The Economic Times

In 1917, the loudest man-made explosion before the atomic bomb shook the world. It was heard over 100 miles away

British forces detonated nineteen underground mines during the Battle of Messines in 1917. This created the largest man-made explosion known before the atomic age. The powerful blasts shattered German defenses along the Messines Ridge. Allied troops then advanced and captured the strategically important terrain within hours. Several large mine craters remain visible in Belgium today as memorials.