Largest Explosion in Europe

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

You would think the largest explosion that took place in Europe would have been the result of WWI or WWII.  Oddly enough the largest explosion was at the BASF chemical plant in Oppau, Germany in 1921.  The crater alone measured 104 yards x 180 yards x 60 feet deep.  No one knows exactly what caused the blast as everyone around (600+ people) were killed and thousands injured.  Roofs were blown off houses over 15 miles away and windows shattered far beyond that.

 

[Three Foot Johnson]

The Port of Beirut explosion in 2020 must be a close second.

[Cypress Sun]

I wonder if the title should be Largest Unintentional Explosion in Europe...after all, there has been A LOT of explosions in Europe.

 

I don't know what the largest unintenitonal explosion is in the US...Texas City maybe?

 

Anyway, the energy involved in putting a hole that big in the ground is unbelievable.

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

Just because it is 112 and I am bored I checked the Beirut explosion (which is in Asia and not Europe) and it was 1/3 the size of the Oppau explosion.  The largest man made non-nuclear explosion was in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  A freighter and ammo ship collided during WWI in 1917.  The Halifax explosion was the largest in the world until the Atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.

 

Halifax

 

[Subdeacon Joe]

8 minutes ago, Cypress Sun said:

don't know what the largest unintenitonal explosion is in the US...Texas City maybe?

 

Port Chicago?  Or maybe the DuPont plant in Illinois?

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

Looks like Texas City is the largest US explosion.  Followed closely by Biden exploding at reporters yesterday following questions about student loans and Hunter.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

Any explosion by Biden isn't much more that a fart in a windstorm.

[sassnetguy50]

2 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

Port Chicago?  Or maybe the DuPont plant in Illinois?

The interviews from Illinois, she called the non-emergency police number because there were "small chunks of building" falling from the sky.

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

Two or three years back, lightning set off an abandoned  WWI mine that had been dug under German trenches.

Made quite a hole and killed a cow if I recall correctly and there are number of others in the area as well, left in place after the First World War ended, 105 years ago.

[Three Foot Johnson]

That was the battle of Messines ridge in Belgium, 1917. Unless another one blew up recently, the lightning strike incident was in 1955. Twenty three enormous mines consisting of 1.2 million pounds of ammonal explosive were set in tunnels along an eight mile front, and triggered more or less at the same time. Nineteen of them exploded, and four didn't. Other tunnels were abandoned, due to troop movements, and at least four still remain today... somewhere... unmapped.

Some of the craters have collapsed and been filled in, but many are still visible across the countryside today.

[Injun Ryder, SASS #36201L]

 

[Dirty Dan Dawkins]

On 7/1/2023 at 2:22 PM, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

Any explosion by Biden isn't much more that a fart in a windstorm.

Now he’s toying with idea of shading the sun to combat the climate crisis. That’ll have to be a hell of a big parasol.

https://www.foxnews.com/media/white-house-report-signals-openness-manipulating-sunlight-prevent-climate-change

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

If he does that he'll stop all solar power and we'll be back to burning wood because he doesn't want us to use coal or petroleum, and we don't have enough hydroelectric capacity to make that work . Hell, for that matter a lot of places won't allow wood fired fireplaces or stoves. either. And wind power isn't going to handle the load.

 

I'm pretty well satisfied that about 3/5 of our government is mentally deficient, not paying attention, or certifiably indamnsane.  Maybe all three.

[Dirty Dan Dawkins]

11 hours ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

If he does that he'll stop all solar power and we'll be back to burning wood because he doesn't want us to use coal or petroleum, and we don't have enough hydroelectric capacity to make that work . Hell, for that matter a lot of places won't allow wood fired fireplaces or stoves. either. And wind power isn't going to handle the load.

 

I'm pretty well satisfied that about 3/5 of our government is mentally deficient, not paying attention, or certifiably indamnsane.  Maybe all three.

Biden unveils new solar shade program to mitigate climate crisis.

AP News

July 2, 2022

President Biden today proposed his new “Umbrella Plan” to manipulate climate change by shading the earth from the sun’s harmful rays.

 

"The idea came to me when I looked back at my climate plan from the 70's when we were in danger of global cooling. Back then, I thought to myself we needed more sun and more carbon. And it worked. It worked. My ideas saved humanity and I averted the earth of the global cooling crisis but the oil cartels and greedy industrialist ruined it. They took it too far. They ruined it. Now we need the shade back and less carbon in the atmosphere.

 

Now, alongside measures to mitigate excess carbon emissions, I am proposing for congress to fund a giant umbrella to shade us all from the sun's harmful rays. It will be called the Sunbrella. It'll be spring loaded and have a handy travel case and come in colors representative of the LGBTQ+ community. I think that's important so that they know we don't want them to burn to death. It's important. And it won't cost the American taxpayer one dime. Not one cent. It will be 100% funded through carbon credits sold on the market. The people responsible for this crisis will pay for its solution.”

 

Critics say the scope and cost of such a project, along with the complex bureaucratic process of approving such an effort would delay its completion until every last person on earth expires from heat exhaustion. Various members of the Republican Party described Biden and his plan as "absurd", "ridiculous", or "just plain stupid". Representative Jack Randall of Kephart, Texas said, " That dumb son'o bitch can't even figure out how to use his own umbrella. I seen it on a Infowars.”

 

Others questioned who exactly would hold such an umbrella and about such an umbrellas durability as the average umbrella is severely damaged by just a slight wind or passing tractor trailer.

 

Agricultural groups expressed concerns over the diversion of rainwater away from crop lands. Quelling fears, Biden has previously expressed that any new climate change focused plans would necessarily need to provide for expansion to farm subsidies, public radio, and federal, state and local diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

 

Solar energy lobbyists have also joined the fray by suggesting such a shaded program would decrease solar panel efficiency, and act to setback gains made by the rapidly expanding solar power market. A statement from Planet Energy Equity (PEE), a Bethesda, Maryland solar and sustainable energy think tank, expressed the potentially unintended consequences and negative economic impacts on the U.S. solar industry from the Biden "Sunbrella" plan. In summary, director Phyllis Masters stated, “Since the 1970’s, PEE’s primary aim has been  to saturate U.S. public energy policy with a large volume of carefully aimed measures targeting the replacement of non-renewable energy sources. Though it may get messy at times, and the aim of PEE may sometimes stray, we feel that after decades of investments, we cannot afford any setbacks to the various energy sectors PEE has strived to cover.”

 

Opponents to PEE suggest PEE's most notable achievement was staining its own reputation, particularly after the cauliflower biomass scandal of 2014, and that any legislation or policies enacted should pass “the smell test”, as evidence of PEE is unacceptable.
 

Still, PEE's directors plan to "go with flow", no matter what may come out, but holding it all in is not an option.  As of now, it is the biggest and most vocal skeptic of the “Sunbrella” plan. Meanwhile, support for PEE, is slowly, but steadily, trickling in.

 

When asked of the size of his proposed umbrella, Biden replied "Damn big," though details are murky as Biden was hurriedly rushed off stage as he was handed an ice cream cone and reporters doggedly asked questions pertaining to stolen American umbrella technology found in files on an abandoned laptop, which itself was left behind by an American patron to a Chinese brothel.