About this episode

This episode examines the Oppau Explosion of 1921, one of Europe's deadliest industrial disasters.

In this episode of Compact Disasters, we examine the Oppau Explosion of 21 September 1921, one of Europe's deadliest industrial disasters. At a BASF chemical plant in Oppau, Germany, workers used small explosive charges to loosen a hardened mass of ammonium sulphate nitrate fertiliser, a method that had been used thousands of times before. This time, the result was catastrophic. The blast destroyed part of the plant, devastated the surrounding town, killed more than 500 people, and left a lasting warning about chemistry, confidence, and the hidden dangers of industrial scale. Visit our website: Compact Disasters Find us on our social media sites: Facebook Instagram Pinterest Youtube #CompactDisasters, #OppauExplosion, #IndustrialDisaster, #BASF, #GermanHistory, #DisasterHistory, #ChemicalDisaster, #AmmoniumNitrate, #ProcessSafety, #HistoryPodcast, #PodcastEpisode, #TrueDisasterStories

People in this episode

Host: Compact Disasters

Topics covered

• industrial disaster
• chemical safety
• historical events
• European history
• safety regulations

Keywords

• Oppau Explosion
• industrial disaster
• BASF
• ammonium nitrate
• chemical disaster
• German history
• disaster history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BASF

Places: Oppau, Germany

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