Sometimes, when you go digging through old newspapers, you find stories so ridiculous you can’t help but wonder how humanity survived the early 20th century. On a whim, I decided to search for incidents of exploding pants. And, oh yes, the archives delivered.
From dynamite and firecrackers to chemical mishaps, people’s pockets have long been ground zero for small-scale explosions. Today, I’m sharing just a handful of these fiery tales, with more to come in future posts about things that went boom in the strangest ways.
1. No More Dynamite in the Pocket (1908)
In 1908, a well-known Mennonite learned the hard way that dynamite caps don’t make good pocket companions.
According to the Dakota Farmers’ Leader of Canton, South Dakota:
“A day or two ago he was the victim of a serious accident as the result of carrying cap in his pocket. The cap was exploded by coming into contact with a ring, which was dropped into his pocket. The force of the explosion was sufficient to tear a piece of flesh as large as a baseball from his thigh, and in addition the ends of his fingers were blown off.
“Hereafter he will substitute something less dangerous than dynamite caps for pocket pieces.”
Source: Dakota Farmers’ Leader. Canton, S.D. June 26, 1908.
2. A Marvelous Explosion (1910)
Two years later in Mississippi, a farmer named Marvin Hudson placed a stick of dynamite in his pocket to carry out to his workers. Unfortunately, he stumbled, fell, and the dynamite exploded.
The article states:
“That he was not blown to pieces when the dynamite exploded is marvelous. His injuries are such, however, that he will die.”
Source: Keowee Courier. Pickens Court House, S.C. November 23, 1910.
3. Firecrackers and Foolishness (1923)
The summer of 1923 saw an uptick in tragic firecracker incidents.
First, in New York State, an 11-year-old boy met a terrible fate:
“He lighted one firecracker and when it failed to explode he placed it in his pocket. The fuse, still burning, ignited another firecracker. Both exploded and set fire to his clothing.”
Source: New Britain Herald. New Britain, Conn. July 3, 1923.
Just a few days later, in Pennsylvania, 14-year-old John Miller was badly burned when a friend decided to play a cruel prank:
“He was carrying in his pocket a firecracker. The fuse stuck out and a companion set fire to it. The boy’s clothes caught fire. He ran, and persons who made him roll in the grass probably saved him from greater injury.”
Source: The Washington Times. Washington, D.C. July 7, 1923.
4. Accessible Pockets (1933)
By the 1930s, the “firecracker in the pocket” prank had apparently become a trend among kids.
The Frontier of O’Neill City, Nebraska, reported:
“The small son of Ed. Slaymaker was badly burned on the leg when another lad put a lighted firecracker in his pants pocket. The Slaymaker boy had several firecrackers in the pocket and they all exploded.”
Source: The Frontier. O’Neill City, Holt County, Neb. July 13, 1933.
5. The Perils of Potassium Chlorate (1956)
Not all pants explosions came from fireworks or dynamite. In 1956, a high school student in Alaska learned a painful chemistry lesson:
“A chemical on Harold Tinnell’s pants exploded when he tried to dust it off.
“The 18-year-old high school student suffered a badly injured hand… He was dusting potassium chlorate from his trousers and the friction apparently set off the blast.”
Source: The Nome Nugget. Nome, Alaska. February 29, 1956.
