Special Topics: Engineering Boston

Historian Stephanie Schorow presents three infamous fires that took place in the city of Boston: The Great Boston Fire of 1872, the 1942 Cocoanut Grove Fire, and the collapse of the Vendome Hotel in 1972 (7:11 min).

Information, data, photographs, witness statements, and other historical data collected over the years since the 1942 fire.

Eyewitness accounts of the fire.

This National Archives webpage examines the military-related aspects of the fire.

Historic photos of the devastation.

This Boston Fire Historical Society webpage provides an overview of the fire, with illustrations, a map of the burned area, and links to contemporary accounts of the disaster.

A forensic report on the nightclub fire that claimed 492 lives.

An illustrated overview of the fire from the Boston Fire Historical Society.

Photos and contemporary newspaper accounts of the event.

This article describes the fatal consequences of a tank failure in Boston's North End that resulted in the deaths of 21 people.

A photo essay of the disaster.

This book describes the various industrial and military uses for molasses.

In 1916, a trolley car plunged from a retractable bridge into Boston Harbor. The accident claimed 46 lives.

A PowerPoint presentation from the National Weather Service.

This video shows the long line of vehicles trapped in the snow. Fourteen people died in their cars from carbon monoxide poisoning.

An scientific study of the meteorological conditions that created one of the region's worst snowstorms.

A brief history of one of the worst snowstorms ever to hit the East Coast of the United States.