Ammonium Nitrate Blast

On a clear morning in 1947, a small fire broke out in the cargo hold of a ship docked in Texas City. Onlookers gathered to watch the colorful smoke. They didn't know the ship was packed with over 2,000 tons of ammonium nitrate-the same chemical compound used in massive bombs. The resulting explosion vaporized the ship, triggered a localized tidal wave, and killed nearly 600 people. The Texas Cit...