Black Tom pier photographed on the 31st of July, 1916, a day and a half after the explosion.
On the 30th of July, 1916, German agents blew up a pier in New Jersey, USA in an attempt to sabotage American-made munitions intended for World War One.
The worst of the explosions took place at 2:08am, by which point some guards had fled at the sight of fire, knowing what was to come.
The explosion was so great some of the fragments became lodged in the Statue of Liberty, and a clock was stopped over a mile away. The time was frozen at 2:12am.
It is estimated that seven people were killed. Hundreds were injured, and the explosion was felt as far away as Philadelphia and Maryland.
It was later revealed that a Slovak immigrant, who had earlier served in the US Army, was responsible for the explosions, and…
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First Night History 
An unusual taste of the war at home for Americans in 1916. There were certainly a lot of German agents in that country, during both world wars.
It reminded me of this explosion during WW2, which my Father always thought was an act of sabotage. He was posted near there at the time, and talked about it when I was young.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombay_Explosion_(1944)
Best wishes, Pete.
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Very interesting, Pete. Thank you for pointing me that direction.
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