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The Great Halifax Explosion Facts & Worksheets

The Halifax explosion of 1917, or the Great Halifax Explosion, was a devastating explosion on December 6, 1917, that occurred when a munitions ship blew up in the harbour of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

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The Halifax explosion of 1917, or the Great Halifax Explosion, was a devastating explosion on December 6, 1917, that occurred when a munitions ship blew up in the harbour of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

See the fact file below for more information on the Great Halifax Explosion or alternatively, you can download our 23-page The Great Halifax Explosion worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

HALIFAX

  • Halifax Harbor is a harbor on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality.
  • The harbor is the first inbound and last outbound port of call in eastern North America with transcontinental rail connections.
  • The Seaport Farmers’ Market is the longest continuously operating farmers’ market and the Transit Ferry is the oldest salt-water passenger ferry service in North America.
  • The Halifax Harbor is also one of the deepest and largest natural, ice-free harbours in the world and is home to one of the world’s longest downtown boardwalks.
  • The coastline stretches about 150 km, and you can drive along the shoreline in about three hours from Hubbard’s in the South Shore to Ecum Secum on the Eastern Shore.

EVENTS BEFORE THE DISASTER

  • Before the outbreak of World War I, the Canadian government developed the Halifax harbor and waterfront facilities as a forefront of the Royal Canadian Navy.
  • During the war, all neutral ships bound for ports in North America were required to report to Halifax for inspection.
  • This opened livelihood opportunities for carrying troops, relief supplies, and munitions across the Atlantic Ocean.
  • On December, the Norwegian ship SS Imo sailed from the Netherlands en route to New York to take on relief supplies for Belgium.
  • It soon arrived in Halifax on December 3 for neutral inspection and spent two days in Bedford Basin for refueling supplies.
  • Meanwhile, the French cargo ship SS Mont-Blanc arrived from New York on December 5. It was fully loaded with the explosives TNT and picric acid, the highly flammable fuel benzoyl and guncotton.
  • Initially, ships like the SS Mont-Blanc were not allowed in the harbor because of the threat it posed, but the danger of being attacked by German forces caused Halifax to loosen security.

AFTERMATH OF THE EXPLOSION

  • At approximately 8:45 a.m., the Norwegian steamship headed out of Halifax Harbor and found itself on a collision course with the French steamship Mont Blanc.
  • The latter was propelled toward the shore by its collision and the crew rapidly abandoned the ship, attempting to alert the harbor of the burning ship.
  • It caught fire after several drums of benzol—a combustible motor fuel —tipped over on the deck, spilling their contents, which ignited, and the vessel drifted into a pier.
  • The Halifax Fire Department responded quickly but 21 minutes later, the Mont-Blanc exploded, resulting in a tsunami, surging about 60 feet (18 meters) above the high-water mark, ravaging up to three blocks into the city.
  • The explosion killed 1,800 people and injured another 9,000. It destroyed almost the north end of the city of Halifax, including 1,600+ homes. The shock wave shattered windows 50 miles away, and the explosion could be heard hundreds of miles away.
  • In the aftermath of the explosion, hospitals were instantly crowded with the wounded. Morgue personnel also struggled to identify and document the dead.
  • Soon, news of the disaster reached the neighboring communities and countries, and aid arrived from within Canada as well as from the United States.

IMPACT OF THE EXPLOSION

  • The Halifax Explosion was considered the largest man-made explosion prior to the Atomic Bomb by overall measure of deaths, explosive force, and radius of destruction.
  • Aid poured in from across Canada and significantly from Boston. In recognition for the help for the past few decades, Nova Scotia have donated a tree, the centerpiece of the Boston’s Christmas display.
  • No one was successfully prosecuted for failures leading to the explosion as the Supreme Court of Canada declared that both Mont-Blanc and Imo were equally at fault.
  • Meanwhile, the government worked to reconstruct the city. It took two full years before rebuilt homes made of hydrostone were occupied again.
  • Many safety-related changes were then made after the Halifax Explosion, including new rules for storage of hazardous materials and harbour navigation.
  • 100 years later (2017) the Dalhousie Art Gallery curated an exhibition to commemorate the tragedy and explore how the event shaped Halifax into the city it is today.

The Great Halifax Explosion Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Great Halifax Explosion across 23 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use The Great Halifax Explosion worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Halifax explosion of 1917, or the Great Halifax Explosion, which was a devastating explosion on December 6, 1917, that occurred when a munitions ship blew up in the harbour of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Great Halifax Explosion Facts
  • Halifax in Early Times
  • Modern Halifax
  • Safety Precautions
  • Hazardous Chemicals
  • Minutes Before Disaster
  • The Beirut Explosion
  • Massive Explosions
  • Worldwide Catastrophes
  • Newscoop
  • Halifax-find

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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