Great Molasses Flood (1919) - North End molasses tank collapse

On January 15, 1919 a large storage tank at the Purity Distilling Company burst in Boston's North End, releasing a wave of molasses that killed 21 people and injured about 150. The surge demolished buildings and infrastructure along Commercial Street and led to one of the era's largest civil litigation efforts over corporate negligence. The disaster prompted changes in construction inspection and liability law in the aftermath of the investigations and trials.