The 10 Biggest Explosions in the History of the World (5 of 6)

8. K-T Extinction Impact

To reach the next step of our highly explosive list, we need to go back to the time when giant lizards ruled the Earth—about 65 million years ago. That’s when a giant space rock slammed into our planet near what’s now known as the Gulf of Mexico (or is it the Gulf of Trump?). The asteroid was about six miles wide and unleashed an explosion equivalent to an unimaginable 10,000 billion (with a B) tons of TNT! That’s like blowing up all the world’s nuclear arsenals at the same moment and place, but times 1000. The blast triggered wildfires, giant tsunamis, and a cloud of dust that plunged Earth into darkness for possibly thousands of years. This event wiped out the dinosaurs and about half of all species on the planet.

9. The Shadow-Casting Supernova

In the year 1006, a star in the constellation Lupus exploded so brightly it lit up the night sky for months and was even visible during the day. Called SN 1006, this supernova was about 7,000 light-years away but shone brightly enough to cast shadows on Earth. It briefly outshone the entire Milky Way. More recently, in 2016, astronomers found SN2016aps, the most luminous supernova ever recorded, shining from 3.6 billion light-years away. Sadly, that one was so far away that only people with powerful enough telescopes could enjoy the view.