Latest / Emergencies and Natural Disasters
When the Arsenal Blew: 21 Women Lost to One Sunlit Mistake
When the Arsenal Blew: 21 Women Lost to One Sunlit Mistake
Heat, gunpowder, and a single flare: on June 17, 1864, a sunlit tray of drying signal flares set off a blast that would kill 21 women at the Washington Arsenal - a workplace that had produced over 16.5 million rounds by 1862. How did a decision to dry flares on the grass beside a hundred-foot building turn into one of the war's deadliest workplace disasters?
In this episode, we tell what the transcript records about the day, the people, and the choices that led to the explosion, laying out the scene, the materials involved, and the…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.