1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,040 Speaker 1: Hey, history fans, if you want a double dose of history, 2 00:00:03,080 --> 00:00:06,280 Speaker 1: here's a rerun for today, brought to you by Tracy V. Wilson. 3 00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:10,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to This Day in History Class from how Stuff 4 00:00:10,320 --> 00:00:12,520 Speaker 1: Works dot com and from the desk of Stuff you 5 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:14,960 Speaker 1: Missed in History Class. It's the show where we explore 6 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:17,160 Speaker 1: the past one day at a time with a quick 7 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:24,200 Speaker 1: look at what happened today in history. Hello, and welcome 8 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:26,840 Speaker 1: to the podcast. I'm Tracy V. Wilson, and I'd like 9 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:29,120 Speaker 1: to thank my colleague Collie Fry for filling in for 10 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 1: me for the last seven episodes. Today is December. The 11 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:36,040 Speaker 1: Iroquois Theater in Chicago caught fire on this day, in 12 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:41,520 Speaker 1: killing at least six people. This theater was almost brand new. 13 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 1: It had opened on November of that year. Performer Eddie 14 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:49,320 Speaker 1: Foy had described it as quote one of the finest 15 00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 1: that had yet been built in this country. A palace 16 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 1: of marble and plate glass, plush and mahogany and gilding. 17 00:00:57,040 --> 00:01:00,200 Speaker 1: On top of its beauty and magnificence, was supposed used 18 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:04,360 Speaker 1: to be fireproof. It had a capacity of one thousand, 19 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: seven hundred and twenty four, but on this particular afternoon 20 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:11,440 Speaker 1: there were nineteen hundred people inside. It was standing room only, 21 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:14,600 Speaker 1: and most of the people in the audience were mothers 22 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:18,000 Speaker 1: and their children. Was the holiday season, they were taking 23 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:21,760 Speaker 1: family outings, and the second act of the show had 24 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 1: about three fifteen in the afternoon, one of the painted 25 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:28,839 Speaker 1: canvas backdrops brushed up against a reflector on a spotlight. 26 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:33,560 Speaker 1: Stage lights are incredibly hot, and this backdrop started to smolder. 27 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:36,720 Speaker 1: There was a stage hand who saw this happen and 28 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 1: tried to put the fire out, but he just couldn't 29 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:41,839 Speaker 1: reach the backdrop from where he was. There was also 30 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 1: an on site firefighter, and he tried to put the 31 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:48,080 Speaker 1: fire out with two tubes of a product called kill fires. 32 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 1: This was a tin tube and what was inside was 33 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 1: mostly baking soda. This probably would have done an okay 34 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:58,120 Speaker 1: job of putting out something like a grease fire on 35 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 1: the stove in the kitchen, but on the vertical surface 36 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:05,920 Speaker 1: of an oil painted backdrop, it just couldn't do the job, 37 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:09,760 Speaker 1: and the fire started to spread. At first, no one 38 00:02:10,040 --> 00:02:12,400 Speaker 1: in the audience or even on the stage was quite 39 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:15,160 Speaker 1: aware that anything was wrong, because this fire was moving 40 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:19,239 Speaker 1: upward into the fly space above the stage, but then 41 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:23,840 Speaker 1: burning curtains and scenery started to fall onto the stage. 42 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 1: Eddie Foy, who was on stage at the time, tried 43 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 1: to keep the crowd calm, tried to get them to 44 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:33,320 Speaker 1: evacuate in an orderly fashion, but as he was talking, 45 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:37,440 Speaker 1: they were burning curtains falling at his feet. He yelled 46 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 1: to the stage manager to drop the asbestos curtain. This 47 00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:43,600 Speaker 1: was supposed to drop down between the stage and the 48 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 1: audience in case of a fire, but it got snagged 49 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 1: on a light picture and it jammed part way down 50 00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:53,800 Speaker 1: the track. Almost immediately. There was a huge panic in 51 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:58,040 Speaker 1: the audience and backstage. Actors and dancers opened the stage 52 00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:01,400 Speaker 1: door to escape, and that let a blast of air 53 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:05,400 Speaker 1: into the theater. The events that should have allowed this 54 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 1: rush of air to go out through the roof were 55 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:12,520 Speaker 1: nailed shut, and they were also supposed to be fans 56 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:15,519 Speaker 1: that would pull air out through the roof, but those 57 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:19,720 Speaker 1: had never been finished, so the result was an enormous fireball. 58 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:22,680 Speaker 1: Foy stayed on the stage as long as he could, 59 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:26,560 Speaker 1: trying to maintain calm and to get people to exit safely, 60 00:03:26,639 --> 00:03:29,919 Speaker 1: but he was finally forced to leave. He was reunited 61 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:32,040 Speaker 1: with his son, who was with him that day and 62 00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:35,720 Speaker 1: who he had sent outside with a stage hand. Inside 63 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:38,880 Speaker 1: the theater, though, it was horrifying. It was dark, it 64 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 1: was smoky, people couldn't find the exits. A lot of 65 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:46,760 Speaker 1: these exits, of which there were many, were hidden behind draperies, 66 00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:50,000 Speaker 1: and many of them were locked, so many people were 67 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:53,160 Speaker 1: trampled to death trying to get to the exits. Some 68 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:56,760 Speaker 1: died after jumping out of windows. Even some of those 69 00:03:56,800 --> 00:03:59,720 Speaker 1: who landed safely were then crushed by people falling on 70 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:04,000 Speaker 1: tie of them. In just fifteen minutes, the theater was 71 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:09,119 Speaker 1: a total loss. Five seventy people died that day out 72 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:12,520 Speaker 1: of the nine hundred people in the audience, so about 73 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:15,280 Speaker 1: thirty percent of the audience died, and nearly all the 74 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:18,920 Speaker 1: victims were riven and children. There was only one performer 75 00:04:18,960 --> 00:04:22,280 Speaker 1: who was killed. Thirty more people died of their injuries 76 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:27,040 Speaker 1: in the following weeks, and hundreds more were injured, and 77 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:30,679 Speaker 1: it was a huge scandal. This was a supposedly fireproof building, 78 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:35,280 Speaker 1: but so many people had died. It wasn't ever really fireproof, though, 79 00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: and there were people who had pointed out problems long 80 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:41,920 Speaker 1: before the theater opened. The editor of Fireproof magazine had 81 00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:46,000 Speaker 1: pointed out lots of issues before the opening day. Like that, 82 00:04:46,080 --> 00:04:48,400 Speaker 1: there was no draft to draw the fire up into 83 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:50,880 Speaker 1: the loft instead of allowing it to spread out into 84 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:54,200 Speaker 1: the audience, which is what happened. That's just one example. 85 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:59,560 Speaker 1: The theater's manager and several Chicago public officials were indicted 86 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:01,840 Speaker 1: after the fire, but none of them were ever charged. 87 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:05,240 Speaker 1: The owner of the theater was charged and convicted, but 88 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:08,599 Speaker 1: that charge was later reversed. None of the victims family 89 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:11,840 Speaker 1: has ever received any kind of restitution, apart from one 90 00:05:11,839 --> 00:05:14,880 Speaker 1: class action suit and the members each received seven D 91 00:05:15,080 --> 00:05:18,840 Speaker 1: fifty dollars. This horrible fire did lead to some changes 92 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:21,760 Speaker 1: in the fire code, including a requirement that doors in 93 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:24,840 Speaker 1: the theater needs to open outward and be clearly marked. 94 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:27,360 Speaker 1: You can learn more about this in the December eight 95 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:31,760 Speaker 1: episode of Stuffy Miss in History Class. Thanks to Casey 96 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:34,839 Speaker 1: Pegram and Chandler Maze for their audio work on this show. 97 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:37,040 Speaker 1: You can subscribe to This Day in History Class on 98 00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:40,720 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, Google podcast, I Heart Radio app and where 99 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:42,600 Speaker 1: about to get your podcasts, and you can tune in 100 00:05:42,640 --> 00:05:45,760 Speaker 1: tomorrow for a disappearance that's still unsolved.