January 15 will mark the one hundredth anniversary of the strangest disaster in the history of Boston. The 1919 Molasses Flood occurred when a huge holding tank in the North End exploded, sending out a wave of liquid that caused deaths and injuries, as well as millions of dollars in property damage.   Local historian Steven Puleo told the whole story in his 2003 book,  Dark Tide   A major research source he consulted was the set of transcripts of the hearings held to determine liability and damages for the tragedy, which are part of the Social Law Library collection.

Steven Puleo will speak at the Boston Public Library at Copley Square on January 15.