Although beer is enjoyed all over the world, too much of a good thing can be harmful.
Consider the London Beer Flood, an industrial catastrophe in October 1814 that resulted from a massive porter vat at the Horse Shoe Brewery breaking, sending a 15-foot high tsunami of beer sweeping through the streets. Thankfully, there has never been another beer flood like it. This is what truly happened.
The presence of such a sizable single vat of beer can be attributed to the fact that London breweries were drawn to having large porter vats. According to author Ian S. Hornsey in his book A History of Beer and Brewing, “it is thought that one of the most spectacular sights, certainly at the major London porter breweries, was the sheer size of the storage vats, with much kudos being attached to the brewer in possession of the largest example.” Breweries in London began using vats with a capacity of 1,500 barrels each in 1763, and the size of the vats only increased until the beer flood.
The Horse Shoe Brewery’s broken beer vat wasn’t even the largest one there, as noted by beer historian Martyn Cornell. Although historians disagree about the exact volume the broken vat held (between 3,500 and 7,500 barrels), a modern author Cornell cites claims that the brewery’s largest vat held 18,000 barrels and was held together by eighty tons of iron.
The broken vat contained enough beer to cause mayhem, that much is certain. The brewery’s back wall collapsed, allowing the dark liquid to spill out onto New Street and the surrounding area.
One anonymous American described the experience in a piece that appeared in The Knickerbocker some 20 years later. “All of a sudden, I found myself borne onward with great velocity by a torrent which burst upon me so suddenly as almost to deprive me of breath,” the author wrote. When the flood subsided, he was rescued while exploring the city; other residents weren’t as fortunate.
St. Giles Rookery, a poor neighborhood where many of the city’s most vulnerable people lived in crammed cellars below ground, was where the Horse Shoe Brewery was located. According to History.com, because it occurred on a Monday afternoon, men and boys of working age were away from the scene at their jobs, leaving only women and children as victims.
Some of the residents managed to stay alive by climbing up furniture. Others were less fortunate, according to Rory Tingle’s article in The Independent. Hannah Banfield, a young child, and her mother Mary were having tea at their New Street home when the downpour began. A child’s body was being surrounded by victims in a cellar when five of them perished. Both were swept away in the current and died. Sarah Bates, a three-year-old girl, was the final victim.
According to History.com, “Soaked in poverty, the St. Giles neighborhood was now saturated with beer.” In search of people trapped by the devastation, neighbors waded through beer and wreckage. According to newspaper accounts, everyone kept quiet in order to hear the cries of those who were trapped.
The CBC reports that “contemporary descriptions suggest that residents reacted with commendable calm.” Beer expert Martyn Cornell told Carol Off of the CBC that reports of eager beer drinkers swarming the scene were merely rumors. According to the historical newspaper reports, he claimed, nothing similar occurred. Newspapers at the time “wouldn’t have been friends of the immigrant Irish,” he claimed, so the fact that they don’t mention a mob descending on the beer flood suggests that it didn’t happen. St. Giles Rookery was crowded with Irish immigrants.
In fact, he said, “the accounts of what happened in the immediate aftermath of the disaster say that everyone was very calm and they were urged to be as quiet as they could so that any survivors could be heard under the rubble.” Later, he claimed, the rumors started.
After all the beer had been consumed, the brewery’s owner had no problems. According to History.com, it “received a waiver from the British Parliament for excise taxes it had already paid on the thousands of barrels of beer it lost”; this meant that it was exempt from paying taxes on future batches of beer that were the same size. According to Tingle, the beer flood was deemed a “unavoidable act of God” by the jury. The government or the company gave nothing to those whose homes were destroyed and who lost loved ones.
What is the story behind Wrigley chewing gum?
Wrigley's was originally a soap company that gifted baking powder with their soap. The baking powder became more popular than the soap so they switched to selling baking powder with chewing gum as a gift. The gum became more popular than the baking powder so the company switched to selling gum.
William James Sidis: The smartest person yet forgotten by people
William James Sidis, who was only 11 years old when he enrolled in Hardvard, finished his primary and secondary schooling in less than a year. He knew eight foreign languages by the age of eight and even invented his own language, "vedergood."
Sylvan Goldman: The Visionary Who Revolutionized Shopping with the Cart
The inventor of shopping carts, Sylvan Goldman, had to hire several male and female models to push carts around in his store, demonstrate their utility, and explain their use to other customers, due to not catching on initially.
Will & William Wests: The puzzling situation of two inmates who are identical but not related
These are the mugshots of Will West and William West, and they are not related. They were both sent to Leavenworth Prison at the same time, in 1903, and after some confusion, the staff understood they had two different prisoners with the nearly same name, who looked exactly alike. They are part of the reason fingerprints are now used as identification.
The History Behind the “No One Dies Alone” Program
In 1986, while doing a night shift at the hospital, Sandra Clarke, a registered nurse, was asked by an elderly patient to stay. She promised to be back after checking on her other patients, but by the time she returned, the gentleman had passed away. Clarke became one of the key figures in launching No One Dies Alone, a program that allows volunteers to sit with terminal patients who have no one else.
Medals of Friendship: The Enduring Olympic Story of 1936
At the 1936 Summer Olympics, two Japanese pole vaulters named Sueo Oe and Shuhei Nishida tied for second, but they declined to compete against each other. As a result, Nishida was awarded the silver medal and Oe won a bronze medal. Upon returning to Japan, the athletes had their medals cut in half and spliced together to create new "friendship medals," which were half silver and half bronze.
Tunnels Dug by ancient giant sloths, A South American Megafauna
For years, scientists didn’t know what caused mysterious cave networks in South America. In 2010, they learned that the caves were actually tunnels dug by ancient giant sloths
The 1976 April Fools' Pranks, Planetary Alignment
On April fool's Day, 1976, the BBC convinced many listeners that a special alignment of the planets would temporarily decrease gravity on Earth. Phone lines were flooded with callers who claimed they felt the effects.
Robert Odlum, the first person to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge
The first person to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge was a professional high diver who "wanted to demonstrate that people did not die simply by falling through the air, thus encouraging people to be willing to jump from a burning building into a net." He proved himself correct by safely falling 135 feet through the air and dying only when he hit the water.
Keith Sapsford: The Story of 14-Year-Old Stowaway
The final image of 14-year-old Australian Keith Sapsford, who aspired to travel the world. In February 1970, he sneaked into the wheel-well of a plane flying from Sydney to Tokyo. It opened mid-air & fell out. When a photographer was testing a new lens, he captured this moment on film and was surprised when it developed.
The Tragic Story Of Mary Ann Bevan, The ‘Ugliest Woman In The World’
After the death of her husband, Mary Ann Bevan had no income to support herself and her children. She then decided to enter a contest where she won the title of “ugliest woman” and was later hired by a circus. She endured this ridicule from the world to provide for her family.
How Dmitri Mendeleev Developed the periodic table of the elements
1850 Dmitri Mendeleev walked almost a thousand miles to Moscow so he could apply for the University of Moscow. Although he was not accepted, he walked to St. Petersburg where he was accepted, And with that education, he developed the the periodic table of the elements
Quaker Oats Fed Children with Radioactive Oatmeal
In the 1940s and 1950s, Quaker Oats and MIT conducted experiments on radioactive iron and calcium-containing cereal. The diet was part of a study to see if the nutrients in Quaker oatmeal traveled throughout the body. In January 1998, a $1.85 million settlement was reached for 30 victims who came forward.
Man's Blood Helped Save Millions of Babies
Australian blood donor James Harrison has been one of our most impressive and valued donors, having donated for 60 years. Know his story, how he was a pioneer of our Anti-D program, and why this matters.
Nearest Green, America's first known Black master distiller
Nathan "Nearest" Green was an African-American head stiller who is now more frequently referred to as a master distiller. He was renowned for imparting his distilling knowledge to Jack Daniel, the creator of Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey distiller, after Jack Daniel was freed from slavery following the American Civil War.
The story of a man who spent 72 hours with 72 venomous snakes to prove they only bite when provoked
In the 1980s, an Indian man spent 72 hours in a glass cabin with 72 snakes, some of which were extremely venomous. His aim was to prove that snakes only attack when provoked. Remarkably, he was not bitten once in those 72 hours and even set a Guinness World Record in the process.
Vince Coleman, a railway dispatcher, sacrificed his own life
Vince Coleman, a railway dispatcher, sacrificed his life in order to warn an incoming train of an imminent explosion. His telegraph said “Hold up the train. Ammunition ship afire in harbor making for Pier 6 and will explode. Guess this will be my last message. Good-bye, boys.” He saved 300 lives.
Top 10 Greatest and shocking Archaeological Discoveries of All Time
While we're all locked at home, there's no better way to escape to another time and place than to learn about amazing archeological sites and discoveries from around the world. Here are the 10 greatest and shocking archaeological discoveries —and don't be shocked if they inspire future trip plans whenever it's safe to do so again.
Story of Kathrine Switzer: the first woman to run in Boston Marathon
Before women were allowed to run in the Boston Marathon, Kathrine Switzer participated. A race official attempted to forcefully remove her from the race in 1967, but her boyfriend pushed him down. She was the first female finisher who had a numbered entry in the race.
The Day an Israeli F-15 Landed with One Wing: Zivi Nedivi’s Unbelievable Mid-Air Survival
Discover the astonishing true story of Israeli pilot Zivi Nedivi, who safely landed an F-15 after a mid-air collision tore off its entire right wing. Learn how skill, quick thinking, and the F-15’s unique design turned a disaster into a legendary feat in aviation history
Shizo Kanakuri’s 1912 Olympic Marathon Finished 54 Years
At the 1912 Olympics, a marathon runner quit and went home to Japan without telling officials and was considered a missing person in Sweden for 50 years. In 1966, he was invited to complete the marathon. His time: 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes, and 20.379 seconds.
Inside The Mysterious Death Of The Famed Gothic Writer Edgar Allan Poe
Hours before his death Edgar Allen Poe was found on the streets of Baltimore. He was incoherent, wearing another man’s clothes, and unable to explain how he got there. The cause of his death is an unsolved mystery.
Poto And Cabengo: The Secret Language Of Twins
Poto and Cabengo, as the two girls called each other, communicated in their own language. The twins were ignored by their parents and secluded from the outside world because their father felt they were developmentally retarded, and their unique language evolved as a result of that neglect.
Martin Couney, Saved Thousands of Premature Babies Wasn’t a Doctor at All
Martin Couney never qualified as a medical doctor. However, in the 1900s, he saved thousands of premature babies by exhibiting them in incubators at his Coney Island sideshow. Over the course of his career, he is said to have saved about 6,500 babies that had previously been written off by mainstream medicine.
The history of Flour sack clothing fashion
After Kansas mill owners found women reused flour sack materials into apparel in the 1920s and 1930s, they started applying patterned designs to give families with more fashionable patterns and material.
