Black Tom explosion
| Black Tom explosion | |
|---|---|
| Part of United States entry into World War I | |
Black Tom pier shortly after the explosion | |
| Location | Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 40°41′32″N 74°03′20″W / 40.69222°N 74.05556°W |
| Date | July 30, 1916 2:08:00 a.m. (EST; GMT−5) |
Attack type | Sabotage State-sponsored terrorism |
| Deaths | 7 |
| Injured | >100 |
| Perpetrators | Imperial German agents
|
| Motive | Sabotage |
The Black Tom explosion was an act of arson by field agents of the Office of Naval Intelligence of the German Empire, to destroy U.S.-made munitions that were about to be shipped to the Allies during World War I. The explosions occurred on July 30, 1916, in New York Harbor, killing at least 7 people and wounding hundreds more. It also caused damage of military goods worth some $20,000,000 ($580 million in 2025 dollars). This incident, which happened prior to U.S. entry into World War I, also damaged the Statue of Liberty. It is one of the largest artificial non-nuclear explosions in history.