12/4/2010:
We are all aware of the evils of smoking and have heard repeatedly the reasons to quit, but an event that occurred over one hundred years ago may add yet another. Patrick Noonan, after whom the City of Noonan in Divide County is named, was a pipe smoker. He enjoyed the aroma of a fine blend of tobacco, and on this date in 1907, he desired to relax with a pipe full of his favorite. After lighting up, he tossed the match into a supposedly empty can beside him, but unfortunately, the can contained blasting powder. The force of the explosion thrust him against the wall causing significant damage and personal injury. Yet he was not to be deterred from his smoking habit, for he proudly proclaimed that through it all he had managed to hang onto his pipe.
Dakota Datebook written by Jim Davis
Source:
North Dakota Record December 11, 1907