The Exploding Whale This story,
This story, well-known to readers of alt.folklore.urban, reached me through email several years ago in the form of a 1990 article written by syndicated humor columnist Dave Barry. And believe it or not, it is neither folklore nor urban. It is a completely true story, and one that I guarantee you will not soon forget. It happened on November 12, 1970. The carcass of a sperm whale had been rotting on the beach just south of Florence, OR for several days. At the time, the Oregon Highway Division (now called the Oregon Department of Transportation) had jurisdiction over beaches and decided to dispose of the whale the same way they would clear a large boulder from a highway construction project. The rest is history.
Be sure to watch the Quicktime news report of the event.
