Photograph: Marshall Everett. "The Great Chicago Disaster: The Complete Story Told by the Survivors." D.B. McCurdy, 1904. Diagram showing how people got out of the gallery.
On December 30, 1903, The Iroquois Theater at 24-26 W. Randolph was presenting Eddie Foy in "Mr. Bluebeard" to a matinee audience. When a piece of scenery caught fire the flames grew out of control within minutes. The audience, a capacity crowd with many children in attendance, panicked. Many exits were locked. The lights had gone out. In little more than 15 minutes, at least 600 people lost their lives. One result of the tragedy was the adoption of a new set of safety regulations for theaters.
Additional Resources
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| Prior to 1850 |
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| 1850 to 1899 |
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| 1900 to 1949 |
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| 1950 to 2000 |
1950, May 25: Green Hornet Accident, Streetcar Collision with Gasoline Tanker
1955: Heat Wave
1958: Our Lady of Angels School Fire
1961, 1967: Tornados
1966-1977: Riots
1966: Homicide Epidemic Onset
1967, January 16: McCormick Place Fire
1967: Major Snow Storm
1968: Disturbances at the Democratic National Convention
1972, October 30: Illinois Central Gulf Commuter Train Crash
1972, December 8: Crash of United Flight 553 at Midway
1976, January 30: Wincrest Nursing Home Fire
1976: Death of Mayor Richard J. Daley
1977, February 4: El Crash
1979: Major Snowstorm
1979, May 25: American Airlines Flight 191
1981: AIDS Epidemic Onset
1987, November 25: Death Of Mayor Harold Washington
1992, April 13: Freight Tunnel Flood
1995: Heat Wave
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