World's Most Arrogant Parents Cause Earthquake With Gender Reveal Explosion

You don't really have to look that hard to find tons of examples of human beings engaging in all sorts of weird activities for the sole purpose of proclaiming just how special they are. Gender reveal explosions are just another shining example of this.

A slew of New Hampshire towns recently suffered what folks referred to as a "god-awful blast." It turns out it was just a couple of parents who were very enthusiastically announcing the sex of their child in a gender reveal.

The literal earthquake-causing announcement took place at Torromeo Industries, located in Kingston, N.H. on Dorre Road at 7 p.m. EST on April 21, 2021.

Nearby residents Matt and Sara Taglieri not only heard the noise but had their home shaken from the explosion, according to NBC Boston.

"We heard this god-awful blast. It knocked pictures off our walls," Sara said.

The Taglieris called the police to inform them of the incident, but they weren't the only ones who experienced the explosion.

It didn't take long for various social media platforms to be flooded with references to the seismic shock that was sent through the surrounding area. It even traveled down to Merrimack Valley, which is some 30 miles from the site of the blast.

While some folks thought that the phenomenon was an earthquake, meteorologists stated that that wasn't the case. Nope, it wasn't a shifting of the planet's tectonic plates, just a gender reveal party.

Kingston Police notified the Taglieris that explosives were used in order to show off a baby's gender by its expectant parents. "Are you kidding me? I’m all up for silliness and whatnot, but that was extreme," Matt said. The couple also added that a neighbor had the foundation of their home crack from the explosion. But at least everyone knows that the couple's having a boy.

Chief Donald Briggs said that they're currently investigating the homes of neighbors who may have been affected by the blast, which could lead to property damages claims. "It was ridiculous. I don't have any other words for it," Sara said.

So how was the expectant couple able to create such a massive explosion? It turns out they used a completely legal product, Tannerite, to achieve the blast.

Tannerite is actually the name of an exploding firearms target brand that is often used in training exercises and range shooting. The targets are actually fairly safe to transport due to the fact that it's a "binary explosive."

The targets are sold as two completely separate parts that, by themselves, are not flammable or explosive in any way shape, or form. Those components are ammonium nitrate and aluminum powder. While that sounds fine and dandy, there have been more than a few instances of Tannerite causing some fairly nasty explosions.

But the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) has stated that Tannerite is safe for personal purchase. "Persons manufacturing explosives for their own personal, non-business use only (such as personal target practice) are not required to have a federal explosives license or permit.

"However, when the binary components are combined, the resulting mixture is an explosive material," the ATF said on its website. The bureau further cautioned that "high explosives and should be treated with caution and in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions."

So what kind of fines could the couple who used way too much Tannerite in announcing the gender of their baby be looking at? Well, the Arizona Daily Star reported that the couple who made a Tannerite bomb for their baby's reveal were hit with a $220,000 bill for the damage that was caused.

And according to recent financial data, it appears that the cost of living in New Hampshire is a bit higher than in Arizona, so they have that to look forward to. In the coming days and weeks, it will become clearer just how much damage was done.

It's no wonder that there was an uptick in wildlife spottings at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic when we were all quarantining. Animals probably want nothing to do with us, and it's easy to see why: We can be very, very destructive. Heck, we can't even announce the sex of a baby without causing an earthquake.

And while it's easy to get nihilistic about the kind of crazy things fellow members of our species engage in, at least we console ourselves in the fact that there are plenty of people on social media who are decrying this kind of behavior.

Is it just me, or does it seem like one of the most profoundly arrogant things in the world to throw a gender reveal party in the first place, let alone announce it in such a destructive and obnoxious way?

If you want to have a little get-together for your loved ones, have some themed cakes and snacks and drinks, go nuts. But don't cause an explosion that will destroy other people's property.

Do you really think that anyone cares enough to see your massive explosion of pink or blue? No. They don't.

You know what's not great? Blowing up people's houses for an Instagram post. Let's make "gender reveal explosions" a thing of the past, shall we? It's beyond time.