Exactly 210 years ago today, in St. Giles, London. Everything was fine in the morning. Something happened that afternoon that is still fresh in my memory. On October 17, 1814, a strange incident occurred here. When beer hits the streets. This may sound a bit strange, but it does happen. Historically, this event is known as the London Beer Flood.
It is reported that 8 people were killed in this accident. This event is one of the strangest disasters in history. With a loud bang, the St. Giles area of ​​London was flooded with beer. Soon after, he becomes the victim of a strange disaster. Hundreds of thousands of liters of beer began flowing on the streets. Many people lost their lives as a result. Some people were busy grabbing free drinks.
Giant beer can exploded
An incident was said to have occurred at a brewery called Horseshoe Brewery on the corner of Great Russell Street and Tottenham Court Road. The huge beer fermenters produced here exploded. The tanks are said to contain approximately 3,500 barrels, or 500,000 liters of beer. These tanks are made of wood. When such large quantities of beer began to flow onto the road due to burst tanks, the streets were flooded.
Beer waves in the street reach heights of 15 feet
A wave of beer about 15 feet high moved quickly down the street. No matter what happens, everything is destroyed. At Horseshoe Brewery, beer is brewed in 22-foot-tall wooden fermenters. These water tanks are covered with iron lids. On the day of the incident, the warehouse clerk also inspected it.
During inspection, it was found that the water tank cap was loose.
When warehouse clerk George Crick inspected the tanks, he discovered that one of the tanks had an iron lid that was somewhat loose. But it happened two or three times a year, so George Crick didn’t pay much attention. He said the loose lid would not cause any harm. He said it would be fixed later. But he had no idea that his negligence would bring disaster.
The tank exploded with a loud noise
At around 5:30 pm on October 17, an explosion occurred in the warehouse. This is the sound of a tank exploding. After the tank exploded, hot fermenting beer spewed out with such force that the back wall of the brewery collapsed. The explosion set off a chain reaction that also ruptured valves in adjacent tanks. As a result, approximately 320,000 gallons of beer began flowing on the streets.
many people lost their lives
The floodwaters reached George Street and New Street within minutes, and as city streets had no drainage system, basements began to flood and many houses collapsed. To avoid being swept away, people resorted to tables and furniture. Many people lost their lives. At the same time, after this incident, many people walked out of their homes carrying cups or other utensils, wanting to drink free beer so that they could take the free beer home.
Also read: October 14: First pilot to fly a supersonic aircraft… He surpassed the speed of sound
After the incident, the owners of Horseshoe Brewery filed a lawsuit in court. But instead of holding anyone responsible for the incident, the court deemed it an act of God and absolved the company’s owners of all charges.
Also read: October 13: As the foundation stone of America’s most powerful building was laid, find out how the White House was built
Major events on October 17
1888 – Scientist Thomas Alva Edison patents an optical phonograph.
1912 – Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia declare war on the Ottoman Empire.
1917 – Britain conducts its first air raid on Germany during World War I.
1933 – Renowned scientist Albert Einstein immigrated to the United States from Nazi Germany.
1979 – Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
1955 – Smita Patil – Famous Hindi film actress born.
