The Exploding Whale

On November 9, 1970, a dead sperm whale about 45 feet long washed up at Florence on the Oregon coast. The Oregon Highway Division, then in charge of the state's beaches, decided to blow it up with half a ton of dynamite, expecting scavengers to eat the pieces. On November 12, KATU-TV reporter Paul Linnman and cameraman Doug Brazil filmed the blast, which threw chunks of blubber back toward the onlookers and damaged a newly bought car.

Dave Barry wrote about the footage in his Miami Herald column in 1990. In the years that followed the film made its way onto the internet and was shared widely, making it one of the first viral videos.

Linnman's deadpan report, with its line about "land-blubber newsmen", is a big part of the charm.

The footage is still online, and for the 50th anniversary in 2020 the original 16 mm film was remastered in 4K. Florence named Exploding Whale Memorial Park after the event and celebrates Exploding Whale Day there each year.