Animation by  KATU Another chapter in Oregon’s illustrious history of blowing stuff up was written at 7am on May 21, 2006 — a Sunday morning. 2,800 pounds of explosives were packed into about 3,000 separate holes drilled into the lower half of the cooling tower at the  Trojan Nuclear Plant . (Yes, the plant was defunct prior to detonation!) According to  Controlled Demolition Inc. , which handled the implosion, the Trojan tower is the largest in the nation to be destroyed. The plant closed in 1993 for financial and safety reasons after just 17 years of service. It was Oregon’s first and only nuclear power plant. The State of Oregon has a proud history of blowing stuff up. Of course, this website focuses on the beloved  Exploding Whale  of 1970. And in 1999, when the 639-foot  New Carissa  — loaded with 140,000 gallons of bunker oil — ran aground on the Oregon coast, part of the “solution” was to blow it up, too! (No,  we are not making this up !) What will they think of blowing up next

It’s been a tough week for the endangered fin whale. Two dead whales, one on each coast of the United States, have been attracting significant attention. We start in Delaware and then move west to Washington state.  Delaware struggles with 35 tons of dead whale Residents of the Delaware coast are struggling with how to dispose of a giant whale carcass that came ashore on May 13. As the second largest creature on the planet (next to the blue whale), it should come as no surprise that crews using ropes to move the 35-ton, 55-foot fin whale encountered problems — even  after  the rotting hulk was dissected into smaller pieces, which included decapitating the dead beast. According to Suzanne Thurman, executive director of the non-profit  Marine Education, Research and Rehabilitation Institute , “The ropes (used to drag the whale) keep breaking. We’re waiting for a chain and we have a rope on loan from a barge towing company.” Once the chains and other equipment arrive, workers plan to relo