Posted on 10/31/2013 5:41:43 PM PDT by oxcart
GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) -- An Oregon highway engineer who blew up a dead beached whale with a half-ton of dynamite in 1970 has died at the age of 84.
George Thomas Thornton gained national attention over the exploding whale, and the act endured for decades thanks to a video that shows giant pieces of whale carcass splattering across the beach and spectators.
Thornton got the call Nov. 12, 1970 to remove a 45-foot-long sperm whale estimated to weigh 8 tons that had washed up near Florence, and had started to stink. At the time, the state Highway Division had jurisdiction over beaches, said Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman Don Hamilton. Thornton was a highly respected engineer who worked 37 years at the agency, he said.
Thornton had refused to talk about the exploding whale for many years, once remarking that every time he did, "it blew up in my face."
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
RIP, you made us laugh.
If only a marine biologist got there before the big fella died.
RIP, Mr. Thornton.
For those not familiar with it, here’s a video from KATU, Portland, OR - the local ABC affiliate - broadcast in 2012. The video is in it’s entirety.
Man I can only dream of being remembered for something like that.
My tombstone would say “It blowed up real good”.
One of the great “Hold muh beer and watch this” followed by an “Oh Sh*t!!!!!!!” moments in Northwest history.
People here still talk about it every time a whale washes ashore.
Apparently there are a bunch of exploding whale vids.
Important part is at 2:42.
Unreal, they even have a logo.
Great post!
Ya what me to get rid of the cow?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4TtyN7igxM
I really miss that show
Karma is a bitch.
Every man instinctively knows there are few problems can not fixed by high explosives.
If it moves, put duct tape on it. If it doesn’t move, spray it with WD-40. If that doesn’t fix it, then blow it up.
That's right up there with "As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly."
i have a relative that for years has always done a few sticks sunrise salute on the fourth of july in their sparsely populated valley but one year he got a little close to “town” and blew out ever window in the older house on my dads place
Thanks for the vid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQKWn6oPj-c
Every man instinctively knows there are few problems can not fixed by high explosives.
Or, as we say in Oklahoma, “If you can’t fix it with a hammer, it must be an electrical problem.”
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