Local History
Earthquakes, demolitions, explosions, and mystery booms — the Metro East has heard it all. Tap any event to explore.
The Big One
New Madrid Earthquake (M7.5)
December 16, 1811
Church bells rang in Cahokia. Chimneys toppled in St. Louis. The Mississippi ran backwards and swallowed whole islands. The Operator wasn't on duty yet — but if we had been, the map would've been solid red from here to Memphis.
The Hard Shock
New Madrid Earthquake (M7.5)
February 7, 1812
They called this one "The Hard Shock" and they weren't kidding. The Mississippi appeared to flow backwards. Reelfoot Lake was created overnight. The town of New Madrid was destroyed. Houses in St. Louis crumbled. Three massive quakes in three months — the ground didn't stop shaking until spring.
The Great Cyclone
1896 St. Louis Tornado
May 27, 1896
A mile-wide tornado carved through downtown St. Louis and into East St. Louis. 255 people killed — third deadliest tornado in U.S. history. The Eads Bridge survived. Hundreds of buildings didn't. If you heard it coming, you had about thirty seconds.
The Metro East Quake
Granite City Earthquake (M5.2)
April 9, 1917
Epicenter directly in Metro East. Buildings shifted from their foundations in Granite City and East St. Louis. If BOOM? existed in 1917, this dot would've been the biggest one on the map — right in our backyard.
Checkerboard Inferno
Ralston Purina Grain Explosion
January 10, 1962
Grain dust ignited at Checkerboard Square. Two killed, 36 injured. Firefighters battled flames in near-zero temperatures — everything froze in ice. Then a second fire broke out the same day. The old Purina headquarters looked like a war zone.
The Day Modern Architecture Died
Pruitt-Igoe Implosion
March 16, 1972
The first tower came down on live television. They called it "the day Modern architecture died." More implosions followed through 1976. The footage ended up in Koyaanisqatsi. If you've seen a building implode in a documentary, there's a good chance it was this one.
Saturday Morning Show
Buder & International Buildings Implosion
August 25, 1984
Ten thousand people showed up to watch. 200 pounds of RDX explosive. The International Building fell at 7:24 AM, then the 13-story Buder Building followed. Downtown rumbled like an earthquake and the crowd cheered. St. Louis does demolition like a spectator sport.
The Halloween Earthquake
Charleston, MO Earthquake (M6.6)
October 31, 1895
Happy Halloween — the ground is shaking. The last M6+ earthquake in central U.S. history. Chimneys toppled in St. Louis. Felt in 23 states. The New Madrid zone reminding everyone it's still very much alive.
The Checkerdome Falls
St. Louis Arena Implosion
February 27, 1999
133 pounds of TNT, 70 charges, 5:45 PM on a Saturday. The 70-year-old Checkerdome came down in seconds. Crowds lined I-64 and Forest Park to watch. If you grew up going to Blues games there, this one hit different.
Cylinders in Flight
Praxair Industrial Explosion
June 24, 2005
Gas cylinders rocketed 800 feet through the air in Lafayette Square. One person later died from asthma triggered by the fumes. Neighbors thought a plane had crashed. The boom rattled every window in Soulard.
Wrecking Ball Winter
Busch Memorial Stadium Demolition
November 7, 2005
No implosion for this one — MetroLink ran too close. Instead, a five-ton wrecking ball pounded the old stadium for a solid month. Downtown workers heard thunderous strikes echoing between buildings every day from November 7 through December 8. A slow, methodical goodbye.
Good Friday Twister
Lambert Airport EF-4 Tornado
April 22, 2011
EF-4, 165 mph winds. Ripped the roof clean off Lambert's Concourse C. 2,700 buildings damaged across north St. Louis County. People ducked behind airport counters as the windows blew in. Good Friday, not-so-good weather.
The Mortar Shell
Totall Metal Recycling Explosion
August 25, 2014
A live mortar shell hiding in a pile of recyclables. Two workers killed instantly. FBI, ATF, and Scott AFB's bomb squad all responded. The boom shook Granite City. A reminder that you never really know what's in the scrap pile.
The Flying Boiler
Loy-Lange Box Company Explosion
April 3, 2017
A 3,000-pound pressure vessel launched 500 feet through the air and crashed into the neighboring Faultless Healthcare Linen building. Four people killed. The boom was heard across Soulard and south city. Investigators said the boiler hadn't been properly inspected in years.
The Black Cloud
Dupo Train Derailment
September 10, 2019
Fourteen Union Pacific cars jumped the tracks in Dupo. Massive black smoke visible for miles across Metro East. 1,147 people evacuated. The initial boom sounded like a bomb. It was propane and sulfuric acid, which is arguably worse.
The Big Unknown
Metro East Mystery Boom
December 26, 2024
Thousands heard it. Items knocked off walls across Madison and St. Clair counties. Every authority was contacted — police, fire, military, FAA, USGS. Every single one denied it. Never explained. This is literally why BOOM? exists.
The Polar Snap
Metro East Frost Quakes
January 20, 2025
Polar vortex hit and the ground started popping. Cryoseisms — frost quakes — happen when water in soil freezes so fast it cracks the earth. Sounds like a gunshot from underground. First widely reported in the region in over a decade. Nature's BOOM.
Green Fireball
January 2026 Meteor Sonic Boom
January 2, 2026
Basketball-sized, 200 pounds. A green fireball caught on camera from East St. Louis with the Arch in the frame. Part of the Quadrantid meteor shower. The sonic boom rattled the southern metro. Space rocks don't care about your sleep schedule.
The 80-Year-Old Shell
WWII Projectile Controlled Detonation
February 5, 2025
A live 90mm WWII shell turned up in Caseyville. EOD hauled it to the O'Fallon PD range and detonated it at 7:45 PM. The boom was heard for miles. Community notification? Basically none. Half of O'Fallon thought something exploded — and technically, they were right.
The Triangle
St. Clair County UFO
January 5, 2000
Not a boom, but the most famous "what was that?" in Metro East history. Multiple police officers from Highland to O'Fallon witnessed a massive silent triangle gliding across the sky. Sufjan Stevens wrote a song about it. Never explained. The Operator has no comment. Officially.
The Forgotten Funnel
East St. Louis F3 Tornado
September 29, 1927
Seventy-nine people killed, 550 injured. The tornado tore through East St. Louis on a Thursday afternoon, flattening neighborhoods that never fully recovered. It remains one of the deadliest tornadoes in Illinois history — and one of the least remembered. The 1896 cyclone gets the history books. This one got buried.
The Stockyards Burn
National Stockyards Exchange Building Fire
May 15, 1986
The Exchange Building — the grand centerpiece of the National Stock Yards in National City — went up in flames. The stockyards had been the beating heart of Metro East industry for over a century. After a second major fire in the 1990s, the whole operation closed. National City itself dissolved in 1998. Sometimes a fire takes more than a building.
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