November 12, 1970 marked the birth of a story so outrageous it was often considered an urban legend. A 45-foot dead whale, weighing a whopping eight tons, washed up onto a beach in Florence, Oregon. Due to the sheer size and increasingly putrid smell of the deceased cetacean, the Oregon Department of Transportation decided the best solution for removal was to blow it up using a half-ton of dynamite.

Moments after the dynamite detonated, it became painfully clear that this was not the best course of action. As smelly chunks of whale blubber came raining down, bystanders ran for cover. A car parked a quarter-mile down the road was crushed under the weight of one of the larger pieces that fell. Fortunately, no one was hurt and a great lesson was learned: Always have a camera rolling.

If it hadn’t been for the gentleman with the camera, the story of Oregon’s exploding whale may have slipped into urban legend obscurity. You, too, can help preserve a moment in time. Next time you hear of something fishy happening in your town, grab your camera and start rolling. You never know what kind of footage might fall into your lap!