The Nightly: Drowsy History Week – The Great Molasses Flood

Host: Kristen (B), Co-Host: Sophia (C)
Date: January 24, 2026
Podcast: The Nightly by Hatch Podcasts

Episode Overview

Tonight’s episode of The Nightly welcomes listeners into the cozy “pillow fort” for a unique segment of “Drowsy History.” Kristen and Sophia recount the bizarre and catastrophic Great Molasses Flood of 1919 in Boston. Their laid-back, conversational storytelling style blends humor, pop culture reverie, and intriguing facts, offering a comforting yet surprisingly informative nightcap.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Home Improvement Adventures as Prelude

• Sophia shares her home lighting DIY, balancing anxiety and pride:
  • “It was like a light with a cord attached that I put into the ceiling and is honestly beautiful... but boy, oh, boy, is it scary to screw something into your ceiling, huh?” (01:00–01:15)
• Kristen tells a comedic story about plumbers:
  • “I wish I had a recorder running... Oh no, this doesn’t come with instructions. Oh, why did you install it that way? That’s not where the screw goes…” (02:30–03:00)
  • A reminder not to always trust the apparent confidence of experts, and the temptations of DIY.

2. Drowsy History: The Great Molasses Flood

Setting the Scene

• Sophia sets up the “reveal”:
  • “Okay, tonight I have a story for you... We’re in Boston. It’s 1919, 1920, winter, and we’re in the north end of Boston.” (05:04–05:30)
  • Kristen adds local color: “The north end... is also kind of referred to Boston’s Little Italy. It’s a very charming area...” (05:33–05:49)
• Description of the scenery: old brick homes, narrow winding streets (“so skinny... an oxcart can get through here, but nothing wider...”), and the European-like atmosphere. (06:04–06:15)

The Disaster Unfolds

• Sophia narrates the event’s buildup with warmth and comic disbelief:

  • “There’s this huge tank. It is 50ft tall... It’s filled to the brim with molasses... it’s an unseasonably warm day, and the new molasses... was also warm...” (06:16–06:44)
  • “People... feel basically an earthquake. They’re like the ground is rumbling... then they hear a really loud sound... some people are like, we heard a roar. Other people were like, it sounded like a machine gun going off...” (07:00–07:50)

• The pivotal moment:

  • “Yes, the tank of molasses has exploded and burst open. And, of course, the molasses is now flooding the streets of Boston.” (07:56–08:12)

Science & Mayhem

• Sophia tries to recall facts:

  • “For some reason, because of the way that molasses behaves, it’s different than water, which means it moves actually much quicker than water would in this scenario.” (08:20–08:51)
  • Kristen supplies: “It’s so thick and heavy.” (08:51–08:53)

• Speed discussed: “The molasses is flooding through the streets at about 35 miles per hour.” (08:53–09:03)
  Reaction: “That’s really fast, by the way.” (09:01)

• The non-Newtonian nature of molasses mentioned:

  • “...molasses is a non-Newtonian fluid... a fluid that does not follow Newton’s law, and it changes how it moves and flows based on stress.” (09:14–09:21)

The Damage & Absurdity

• They marvel at the destruction:

  • “It... swept a train off its tracks... it swept buildings off their foundations.” (10:13–10:34)
  • “That’s more destructive than... Tornado Alley... we’re talking a whole river of molasses.” (10:37–10:53)

• Most memorable image:

  • “The image that is stuck in my mind... there was a boy that was literally swept up by the molasses and rode it like a wave.” (10:53–11:09)
  • “When he woke up, he was... licking his arms because... sweet and delicious.” (11:09–11:14)

Aftermath and Cover-Up

• Sophia describes attempts at blame-shifting:
  • “They tried to say that it happened because of some type of, like, plot against them... Meanwhile, they’re like, the tank was... constantly oozing molasses... scientists were like, the tank was just far too thin to hold molasses.” (11:19–12:00)
• Clean-up troubles:
  • “Millions of dollars worth of damage... incredibly difficult to clean up because... it’s famously difficult to get rid of...” (12:10–12:22)
  • “They ended up... basically pumping in seawater... on a hot day you could still smell the molasses for years and years afterwards.” (12:29–12:38)

Resonance and Reflections

• Kristen sums up: “Molasses, which we associate with cookies and sweet things...” (13:11–13:26)
• Sophia: “I know, it’s like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory gone awry.” (13:40)
• Flipping what’s cozy into something sinister, they muse on overabundance:
  • “Anything that we love in this world can become not lovely anymore if there’s too much of it... same with molasses...” (15:43–16:20)

Drowsy Visualization Exercises

• Kristen’s bedtime ritual: “Sometimes when I’m having a hard time falling asleep... I imagine I’m on a raft floating down the Mississippi River... moving along...”
  • Tonight: “...it’s the Molasses river running through the north end of Boston in the early 1900s instead.” (14:47–15:10)
• Sophia joins in: “I think I’m gonna be doing some visualizations of myself on a raft on top of a molasses river.” (16:36–16:46)
• Both encourage listeners to do the same to ease into sleep. (16:46–16:54)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I really tried. Guys, get excited. I really tried. This is what it would be like if I was a teacher.”
  — Sophia (06:16)
• “People are like, we heard a roar. Other people were like, it sounded like a machine gun going off.”
  — Sophia (07:10)
• “The molasses is flooding through the streets at about 35 miles per hour.”
  — Sophia (09:01)
• “Anything that we love in this world can become not lovely anymore if there’s too much of it... same with molasses...”
  — Kristen (15:43)
• “It’s like Charlie and the chocolate factory gone awry.”
  — Sophia (13:40)
• “Ride the molasses.”
  — Kristen (16:50)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Home improvement stories / intro: 00:30–04:37
• Setting the Boston scene: 05:04–05:49
• Molasses tank buildup and explosion: 06:16–08:12
• Molasses as a non-Newtonian fluid / speed: 08:20–09:03
• Destruction and human stories: 10:13–11:14
• Corporate blame and cleanup aftermath: 11:19–12:38
• Reflections and bedtime visualization: 13:11–16:54

Tone & Style

The episode maintains a warm, inviting, and gently irreverent tone—infused with dry self-deprecation, casual banter, and the friendly intimacy of a late-night chat between friends. The delivery is conversational, embracing the weirdness of history, and always circling back to the episode’s cozy, sleep-easing intent.