EUGENE, Ore. — Both the Eugene Emeralds and KATU’s classic news footage of the “exploding whale” got a shout-out on the latest episode of “Last Week Tonight” with John Oliver. What does Oregon’s ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Oregon is known nationally for its trees and outdoor recreation, but what about the exploding whale? In November 1970, a dead ...

In 1970, a 45-foot, 8-ton sperm whale washed ashore near Florence, Oregon. The Oregon State Highway Division decided to dispose of the carcass using dynamite. Florence will celebrate the 55th ...

In one of the most hilariously weird examples of Oregon history, on November 12, 1970, officials decided to use a half-ton of dynamite to dispose of a dead whale (which apparently really stank) that ...

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, ...

Honoring life, explosives, and a rain of whale chunks large enough to smash a car, Florence, Oregon, reflects upon the time they blew up that whale! A holiday dedicated to learning from their mistakes ...

Sunday night’s episode of “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” had fun with yet another Oregon-based topic, as the host moved from a typically grim examination of current news -- in this case, the ...

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 ...