Black Tom explosion

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The Black Tom explosion was an act of arson and sabotage by field agents of the Office of Naval Intelligence of the German Empire to destroy U.S.-made munitions awaiting shipment to the Allies during World War I. The explosions occurred on July 30, 1916, in New York Harbor, killing at least seven people and wounding hundreds more. It also caused damage to military goods worth some $20 million ($590 million in 2025 dollars). This incident, which happened before the United States entry into World War I, also damaged the Statue of Liberty. It is one of the largest artificial non-nuclear explosions in history.

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