The Halifax explosion was unprecedented in its devastation with regards to casualties, force and radius of the blast, and its widespread damage to property.
On the morning of December 6, 1917, a munitions vessel loaded with explosives collided with a cargo ship in Halifax harbour triggering the worst man-made explosion prior to Hiroshima. At about 9:06 A.M., 3121 tons of steel exploded into fragments, houses collapsed, factories toppled and churches crumbled. The apocalyptic blast ravaged Halifax and Dartmouth, killing at least 1900 people and injuring thousands more. This gripping account describes the events of that fateful day in vivid detail, following the heroes and survivors of the Halifax Explosion as they struggle to cope with the devastation.
"There is good historical information given in this book and by reading it students may be exposed to a happening in Canadian History that they were previously unaware of."
- Alison Edwards Resource Links
"This is a good book. Glasner writes well, she has assembled pertinent illustrations to accompany the text, crafted a useful index, and the work generally focuses on people and events that will captivate younger readers"
- George Sheppard Canadian Teacher
JOYCE GLASNER lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her articles on gardening, travel, and the arts have appeared in a variety of publications. Her first book, The Halifax Explosion: Surviving the Blast that Shook a Nation was published by Altitude in 2003.
