Exploding Whale of Florence
20 May 2026

Exploding Whale of Florence

History Dispatches

About
In 1970, a 45 foot long, eight ton whale washed up on the beach near Florence, Oregon. Local officials weren’t sure what to do with the stinking, decomposing whale - so they decided to get rid of it by blowing it up with half a ton of dynamite. This is the story of the Exploding Whale of Florence.



Sources



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploding_whale

https://www.xplodingwhale.com/

https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/florence_whale_explosion/

https://davebarry.substack.com/p/the-exploding-whale

Watch the whale blow up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6CLumsir34



Sponsor



Go to factormeals.com/dispatchespod50off to get 50 percent off and free daily greens per box. New subscribers only. While supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details).



History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com

Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices