| Black Tom explosion | |
|---|---|
| Part of United States entry into World War I | |
.jpg) Black Tom pier shortly after the explosion | |
| Location | Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 40°41′32″N 74°03′20″W / 40.69222°N 74.05556°W |
| Date | July 30, 1916 2:08:00 a.m. (EST; GMT−5) |
Attack type | Sabotage State-sponsored terrorism |
| Deaths | 7 |
| Injured | >100 |
| Perpetrators | Imperial German agents
|
| Motive | Sabotage |
The Black Tom explosion was an act of sabotage by agents of the German Empire, to destroy U.S.-made munitions that were to be supplied to the Allies in World War I. The explosions occurred on July 30, 1916, in New York Harbor, killing at least 7 people and wounding hundreds more.[1] It also caused damage of military goods worth some $20,000,000 ($560 million in 2024 dollars).[2][3] This incident, which happened prior to U.S. entry into World War I, also damaged the Statue of Liberty.[4] It was one of the largest artificial non-nuclear explosions in history.
- ^ "Enemy Activities – Destruction by Enemy in U.S. – Enemy operations in the U.S". National Archives Catalog. National Archives. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- ^ "A Byte out of FBI history". Federal Bureau of Investigation. July 30, 2004. Archived from the original on July 15, 2009. Retrieved July 5, 2009.
- ^ "Long: Terrorism's 100th anniversary | Commentary | roanoke.com". May 1, 2021. Archived from the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ Warner, Michael (April 14, 2007). "The Kaiser Sows Destruction: Protecting the Homeland the First Time Around". Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on June 13, 2007. Retrieved September 30, 2021.