The Story of the 1917 Halifax Explosion and the Boston Tree
The Story of the 1917 Halifax Explosion and the Boston Tree

Author: Suzanne Pasternak

Publisher: FriesenPress

Published: 2017-05-15

Total Pages: 42

ISBN-13: 1525501836

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At 9:06 in the morning of December 6, 1917 in the City of Halifax, Nova Scotia two ships collided. Minutes later there was an apocalyptic explosion followed by a blizzard of flying glass, splintered wood and white hot metal falling from the sky. In an instant almost 2,000 people lay dead and another 9,000 wounded and thousands left homeless. This set in motion the greatest rescue mission ever known at the time between the United States and Canada. Within hours, without authority or hesitation the City of Boston and the State of Massachusetts pulled together all their medical resources and went to the aid of Halifax. This is the story of unprecedented compassion, mercy, and heroism. It speaks of the eternal friendship and helping hands across the border between the State of Massachusetts and the people of Nova Scotia. This humanitarian rescue mission was never forgotten. Every year a special thank you gift is sent to Boston from the people of Nova Scotia. This gift symbolizes peace on earth, hope and light in the darkness..... a giant fifty foot Christmas tree!

Little Tree by the Sea
Little Tree by the Sea

Author: John DeMont

Publisher:

Published: 2017-09-15

Total Pages: 32

ISBN-13: 9781772760699

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On December 6, 1917, two ships collided in wartime Halifax Harbour, creating what became the largest man-made explosion of its time. More than 2000 people died (500 of those children) and 9,000 were injured. A single little tree whispered from its branches the word "Help" that was carried by the wind to the people of Boston. Within 48 hours Boston and Massachusetts organized trains to carry 33 doctors and 79 nurses. To repay the City of Boston for its generosity, the little tree (which now had become huge and majestic tree) was given to the city of Boston as a way to say thank you, a tradition that continues to this day.

Curse of the Narrows
Curse of the Narrows

Author: Laura M. Mac Donald

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2009-05-26

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13: 0802718396

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In 1917, the port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, was crowded with ships leaving for war-torn Europe. On December 6th, two of them-the Mont Blanc and the Imo-collided in the Narrows, a hard-to-navigate stretch of the harbor. Ablaze, and with explosions on her deck filling the sky, the Mont Blanc grounded against the city's docks. As thousands rushed to their windows and into the streets to watch, she exploded with such force that the 3,121 tons of her iron hull vaporized in a cloud that shot up more than 2,000 feet; the explosion was so unusual that Robert Oppenheimer would study its effects to predict the devastation of an atomic bomb. The blast caused a giant wave that swept over parts of the city, followed by a slick, black rain that fell for ten minutes. Much of the city was flattened, and not one in 12,000 buildings within a 16-mile radius left undamaged. More than 1,600 Haligonians were killed and 6,000 injured; and within twenty-four hours, a blizzard had isolated Halifax from the world. Set vividly against the background of World War I, Curse of the Narrows is the first major account of the world's largest pre-atomic explosion, the epic relief mission from Boston, and the riveting trial of the Mont Blanc's captain and pilot. Laura M. Mac Donald is as adept at describing the dynamics of a chain reaction explosion as she is at chronicling unforgettable human dramas of miraculous survival, unfathomable loss, and the medical breakthroughs in pediatrics and eye surgery that followed the disaster . Using primary sources--many of which haven't been read in decades and--with a wonderful feel for narrative history, Mac Donald chronicles one of the most compelling and dramatic events of the 20th century.

The Great Halifax Explosion
The Great Halifax Explosion

Author: John U. Bacon

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2017-11-07

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 006266655X

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NATIONAL BESTSELLER The "riveting" (National Post) tick-tock account of the largest manmade explosion in history prior to the atomic bomb, and the equally astonishing tales of survival and heroism that emerged from the ashes “Enthralling. ... Gripping. ... A captivating and emotionally investing journey.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette After steaming out of New York City on December 1, 1917, laden with a staggering three thousand tons of TNT and other explosives, the munitions ship Mont-Blanc fought its way up the Atlantic coast, through waters prowled by enemy U-boats. As it approached the lively port city of Halifax, Mont-Blanc's deadly cargo erupted with the force of 2.9 kilotons of TNT—the most powerful explosion ever visited on a human population, save for HIroshima and Nagasaki. Mont-Blanc was vaporized in one fifteenth of a second; a shockwave leveled the surrounding city. Next came a thirty-five-foot tsunami. Most astounding of all, however, were the incredible tales of survival and heroism that soon emerged from the rubble. This is the unforgettable story told in John U. Bacon's The Great Halifax Explosion: a ticktock account of fateful decisions that led to doom, the human faces of the blast's 11,000 casualties, and the equally moving individual stories of those who lived and selflessly threw themselves into urgent rescue work that saved thousands. The shocking scale of the disaster stunned the world, dominating global headlines even amid the calamity of the First World War. Hours after the blast, Boston sent trains and ships filled with doctors, medicine, and money. The explosion would revolutionize pediatric medicine; transform U.S.-Canadian relations; and provide physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who studied the Halifax explosion closely when developing the atomic bomb, with history's only real-world case study demonstrating the lethal power of a weapon of mass destruction. Mesmerizing and inspiring, Bacon's deeply-researched narrative brings to life the tragedy, bravery, and surprising afterlife of one of the most dramatic events of modern times.

Shattered City
Shattered City

Author: Janet Kitz

Publisher: Nimbus+ORM

Published: 2010-09-01

Total Pages: 294

ISBN-13: 1551098202

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This chronicle of the 1917 Halifax Explosion presents a vivid account of the historic tragedy and the relief and rebuilding efforts that followed. On December 6th, 1917, the French cargo ship SS Mont-Blanc collided with the Norwegian vessel SS Imo in the Narrows that lead into Halifax Harbor. The Mont-Blanc was carrying a shipment of explosives from New York, ultimately bound for Bordeaux, France. A fire onboard ignited the cargo, causing a blast that obliterated everything within a half-mile radius. The Richmond district of Halifax was destroyed. A tsunami created by the blast washed the Imo ashore and wiped out a Mi’kmaq community. Shattered City is the most comprehensive book on the Halifax Explosion, detailing the event, the aftermath, and the restoration. It encompasses dozens of previously unpublished stories, photographs, and documents, along with some thought-provoking coverage of the inquiry into the disaster.

The Birth House
The Birth House

Author: Ami McKay

Publisher: Vintage Canada

Published: 2009-04-24

Total Pages: 410

ISBN-13: 0307371441

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The Birth House is the story of Dora Rare, the first daughter to be born in five generations of Rares. As a child in an isolated village in Nova Scotia, she is drawn to Miss Babineau, an outspoken Acadian midwife with a gift for healing. Dora becomes Miss B.’s apprentice, and together they help the women of Scots Bay through infertility, difficult labours, breech births, unwanted pregnancies and even unfulfilling sex lives. Filled with details as compelling as they are surprising, The Birth House is an unforgettable tale of the struggles women have faced to have control of their own bodies and to keep the best parts of tradition alive in the world of modern medicine.

Bearing Witness
Bearing Witness

Author: Michael Dupuis

Publisher: Fernwood Publishing

Published: 2017-06-27T00:00:00Z

Total Pages: 353

ISBN-13: 1552668762

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At approximately 8:45 a.m. on 6 December 1917, the Belgian Relief vessel IMO struck the munitions-laden freighter Mont-Blanc in Halifax Harbour. The Mont-Blanc exploded in a devastating 2.9 kiloton blast, which killed 2,000 people and injured 9,000. More than 6,000 people were made homeless, and an additional 12,000 were left without shelter. Bearing Witness tells the story of the Explosion, and the catastrophic damage it caused, through the eyes and words of more than two dozen journalists and record keepers who experienced it first hand. Their accounts reveal a unique perspective, offering new detail about the tragedy and providing insight into the individuals who struggled to articulate the magnitude of the shocking event to the rest of the world. In addition to the original work by journalists and record keepers, Michael Dupuis provides over 30 photographs and illustrations, several previously unseen, and a detailed timeline of journalistic activities from the time of the Explosion on December 6 to December 16.

Blizzard of Glass
Blizzard of Glass

Author: Sally M. Walker

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company (BYR)

Published: 2011-11-22

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 1466805102

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On December 6, 1917, two ships collided in Halifax Harbour. One ship was loaded top to bottom with munitions and one held relief supplies, both intended for wartorn Europe. The resulting blast flattened two towns, Halifax and Dartmouth, and killed nearly 2,000 people. As if that wasn't devastating enough, a blizzard hit the next day, dumping more than a foot of snow on the area and paralyzing much-needed relief efforts. Fascinating, edge-of-your-seat storytelling based on original source material conveys this harrowing account of tragedy and recovery. This thoroughly-researched and documented book can be worked into multiple aspects of the common core curriculum.

Blizzard of Glass
Blizzard of Glass

Author: Sally M. Walker

Publisher: Macmillan

Published: 2011-11-22

Total Pages: 161

ISBN-13: 0805089454

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Recounts the story from World War I in which two towns were leveled and almost two thousand people killed following the collison of two warships in Halifax Harbour and a blizzard that dumped over a foot of snow in the area.