The Iroquois Theater Fire in Chicago, Illinois, claimed 602 lives on December 30, 1903. It is currently the worst single-building fire in U.S. history, claiming over 100 more fatalities than the Cocoanut Grove fire in Boston. Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... December 30 is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 1 day remaining. ... 1900 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Friday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... // The Cocoanut Grove was a nightclub in Boston, Massachusetts. ... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ...

The exterior of the theatre was only lightly damaged as indicated in this photo taken after the blaze was extinguished

The Iroquois Theater, at 24-28 West Randolph St., was advertised as "absolutely fireproof." That day, over 1,900 people were in attendance at a matinée showing of the popular musical Mr. Bluebeard. At about 3:15 P.M., a light ignited a curtain. The firefighting equipment on hand was ineffective and the protective asbestos curtain failed to drop completely. Actors and dancers fled through a backstage door, and the influx of air fueled a huge fireball. Locked exits, doors that opened inward, and unfinished fire escapes prevented many people from escaping. Of the 500 or so actors, dancers, stagehands, etc., a tightrope walker died. Comedian Eddie Foy was hailed as a hero for attempting to calm the crowd. Foy's role in this disaster is recreated by Bob Hope in the film The Seven Little Foys. Iroquois Theatre in a 1903 photo File links The following pages link to this file: Iroquois Theater Fire ... Iroquois Theatre in a 1903 photo File links The following pages link to this file: Iroquois Theater Fire ... Musical theater (or theatre) is a form of theatre combining music, songs, dance, and spoken dialogue. ... Fibrous asbestos on muscovite Asbestos Asbestos Asbestos (a misapplication of Latin: asbestos quicklime from Greek : a, not and sbestos, extinguishable) describes any of a group of minerals that can be fibrous, many of which are metamorphic and are hydrous magnesium silicates. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke while waiting between takes during location filming An actor or actress is a person who acts, or plays a role, in a dramatic production. ... A contemporary dancer rehearsing in a dance studio Dance generally refers to human movement either used as a form of expression or presented in a social, spiritual or performance setting. ... Fire escapes on the back of a Cincinnati building. ... A comedian, or comic, is an entertainer who amuses an audience by making them laugh. ... Eddie Foy, Sr. ... Bob Hope, KBE (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003), born Leslie Townes Hope, was an English-Born American entertainer who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, on radio and television, in movies, and in performing tours for U.S. Military personnel, well known for his good natured humor and career longevity. ...

After the fire, it was revealed that fire inspectors had been bribed with free tickets to overlook code violations. Accusations began to appear that the asbestos curtain wasn't even asbestos. The curtain had "disappeared" which meant it was either viewed as incriminating evidence and removed or had burned up, in which case it could not have been asbestos (which does not burn). Regardless, the Mayor ordered all theaters in Chicago closed for a week after the fire. A fire marshal, in the United States and Canada, is a member of a fire department responsible for investigating fires. ...

As a result of public outrage, many were charged with crimes, even Mayor Carter Harrison, Jr., but most charges were dismissed. The only person convicted was a tavern keeper charged with robbing the dead. Carter Henry Harrison, Jr. ...

A horse-drawn ambulance is filled with the bodies of victims.

The exterior of the Iroquois was largely intact and reopened as the Colonial Theater, which was torn down in 1926 to make way for the Oriental Theater. Photo scanned from 1904 book about the Iroquois Theater Fire File links The following pages link to this file: Iroquois Theater Fire ... Photo scanned from 1904 book about the Iroquois Theater Fire File links The following pages link to this file: Iroquois Theater Fire ... The Oriental Theatre is located in Chicago, Illinois on Randolph Street. ...

References

Anonymous. Lest We Forget: Chicago's Awful Theatre Horror. Chicago: Memorial Publishing, 1904.

See also

Fire Portal

• Rhythm Night Club Fire--a 1940 fire in Natchez, Mississippi killing 209
• Beverly Hills Supper Club fire--a 1977 fire in Kentucky that claimed 165 lives
• The Station nightclub fire--a 2003 fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island that killed 100
• Collinwood School Fire--a 1908 fire that killed 175 in Cleveland, Ohio
• 2006 Kolkata leather factory fire--a 2006 fire in West Bengal, India that killed at least 10
• Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire--a 1911 fire in New York, New York that killed 146
• Stardust disaster--a 1981 fire in Dublin, Ireland that killed 46
• 1991 Hamlet chicken processing plant fire--a fire in Hamlet, North Carolina killing 25
• Summerland disaster--a 1973 fire on the Isle of Man that killed 51
• Happy Land Fire--a 1990 fire in New York, New York that killed 87
• Cocoanut Grove fire--a 1941 fire in Boston killing 491
• Our Lady of the Angels School Fire--a 1958 fire in Chicago, Illinois that killed 95
• 2006 Moscow hospital fire--a fire in a Moscow hospital killing 46

All of the tragedies above involved people being trapped behind locked doors or windows, or doors that could not be pushed open. Large Bonfire File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Rhythm Night Club fire took place in Natchez, Mississippi on April 23, 1940 and killed 209 African-American party goers, while severely injuring many others. ... Melrose, an antebellum home in Natchez, Mississippi. ... The Beverly Hills Supper Club fire in Kentucky is the third deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Area  Ranked 37th  - Total 40,444 sq mi (104,749 km²)  - Width 140 miles (225 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... The Station Nightclub Fire on the evening of Thursday, February 20, 2003, was the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history, killing 100 people and injuring more than 200. ... Location of West Warwick, Rhode Island. ... Lake View School, Collinwood, Ohio as it appeared before March 4, 1908. ... Cleveland redirects here. ... The 2006 Kolkata leather factory fire was a deadly industrial fire that occurred in West Bengal, India, on November 22, 2006. ... West Bengal (পশ্চিম বঙ্গ, Pościm Bôngo) is a state in the eastern region of India. ... The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City on March 25, 1911, was the largest industrial disaster in the history of the city of New York, causing the death of 146 garment workers who either died in the fire or jumped to their deaths. ... Nickname: Big Apple, Gotham, NYC, City That Never Sleeps, The Concrete Jungle, The City So Nice They Named It Twice Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1676 Government  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area... The Stardust Disaster refers to a fatal fire which took place at the Stardust nightclub in Artane, Dublin, Republic of Ireland in the early hours of February 14, 1981. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... The 1991 Hamlet chicken plant fire took place at the Imperial Foods chicken processing plant in Hamlet, North Carolina, U.S., on September 3, 1991 after a faulty repair to a hydraulic line. ... Hamlet is a city located in Richmond County, North Carolina. ... The Summerland Disaster occurred on the night of August 2, 1973. ... The Happyland Fire killed 87 people trapped in an unlicensed social club called Happy Land in New York City, on March 25, 1990. ... // The Cocoanut Grove was a nightclub in Boston, Massachusetts. ... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, Athens of America, The Hub (of the Universe)1 Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County  - Mayor Thomas M. Menino (D) Area    - City  89. ... Monument at Queen of Heaven Cemetery The Our Lady of the Angels School Fire broke out shortly before classes were to be dismissed on December 1, 1958, at the foot of a stairway in the Our Lady of the Angels School in Chicago, Illinois. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... The 2006 Moscow hospital fire was a fire that occurred on December 9 in a drug addict rehabilitation centre in Southern Moscow, Russia. ...

External links

• http://www.chipublib.org/004chicago/disasters/iroquois_fire.html
• http://www.inficad.com/~ksup/iroquois.html
• http://www.failuremag.com/arch_history_iroquois_theatre.html

Coordinates: 41°53′5″N, 87°37′43″W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...