On Thursday, November 12, 1970, the deadliest tropical cyclone on record struck Bangladesh, the Cleveland Cavaliers won their first game, and a sperm whale was found, quite dead and very heavy, on the beach in Florence, Oregon. Engineers with the state Department of Transportation thought they might remove it with 20 cases of dynamite—a classic mistake. The explosion, filmed by a team from Portland's KATU news, did not vaporize the beast. Instead, it rained blubber and gore over the whole area, splattering onlookers, damaging vehicles and leaving most of the whale exactly where it was.

The comically revolting spectacle, narrated drolly by KATU's Paul Linnman ("the humor of the situation gave way to a run for a survival") lay dormant for many years. Humorist Dave Barry kept the flame throu

See Full Page