Chuck Nowlin

Chuck Nowlin

Hear Chuck Nowlin weekdays from 2pm - 7pm on 100.7 WZLX.Full Bio

 

50th Anniversary Of The World’s Most Famous Exploding Whale!

Fifty years ago this week, a 45 foot Sperm Whale washed up on the beach near Florence Oregon. At first, it was a tourist attraction, after a few days, it became, “fragrant.”

The town’s best minds came together and the highway department decided the best way of disposing of the whale was to blow it up! Someone suggested maybe cutting it up and throwing the pieces back in the ocean, but nobody wanted to do that nasty job, so the demolition crew was brought in. The idea was to blow it to smithereens and most of it would fly into the ocean and the seagulls would dine on the rest.

KATU reporter Paul Linnman was on the scene with most of the townspeople for the big event. An event that he says somebody has asked him about every day for the last 50 years. His play by play is considered to be the first video to go viral, and in honor of the 50th anniversary, they’ve restored the footage to it’s full glory.

Enjoy the special remastered version of Paul’s original report complete with rotted blubber raining down on people and cars, and the destroyed Oldsmobile over a quarter mile away...


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