1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,680 Speaker 1: Hey, y'all. Were rerunning two episodes today, which means that 2 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:06,160 Speaker 1: you'll hear two hosts, me and Tracy V. Wilson. Enjoy 3 00:00:06,280 --> 00:00:10,039 Speaker 1: the show. Welcome to this Day in History Class from 4 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:12,360 Speaker 1: how Stuff Works dot com and from the desk of 5 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: Stuff you Missed in History Class. It's the show where 6 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 1: we explore the past, one day at a time with 7 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 1: a quick look at what happened today in history. Hello, 8 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:26,759 Speaker 1: and welcome to the podcast. I'm Tracy V. Wilson, and 9 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:29,080 Speaker 1: I'd like to thank my colleague Hollie Fry for filling 10 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 1: in for me for the last seven episodes. Today is December. 11 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:36,199 Speaker 1: The Iroquois Theater in Chicago caught fire on this day, 12 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:41,199 Speaker 1: in killing at least six people. This theater was almost 13 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:44,480 Speaker 1: brand new. It had opened on November of that year. 14 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:48,879 Speaker 1: Performer Eddie Foy had described it as quote one of 15 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 1: the finest that had yet been built in this country. 16 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:55,560 Speaker 1: A palace of marble and plate glass, plush and mahogany 17 00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 1: and gilding. On top of its beauty and magnificence, was 18 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:04,560 Speaker 1: supposed to be fireproof. It had a capacity of one thousand, 19 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:08,000 Speaker 1: seven hundred and twenty four, but on this particular afternoon. 20 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 1: There were nineteen hundred people inside. It was standing room only, 21 00:01:12,319 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 1: and most of the people in the audience were mothers 22 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:18,240 Speaker 1: and their children. Was the holiday season. They were taking 23 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:22,040 Speaker 1: family outings, and the second act of the show had 24 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 1: about three fifteen in the afternoon. One of the painted 25 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 1: canvas backdrops brushed up against a reflector on a spotlight. 26 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:33,800 Speaker 1: Stage lights are incredibly hot, and this backdrop started to smolder. 27 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:37,000 Speaker 1: There was a stage hand who saw this happen and 28 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:38,800 Speaker 1: tried to put the fire out, but he just couldn't 29 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:42,120 Speaker 1: reach the backdrop from where he was. There was also 30 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:44,880 Speaker 1: an on site firefighter, and he tried to put the 31 00:01:44,920 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 1: fire out with two tubes of a product called kill fires. 32 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:52,440 Speaker 1: This was a tin tube and what was inside was 33 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 1: mostly baking soda. This probably would have done an okay 34 00:01:56,200 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 1: job of putting out something like a grease fire on 35 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:02,200 Speaker 1: the stove in the kitchen, but on the vertical surface 36 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:06,160 Speaker 1: of an oil painted backdrop, it just couldn't do the job, 37 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 1: and the fire started to spread. At first, no one 38 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:12,640 Speaker 1: in the audience or even on the stage was quite 39 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:15,440 Speaker 1: aware that anything was wrong, because this fire was moving 40 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 1: upward into the fly space above the stage, but then 41 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:24,119 Speaker 1: burning curtains and scenery started to fall onto the stage. 42 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:27,320 Speaker 1: Eddie Foy, who was on stage at the time, tried 43 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:29,720 Speaker 1: to keep the crowd calm, tried to get them to 44 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:33,560 Speaker 1: evacuate in an orderly fashion, but as he was talking, 45 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:37,720 Speaker 1: they were burning curtains falling at his feet. He yelled 46 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 1: to the stage manager to drop the asbestos curtain. This 47 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:43,880 Speaker 1: was supposed to drop down between the stage and the 48 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:46,560 Speaker 1: audience in case of a fire, but it got snagged 49 00:02:46,639 --> 00:02:49,240 Speaker 1: on a light picture and it jammed part way down 50 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 1: the track. Almost immediately. There was a huge panic in 51 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 1: the audience and backstage. Actors and dancers opened the stage 52 00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:01,919 Speaker 1: door to escape and let a blast of air into 53 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: the theater. The events that should have allowed this rush 54 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 1: of air to go out through the roof were nailed shut, 55 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: and they were also supposed to be fans that would 56 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:16,200 Speaker 1: pull air out through the roof, but those had never 57 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:21,080 Speaker 1: been finished, so the result was an enormous fireball. Foy 58 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:23,240 Speaker 1: stayed on the stage as long as he could, trying 59 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:26,800 Speaker 1: to maintain calm and to get people to exit safely, 60 00:03:26,880 --> 00:03:30,160 Speaker 1: but he was finally forced to leave. He was reunited 61 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:32,280 Speaker 1: with his son, who was with him that day, and 62 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:35,960 Speaker 1: who he had sent outside with a stage hand. Inside 63 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 1: the theater, though, it was horrifying. It was dark, it 64 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:43,080 Speaker 1: was smoky, people couldn't find the exits. A lot of 65 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:47,040 Speaker 1: these exits, of which there were many, were hidden behind draperies, 66 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:50,280 Speaker 1: and many of them were locked, so many people were 67 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:53,400 Speaker 1: trampled to death trying to get to the exits. Some 68 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: died after jumping out of windows. Even some of those 69 00:03:57,080 --> 00:03:59,880 Speaker 1: who landed safely were then crushed by people falling on 70 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:04,280 Speaker 1: top of them. In just fifteen minutes, the theater was 71 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:09,400 Speaker 1: a total loss. Five seventy people died that day out 72 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:13,640 Speaker 1: of the people in the audience, so about thirty percent 73 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 1: of the audience died, and nearly all the victims were 74 00:04:16,279 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 1: riven and children. There was only one performer who was killed. 75 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:24,000 Speaker 1: Thirty more people died of their injuries in the following weeks, 76 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:28,480 Speaker 1: and hundreds more were injured. And it was a huge scandal. 77 00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:32,039 Speaker 1: This was a supposedly fireproof building, but so many people 78 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:35,920 Speaker 1: had died. It wasn't ever really fireproof, though, and there 79 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:38,480 Speaker 1: were people who had pointed out problems long before the 80 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:42,760 Speaker 1: theater opened. The editor of Fireproof magazine had pointed out 81 00:04:42,839 --> 00:04:46,480 Speaker 1: lots of issues before the opening day. Like that, there 82 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:48,760 Speaker 1: was no draft to draw the fire up into the 83 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:51,599 Speaker 1: loft instead of allowing it to spread out into the audience, 84 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:56,280 Speaker 1: which is what happened. That's just one example. The theater's 85 00:04:56,440 --> 00:05:00,560 Speaker 1: manager and several Chicago public officials were indicted after the fire, 86 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:03,159 Speaker 1: but none of them were ever charged. The owner of 87 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:06,240 Speaker 1: the theater was charged and convicted, but that charge was 88 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:09,720 Speaker 1: later reversed. None of the victims family has ever received 89 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:13,239 Speaker 1: any kind of restitution, apart from one class action suit 90 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:17,520 Speaker 1: and the members each received seven fifty dollars. This horrible 91 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:20,000 Speaker 1: fire did lead to some changes in the fire code, 92 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:22,840 Speaker 1: including a requirement that doors in the theater needs to 93 00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:26,400 Speaker 1: open outward and be clearly marked. You can learn more 94 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:29,520 Speaker 1: about this in the December eight episode of Stuffy Miss 95 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:33,359 Speaker 1: and History Class. Thanks to Casey Pegram and Chandler Maze 96 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:35,960 Speaker 1: for their audio work on this show. You can subscribe 97 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:39,120 Speaker 1: to This Day in History Class on Apple Podcasts, Google podcast, 98 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:41,560 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio app and where ever else to get 99 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:43,560 Speaker 1: your podcasts, and you can tune in tomorrow for a 100 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:55,840 Speaker 1: disappearance that's still unsolved. Hey everyone, if I sound a 101 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:59,000 Speaker 1: lot cozier today, it's because I am. I'm at home 102 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:02,720 Speaker 1: for the holidays. But this is this day in history class, 103 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:05,599 Speaker 1: which means you'll still get a new slice of history 104 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:15,520 Speaker 1: every day. So let's get on with the show. The 105 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:21,039 Speaker 1: day was December thirtieth, nineteen four American astronomer Edwin Hubble 106 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:25,719 Speaker 1: announced the existence of galaxies beyond the Milky Way. Hubble 107 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:28,839 Speaker 1: graduated from the University of Chicago in nineteen ten with 108 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 1: the Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and astronomy, and in 109 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:35,600 Speaker 1: nineteen fourteen he went back to the University of Chicago 110 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:39,680 Speaker 1: to get his doctorate in astronomy. There he began working 111 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:43,400 Speaker 1: at the yer Keys Observatory, where he studied nebuli or 112 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:47,800 Speaker 1: anything that wasn't immediately identifiable as a star. He got 113 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:51,320 Speaker 1: his doctorate in nineteen seventeen, but that same year the 114 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:55,240 Speaker 1: US entered World War One, and Hubble joined the army. 115 00:06:55,839 --> 00:06:59,760 Speaker 1: Once the war ended, he returned to astronomy. Astronomer George 116 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:03,280 Speaker 1: ha founder of the Yerkes Observatory and director of the 117 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:07,080 Speaker 1: Mount Wilson Observatory, had offered Hubble a job at Mount 118 00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:11,240 Speaker 1: Wilson before he went off to war. In nineteen nineteen, 119 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:16,800 Speaker 1: Hubble took a staff position at Mount Wilson Observatory near Pasadena, California. 120 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:20,720 Speaker 1: There he worked with a one hooker telescope, which was 121 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:24,280 Speaker 1: then the largest in the world. He stayed at the 122 00:07:24,320 --> 00:07:29,360 Speaker 1: observatory for his whole career. At Mount Wilson, Hubble continued 123 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:33,640 Speaker 1: studying nebulae. At this time, scientists thought the Milky Way 124 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:37,560 Speaker 1: made up the entire universe. In spiral nebulae were thought 125 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 1: to be clouds of gas or dust within the Milky Way, 126 00:07:41,680 --> 00:07:45,560 Speaker 1: but in nineteen twelve astronomer Henrietta Levitt showed how to 127 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:49,960 Speaker 1: use stepids or stars set brighten and em periodically to 128 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 1: estimate their distance from Earth, and some astronomers did believe 129 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:58,480 Speaker 1: that the nebulae were distant island universes that were separate 130 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:02,720 Speaker 1: from the Milky Way. Starting in nineteen twenty three, Hubble 131 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:06,880 Speaker 1: identified stefiid variable stars and what was then known as 132 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:11,520 Speaker 1: the Andromeda nebula. Based on their brightness, luminosity, and the 133 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:15,560 Speaker 1: distances of sefiad stars in the Milky Way, Hubble determined 134 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:18,280 Speaker 1: that the stars were at least eight hundred thousand light 135 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:22,200 Speaker 1: years away. That meant that they were beyond the boundaries 136 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:25,320 Speaker 1: of the Milky Way, which had a maximum diameter of 137 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:30,000 Speaker 1: about one hundred thousand light years. This discovery also revealed 138 00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:33,520 Speaker 1: that nebulae are different star systems, and that the universe 139 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:37,040 Speaker 1: extends past the reaches of the Milky Way. He called 140 00:08:37,080 --> 00:08:41,880 Speaker 1: these galaxies extra galactic nebulae. By the end of nineteen 141 00:08:42,920 --> 00:08:47,080 Speaker 1: other astronomers were aware of Hubble's findings. On December thirty, 142 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:51,200 Speaker 1: ninety four, he published his observations for review at a 143 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:54,880 Speaker 1: meeting of the American Astronomical Society that would take place 144 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:59,880 Speaker 1: two days later. Other astronomers accepted Hubble's conclusions pretty quickly. 145 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:05,120 Speaker 1: Hubble went on to find and describe more galaxies, dividing 146 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:08,560 Speaker 1: them into the categories of regular or irregular, and the 147 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:12,200 Speaker 1: regular ones as spiral or elliptical based on their shape, 148 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:18,800 Speaker 1: and he made many other significant contributions to cosmology. Hubble 149 00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:22,760 Speaker 1: combined his work with that of astronomer Vesto Slifer and 150 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:26,800 Speaker 1: his assistant Milton Hamison, and he found an essentially linear 151 00:09:26,840 --> 00:09:31,359 Speaker 1: relationship between the distances of galaxies and their radial velocities. 152 00:09:32,520 --> 00:09:36,760 Speaker 1: That concept came to be known as Hubble's law. Put simply, 153 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:40,080 Speaker 1: it says that the farther apart galaxies are, the faster 154 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:44,040 Speaker 1: they move away from each other. Hubble's findings helped lead 155 00:09:44,040 --> 00:09:48,160 Speaker 1: to the notion of the expanding universe. His work had 156 00:09:48,280 --> 00:09:53,120 Speaker 1: big implications due in part to his observations, Debate intensified 157 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:56,280 Speaker 1: around the idea of the Big Bang or the universe's 158 00:09:56,320 --> 00:10:00,719 Speaker 1: earliest expansion. Some said that the universe expand it from 159 00:10:00,720 --> 00:10:03,880 Speaker 1: a single point at its origin, while others said that 160 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:08,720 Speaker 1: the universe exists in a steady state. The Hubble Space telescope, 161 00:10:08,880 --> 00:10:13,800 Speaker 1: launched by NASA, is named after him. I'm Eves Jeff 162 00:10:13,840 --> 00:10:16,400 Speaker 1: Cote and hopefully you know a little more about history 163 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:19,640 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. If you want to hit 164 00:10:19,720 --> 00:10:22,079 Speaker 1: us up on social media, you can do so at 165 00:10:22,280 --> 00:10:26,240 Speaker 1: t d I h C podcast or you can just 166 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:31,320 Speaker 1: email us at this Day at I heeart media dot com. 167 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:37,000 Speaker 1: Thanks again for listening, and we'll see you tomorrow. For 168 00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:39,200 Speaker 1: more podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the I Heart 169 00:10:39,280 --> 00:10:41,800 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 170 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:42,480 Speaker 1: favorite shows.