I’ve written before about the Halifax explosion.
I did not know that Damn Interesting had also done an article, and since Alan Bellows is a much better writer than I am, I would encourage you to read it.
(Also, if you feel like it, I’d encourage you to throw a few dollars at Damn Interesting. They’ve missed their goals for the past couple of months and I’m a little worried about the continuing viability of the site.)