The Halifax explosion on December 6, 1917, razed much of the city of Halifax, vilified the Canadian navy, polarized elements within the media and government, and became a defining event in the Canadian consciousness. On that day, the collision of the ships Mont Blanc and Imo in Halifax Harbor triggered an eruption of almost 3,000 tons of picric acid, TNT, and gun cotton. The largest man-made explosion in the world to that time, it killed over 1,600 people and wounded some 9,000 others. The United States Navy and Coast Guard provided invaluable aid.

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