People can still smell molasses 90 years after the Boston Great Molasses Flood!

The Great Molasses Flood occurred on January 15, 1919, in the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts in the United States. A large molasses storage tank burst and a wave of molasses rushed through the streets at an estimated 35 mph, killing 21 and injuring 150.

Molasses back then was the standard sweetener in the United States. Molasses can also be fermented to produce rum and ethanol, the active ingredient in other alcoholic beverages and key component in the manufacturing of munitions.

The cleanup took about two weeks with more than 300 people contributing to the effort. It took over 87,000 man-hours to remove the molasses from the cobblestone streets, theaters, businesses, automobiles, and homes.

The event has entered local folklore, and some residents claim that on hot summer days, the area still smells of molasses.