heard of this before. this is a mandela effect
I, too, am a history buff and greatly enjoy your history presentations! Thank you for another winner!
You believe this isnt a Mandela effect?
I was discussing this episode with a co-worker when he mentioned to me the Texas City Disaster of 1947. Not originally being from TX, I had never heard of this before. It is said to be the deadliest industrial accident in U.S. History. However, I found no good videos about it, so wanted to offer it to you as a suggestion.
Yeah interesting story
I have really been enjoying your content. Fascinating stuff.
Our nation needs more teachers like you in our schools. It might have improved my grades.
Were you a good student who voluntarily showed up to class and paid attention?
Because that is what you are doing when you click this video. You are volunteering your time and attention to watch a video. Teachers don't get to choose their students, and have to teach lots of bratty students lessons students don't want to learn.
In short, teachers are fine, you were a typical shitty kid like the rest of us.
I really like your videos so far. Very obscure knowledge. Thanks for feeding my brain :)
Born and raised in New Jersey. This was one of my parents' favorite stories.
I love that you called it Fort Hood and Bedloe Island, I hope it makes people question what that is. Great show as always.
I have never heard of this explosion before. Thank you for another interesting video.
I'm torn between not wanting to sound silly and missing the opportunity to tell you that I really enjoy listening to your videos. I think if I had to be something other than a science teacher, I would have picked being a history teacher. Great stuff, well told.
You should talk about the Halifax harbor explosion in Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada. It was even more horrific.
ALWAYS enjoy your voice and word... And how much smarter you make me of history and the world... I Thank You
Love your channel!
Just WOW! Honestly, I had no idea! Thank you for sharing this!
Very informative again,you are a great history guy!, But sure would like to hear more on the GREAT MINNESOTA FIRESTORM. Which also should never be forgotten,could of changed much including our capital city!!,thank you again ..PAPA GUNN .
How is this incident not more well known?! Thanks!! Great episode!!
Can you check on a sabotage plot on the Trojan powder plant outside Allentown PA. They made Dynamite, prussic acid,nitric acid and I believe 20 mm shells. I heard the tale from a old farmer who was renting a farm house. The barn allegedly store the machines for the shells. Rainy night fierce thunderstorms sabotors sneaking thru the ditches outside the plant. Twice in the 1960s bunkers full of explosives went off, nice mushroom cloud, harmonic sound damage 30 miles south.
I absolutely love your program. I have basically been binge watching since I discovered it. Please keep doing what you’re doing! This is absolutely amazing, great job!
Growing up in Canada I never knew of this explosion, but only of another related to munitions from New York in Halifax harbor a year and a half later where the death toll was significantly more. Perhaps sir you could also do a lesson on this explosion as well. Very interesting.
The long and short of Halifax is that one boat, the SS Clara, was on the wrong side of the channel, another, the SS Imo, had to avoid them while going above the set speed of I believe.. 5 nautical miles?, and in so doing went into the wrong side (having been on the right side, but moving to the wrong one to avoid collision). The reason the SS Imo was going over the the speed limit was to make up for lost time after a day's delay in harbor. After that, another boat, the SS Mont Blonc, loaded with munitions bound from (or to?) france ended up crashing into the affore-mentioned boat as a result of both of them refusing to get out of each other's way until it was too late. This led to the Mont Blonc crashing into the shore, and the explosives on board cooking off and subsequently exploding.
If you want to know more, here's a link to "Plainly Difficult's" video on the explosion. th-cam.com/video/bHZZVUv4Sis/w-d-xo.html
It occurred to me while watching this video that the reason The Black Tom explosion isn't well remembered is because the Halifax Explosion eclipsed it...and, like you, I'd love to see the History Guy do an episode on this.
J Cut I am from Halifax, never heard of Black Tom explosion either. Four people died in Black Tom, over two thousand in Halifax.
Rob Meekel I think that a large reason most people know about the Halifax explosion is from the Heritage minutes commercial.
It's right up there with the house hippo and smelling burnt toast 🙂
@@billbill8852 LOL ....oh yes! Don't forget the Log Driver's Waltz.
What was the name of the train dispatcher who stopped the in-bound train? :)
Your videos are really good. They wouldn’t be out of place on Sunday morning
~56k views, 2.8K likes... 30 dislikes. Only 30 dislikes. On youtube, home of the Weak Trolls, the Paid Downvote, the People With Agendas.
That is unheard of. So many positive comments here as well. Great stuff, keep up the good work HG!
Fabulous! Marvelous! I admit, I ran across your channel by accident. And a great accident it is. So many new things to learn. Keep it coming. I now have an educational binge. Thanks!
I feel like I should have known about this event, but I did not. Thanks for another entertaining and informative video.
you and millions of others never heard of it
@@shanewaters9402 mandela......................
How have I never heard about this before?? Great video
im 57 an reasonably well educated. why am I just hearing about this NOW
Wow. Thats amazing. Thank you SO much for your channel. It's incredible and fast becoming my favourite
There was an explosion in Richmond California during the 2nd world war that was huge and was an ammo explosion. It's a story that should be remembered.
th-cam.com/video/HawJ6E0p2AM/w-d-xo.html
As a history nut as well, my house is a museum, I find this fascinating. I used to always get in trouble at school , when I would correct the teacher on history. Since I am new to your sight I wonder if you did a bit on Finland, the little country that held off Russia for quite awhile during WW2
In the early 80's, our ship left dry dock in Brooklyn and swang by Jersey to load ammo all day. The pier was a mile long. I guess this incident is why it was a mile long.
Bob Bastion that would probably be NWS Earle, the Black Tom Island area was completely filled in and closed by the 80’s.
Another great piece, and so many more to catch up on. I have flown over most of New Jersey in blimps, and it is literately littered with old munition depots. I have been told part of another depot located in Edison, NJ on the Raritan River was partially destroyed by fire during WWII. There still remains a very large Navy Weapons depot in Monmouth County, NJ with a railroad to a newer pier in Raritan Bay near Sandy Hook, NJ. I had a birds eye view of most of the coastal defenses in the area that extended back to the Revolutionary War, and although I have seen and photographed the Statue of Liberty from the air many times, I did not know the base had been a fort. Thanks again.
Every time he says "docks and storage" I think he's saying "dachshund storage"
Those poor dachshunds flying through the air!
You gotta keep a close eye on those meat missles! They'll attack anything!
J Lynn ☆ Gotta Keep those little things SOMEWHERE!
Dachshund storage is pretty much a German thing....
His vowels definitely need softening
Great Job! Concise and to the point. Facts without the fluff. Love your pace and style. Thanks
Thanks for sharing such fascinating information. I wish public schools had history teachers half as good as you. Thanks again.
Billy Strong couldn't agree more
Billy Strong in high school I did have a history teacher this good. I think he is the reason I love history the way I do and we remained friends after I graduated. Even got to have a few nice discussions over tea with him and his wife in their home. Then again, I also had one of the most boring history teachers I’ve ever encountered in that same school...actually probably the most boring teacher period. She was a good woman and I hate to say anything disparaging...but I dreaded that class.
Public indoctrination is a better term. We have a suit filed against our school district because on the day of that national gun walkout crap my eldest daughter did not participate. Instead the school locked her in a classroom by herself.
I get to be the 1,000th comment!
Thank you for the stories that shouldn’t be lost to history. I’ve never been disappointed by any of them.
I’m originally from Westerly RI. A known U-boat is sunken between Misquamicut and Block Island. It’s a local dive site, and nobody seems to know anything about the attack. I would be greatly appreciative if you were able to compose a video about it. There’s lots of dive videos showing it on TH-cam. I believe it’s number was U-853.
Thanks again!
When I visited the Statue of Liberty they briefly talked about the black Tom explosion. Apparently one person was blown a mile away and landed on an island and survived
@Reagan Kulenkamp - wow, talk about a lucky person!
@@shawngilliland243 Talk about people talking shit
Another slice of history I had never heard of! Your videos are great: very interesting and informative. Thank you! Oh, and yes, I have subscribed!