The Whale that Exploded All Over a Small Town in Orego

October 5, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

On November 12, 1970, a 45-foot sperm whale that had washed ashore near Florence, Oregon, was blown to pieces with 20 cases of dynamite by the Oregon State Highway Division. The explosion, captured by news reporter Paul Lindman and cameraman Doug Brazil, sent chunks of blubber flying hundreds of feet toward a crowd of onlookers, crushing a parked car and covering spectators in blood and guts. No one was injured, but the event became a legendary cautionary tale—and, decades later, a piece of viral internet history.

The problem: an 8-ton rotting whale on the beach

Three days before the explosion, on November 9, 1970, the carcass of a sperm whale washed ashore on a beach in Florence, on Oregon's central coast. Deceased whales typically sink to the ocean floor after scavengers have fed, but for reasons that remain unclear—possibly related to climate, feeding patterns, or man-made sonar—this one ended up on the sand. It quickly became a public nuisance. Residents could no longer tolerate the smell, and the state was called in to deal with it.

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What you'll learn

1 (01:30) **The Setup: A Whale of a Problem** - A 45-foot sperm whale washed ashore in Florence, Oregon, on November 9th, 1970, becoming a rotting, smelly public nuisance.
2 (07:59) **The Plan: Dynamite and a Quarter-Mile Buffer** - ODOT engineer George Thornton, left alone by colleagues who went deer hunting, oversaw the placement of 20 cases of dynamite on the whale.
3 (13:39) **The Explosion: Blubber Beyond All Believable Bounds** - The blast sent huge chunks of whale flying in all directions, not towards the ocean, causing panic and covering the crowd in guts and blubber.
4 (17:21) **The Aftermath: It Kinda Worked** - The explosion created a large hole but left large chunks of whale on the beach, which ODOT ended up burying with a bulldozer.
5 (23:00) **The Viral Legacy: Dave Barry and the BBS** - The story was largely forgotten until 1990, when columnist Dave Barry wrote about it, sparking a pre-internet viral sensation.
6 (25:32) **Cultural Impact: From Baseball to a Memorial Park** - Florence, Oregon, has fully embraced the "Exploding Whale" as a part of its identity.
7 (27:43) **Bonus: Other Exploding Whales** - The story briefly covers two other instances of exploding whales, one natural and one during transport.

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Show Notes

In November 1970, a massive 45-foot, eight-ton sperm whale washed ashore near Florence, Oregon. Local officials faced a very unusual problem: how do you get rid of a rotting whale carcass?

Their solution was extraordinary. They decided to use roughly half a ton of dynamite to blow the whale apart, expecting the remains to be carried away by scavengers. Instead, the explosion sent enormous pieces of whale and sand flying across the beach, crushing a nearby car and turning a strange local problem into one of Oregon's most unforgettable stories.

This bizarre true story became legendary after being captured on film by KATU and later spread widely through newspapers, television, and the early internet. Discover what really happened on the day the whale exploded—and why Oregon officials never tried the same solution again.