Seasoned librarian Abby Noland has likely seen many improbable things over the course of her career, but we can probably assume that a live Civil War-era artillery shell was never one of them.
The Massachusetts librarian was embarking on her first day of work at the Gleason Public Library when she found a bin at the bottom of her closet. Inside the bin were several rusting shells and a note informing her that an expert had surmised that the shells could, theoretically, explode any minute.
Image courtesy of The Boston Globe
Nolan quickly called the police, who called the state bomb squad, who decided it was probably best to detonate the artillery at a sand dune near the local Public Works building. The library later discovered that the shells had been donated in 1916, only to lie forgotten for more than 100 years.
Next time you have a rough first day at work, remember Abby Noland.
Featured image courtesy of All That Is Interesting.