Full Answer
What was the name of the nightclub in Boston in 1942?
The night of November 28, 1942, promised all the glamour and glitz that made Boston’s most famous night spot, The Cocoanut Grove, legendary. That night, about a thousand revelers gathered to drink and dance the night away. Just hours later, the club would be no more, reduced to a smoldering husk by a five-alarm fire.
How many people died in the Cocoanut Grove fire?
Nearly 500 people died at The Cocoanut Grove that night in the United States’ most deadly nightclub disaster. The fire was the product of a hardened entrepreneur’s greed—but for years, a young bus boy would bear the blame. By the time of the fire, The Cocoanut Grove was a Boston institution. Singer Mickey Alpert and bandleader Jacques Renard had ...
What was Cocoanut Grove?
On the surface, The Cocoanut Grove was a popular, glamorous hangout for Boston’s elite and visiting public figures and movie stars.
How much did Stanley Tomaszewski make at the club?
One of those workers was a bus boy named Stanley Tomaszewski, a high schooler who worked nine-hour shifts at the club for $2.47 (about $38 in today’s money) plus tips.
What was Welansky's club?
But despite its veneer of respectability, Welansky’s club was largely an expensive-seeming facade for a business that ignored building codes, hired gangsters, thugs, and unlicensed workers, and cut corners wherever possible.
Who sold the club in 1931?
They sold the club to Charles “King” Solomon, a gangster, for $10,000 in 1931 (about $155,000 in today’s money).
Who was the lawyer that ran the Cocoanut Grove?
That’s how The Cocoanut Grove ended up in the hands of Barney Welansky, Solomon’s lawyer.
When did the nightclub fire start?
A look at past deadly nightclub fires. While no one knows exactly how the fire started 75 years ago on Nov. 28, 1942, its influence on fire and safety codes and on the medical treatment of burn victims still resonates.
How many people died in the Boston nightclub fire?
It was the deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history, killing 492 people in November 1942. The fire, which erupted at what had been one of Boston's foremost nightspots, led to new requirements for sprinkler systems and accessible exits. AP.
How many people died in Cocoanut Grove?
Rescue workers are seen outside the Cocoanut Grove club in Boston, Mass., Nov. 28, 1942, after fire tore through the nightclub, killing 492 people. AP
What is the name of the club in Boston that was a disaster?
BOSTON -- In the blink of an eye the Cocoanut Grove — one of Boston's swankiest nightclubs — became an unimaginable inferno, trapping hundreds of panicked victims as they jammed the club's exits.
What happened to the Boston College football team on the day of the fire?
On the day of the fire, the Boston College football team was set to play rival Holy Cross College at Fenway Park with a postgame victory party planned for the Cocoanut Grove that evening. Boston College lost and the celebration was canceled.
When was Cocoanut Grove Night Club in Boston?
Firemen inspect the ruins of the Cocoanut Grove Night Club in Boston, Mass., on Nov. 28, 1942. A fire swept through the establishment at night, killing 492 persons. AP.
What time did the Melody Lounge fire start?
The fire started at about 10:15 p.m. as revelers packed the club near the city's South End on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, hoping to forget about the early days of World War II for a few hours. The first flames broke out in a basement portion of the club, known as the Melody Lounge. From there, the fire rushed through the lounge and above ...
1. The Cocoanut Grove
In Boston, the high loss of life was due mainly to a lack of exits and the rapid growth of the blaze.
2. The Rhythm Club
In Mississippi, some died in the rush to the door. There was only one exit.
3. The Beverly Hills Supper Club
Firefighters pick through the remains of the gutted Beverly Hills Supper Club.
4. The Station
A woman grimaces as she is led away from a makeshift memorial in West Warwick, Rhode Island.
5. Happy Land
Months after the Bronx club arson, flowers, wreaths and a banner listing victims showed the community's concern.
What are the worst things that can happen at a nightclub?
Overpriced drinks and getting rejected by a hottie are supposed to be the worst things that can happen at a nightclub. And yet, there are numerous hazards unique to the experience. Too many people crammed into a tiny space, plus buildings that maybe aren't up to building and fire codes, plus the use of flashy pyrotechnics make nightclubs often a deadly, fire-based accident waiting to happen. Modern history is dotted with dozens of tragic nightclub fires that took the lives of people just trying to go out and dance. Here are the most catastrophic ones that resulted in the most voluminous loss of human life.
How long did the fire at the club last?
A revolving door at the front of the club was more or less the only means of exit, and the mass exodus quickly jammed it. In other words, there was no way out. Smoke and flames quickly killed hundreds trapped inside. The blaze lasted just 15 minutes but still killed 492 people in what is still the most devastating nightclub fire in history.
What was the nightclub in the 70s?
The Beverly Hills Supper Club was that kind of place, entertaining customers in Cincinnati-adjacent Southgate, Kentucky, in this old-fashioned manner into the '70s. On the evening of May 28, 1977, more than 1,200 people — twice the building's capacity — packed the Cabaret Room to see John Davidson perform, according to Cincinnati TV station WCPO. Meanwhile, faulty electrical wiring in the walls and ceiling down the hall in the unoccupied Zebra Room led to an unnoticed fire ... until someone opened the door, leading to the quick and deadly spread of toxic fumes and smoke (added to by the burning of plastic-coated draperies and seats) into the overstuffed Cabaret Room.
How many people died in the Yiyuan dance hall fire?
In the chaos, employees failed to get enough emergency exits open in time. The tragic result: 233 people (including Xing, the guy who inadvertently started the fire) became trapped inside and perished. The disco's managers, Li Wenzhong and Li Gexin, were charged with criminal negligence.
What happened in Grenoble in 1970?
Laurent du Pont) became the site of a deadly fire.
Why are fireworks banned?
Many jurisdictions around the world have banned them outright, because a stray spark can ignite dried-out brush or grass and lead to huge fires. And that's just where outdoor use is concerned — it's seemingly unthinkably foolish to ever set off fireworks indoors.
What happened to the Cinq Sept?
According to the BBC, the Club Cinq-Sept was constructed just seven months earlier, and a Halloween party was one of the biggest events in its short history. When fire broke out, interior fittings, such as the ceiling, went up in flames. Parts of the building then fell below, setting people on fire, too. All this sent the panicked masses running for the doors, but they were unable to get out — club organizers had padlocked and planked the doors to prevent people who didn't pay from sneaking in.
How many people died in the Station nightclub fire?
More recently, the Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island (2003) killed 100. The Ghost Ship fire in Oakland, California, in 2016 killed 36. And in England, a fire in the high-rise Grenfell Tower apartment building in West London in 2017 killed 72.
How many people were trapped in the club fire?
The night the fire started, the club was overcrowded. Within five minutes of the fire igniting, the entire club was engulfed, with at least 1,000 people trapped inside.
What Happened at Cocoanut Grove?
The now-infamous Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire claimed 492 lives that night. It remains the deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history. The black and white photos from the evening, almost 80 years later, are a sobering reminder of its toll; dead bodies being carried from the nightclub on stretchers, dazed and unconscious clubgoers lying limply in the arms of strangers, other victims facedown in the cobblestone street.
How Did the Fire Start?
The fire began downstairs, in the Melody Lounge. The exact origins never have been officially determined, but for years many people blamed a busboy, based on an interview of the busboy and the eyewitness accounts of John Heyman, a survivor of the fire.
How many people died in the Cocoanut Grove fire?
The Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire claimed 492 lives that night. It remains the deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history. Boston Public Library
Where did the Melody Lounge fire start?
The fire began downstairs, in the Melody Lounge. The exact origins never have been officially determined, but for years many people blamed a busboy, based on an interview of the busboy and the eyewitness accounts of John Heyman, a survivor of the fire.
How many people were at the Grove?
The Grove held, at its upper limit, maybe 460 people. But with the holiday season starting, a growing war raging in Europe and the Pacific, and everybody looking for a release, the place was packed. On that Saturday evening, as many as 1,000 well-dressed customers were there looking for a good time.
How many people died in the Beverly Hills supper club fire?
history. It occurred on the night of May 28, 1977, during the Memorial Day holiday weekend. A total of 165 people died and more than 200 were injured as a result of the blaze.
How many people died in the Delhi fire?
The total dead from the conflagration was eventually determined to be 165 people. The last victim of the fire, Barbara Thornhill of Delhi Township, died on March 1, 1978, nine months after the fire. Many early sources give the death toll as 164.
What was used for the Beverly Hills Supper Club?
Though the building's frame and ceiling tiling was classified as non-combustible, the Beverly Hills Supper Club made substantial use of wooden building materials, including floor joists for the two-story portion of the complex and framing on interior hallways. It was decorated throughout with highly flammable carpeting and wood wall paneling; event rooms also used wooden tables and supports, as well as tablecloths, curtains, and a variety of other small combustible materials. The building did not have a fire-suppression sprinkler system installed—at the time, these were not required in venues such as the Supper Club —nor did it have an alarm system or smoke detectors. In addition, the majority of the paths of egress in each event room led not to the outside of the building, but to a variety of narrow interior corridors and service spaces.
How to exit the Cabaret Room?
A smaller, branching corridor led from the internal corridor to an exit door that sat between the Garden Room and the Cabaret Room; to exit the building from the Cabaret Room using that corridor, a person would need to pass through a set of double doors into the main interior corridor, pass through a single door between the main interior corridor and the branching interior corridor, turn a sharp corner into the branching corridor, and proceed approximately one-quarter of the length of the Cabaret Room to the single door that connected the branching corridor to the exterior of the building. This complex navigation was not atypical for the building; a number of other event and services spaces were scattered throughout the rest of the building, with some rooms leading into each other, some leading into interior hallways, and some leading to the outside of the building. A partial second story covered approximately the southern third of the building, sitting above the main entrance, Zebra Room, and main dining room; it held two more small event rooms made of six smaller rooms conjoined, collectively labeled the Crystal Rooms.
How many people were in the Cabaret Room on May 28 1977?
According to later estimates based on seating charts and memories of those present, the number of people in the Cabaret Room at 9:00 p.m. on May 28 was between 900 and 1,300. Regardless of the exact number each gives, sources agree that the room was well beyond its safe holding limit.
How many people died in the Viennese Room?
By the end of June 1, 28 more bodies had been discovered, bringing the death toll up to 162 . All but two of the dead were found in and around the Cabaret Room, with 125 clustered near the room's north exit and another 34 at the room's southern exit. Two bodies were removed from the Viennese Room. A small number of fire victims died after being rescued from the scene: one on June 25, one on July 2, and the last on March 1, 1978, nearly a year after the fire. This brought the number of verified deaths to 165.
Where is the Beverly Hills Club?
Club. The Beverly Hills was a major attraction, less than 2.5 miles (4 km) outside Cincinnati, just across the Ohio River in Southgate, Kentucky, on US 27, near what would later become its interchange with Interstate 471.
First Flames
Cause Unclear
Building Codes
- Anyone leaving a department store may have wondered why a central revolving door is often flanked by hinged doors on either side. That's one legacy of the Coconut Grove fire, where so many died as they tried to exit the club's single revolving door. The revolving door was only part of the problem. Adding to the death toll was the club's crowded conditions (with estimates of abou…
Treating The Burned
- After the fire, 166 people, many suffering burns, were rushed to two nearby hospitals — Boston City Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital — offering a real world test of the treatment of burns. Pearl Harbor had occurred a year earlier and the federal government had pumped money into Mass General for burn research. The idea of blood banks and reserves of plasma was still r…
Marking The Site
- There are few visible reminders of the fire, and that in itself has been a source of controversy over the years. In 1993, a memorial plaque was placed on a sidewalk in the city's Bay Village neighborhood, at the site where the nightclub once stood, honoring "the more than 490 people who died as a result of the Cocoanut Grove fire on November 28 194...
The Fire's Embers
- The blaze has continued to resonate through the years. In 2004, then-Republican Gov. Mitt Romney signed into law a bill, which supporters called the state's toughest fire regulations since the Cocoanut Grove, requiring sprinklers in all nightclubs, bars, discos and dance halls with occupancy limits of 100 or more. More than six decades after the Cocoanut Grove, however, a bl…