Oregon is known nationally for its trees and outdoor recreation, but what about the exploding whale? In November 1970, a dead sperm whale washed up on a beach near Florence on the Oregon Coast. To get ...

It’s that time of year again, when the community of Florence and exploding-whale lovers across the globe memorialize the famous whale occurrence. It happened one fateful afternoon on the shores of ...

An Oregon highway engineer who blew up a dead beached whale with a half-ton of dynamite in 1970 has died at the age of 84. George Thomas Thornton gained national attention over the exploding whale, ...

On Thursday, Nov. 12, 1970, an event happened that put the town of Florence on the map. A highway engineer, faced with the need to dispose of an eight-ton whale carcass that had washed up on the beach ...