| Description |
1 online resource (6 min.) |
| Series |
Infamous places ; 8 |
|
World history in video
|
| Summary |
New London, Texas: The place was the New London school in Texas. The date was the 18th of March 1937. The event was the deadliest ever to take place in the US school building. Despite the great depression New London was a prosperous town banks to an oil fine seven years earlier and the school have been constructed for the princely sum of $1 million, but still short cuts were taken. To save money the natural gas contract had been cancelled and a tap had been installed into a residue gas line, this would be the school's undoing. Being odorless and colorless leaking gas had been causing the students headaches, but was undetected until that Thursday afternoon of March. Triggered by the switching on of an electric sander the explosion destroyed the school killing at least 300 people. New York Harbor, New York City: On the 29th of October 1932, the most powerful steam turbo electric propel passenger ship ever constructed was launched in front of 200,000 people lining the banks of the Loire River in France . But the infamous place associated with the French Lines SS Normandy would on the other side of the world, New York Harbor to be exact in 1942 . After the fall of France in 1940, the US Government seized the Normandy and in 1941 the Navy decided to convert her into a Troopship called the USS Lafayette. But on the 9th of February, the following year, the ship was moored at Manhattan's Pier 88, the sparks from a welding torch ignited the capo used to stuff the thousands of life jackets stored in first class dining room. With the ship's fire protection system disabled during the conversion, the fire spread rapidly and hoses of the New York City Fire Department did not fit the ships French design inlets. All on board abandoned the ship |
| Notes |
Previously released on DVD |
|
Title from resource description page (viewed Sept. 1, 2011) |
|
English |
| Subject |
Explosions -- Texas -- New London -- History -- 20th century
|
|
Natural gas -- Accidents -- Texas -- New London -- History -- 20th century
|
|
School accidents -- Texas -- New London -- History -- 20th century
|
|
Ships -- Fires and fire prevention -- New York (State) -- New York -- History -- 20th century
|
|
Ships.
|
|
ships.
|
|
Explosions.
|
|
Natural gas -- Accidents.
|
|
School accidents.
|
|
Ships.
|
|
Ships -- Fires and fire prevention.
|
|
New London (Tex.)
|
|
New York Harbor (N.Y. and N.J.)
|
|
New York (State) -- New York.
|
|
Texas -- New London.
|
|
United States -- New York Harbor.
|
| Genre/Form |
Documentary
|
|
Documentary television programs.
|
|
History.
|
|
Nonfiction television programs.
|
|
Documentary television programs.
|
|
Nonfiction television programs.
|
|
Documentary.
|
|
Documentaires télévisés.
|
|
Émissions télévisées autres que de fiction.
|
| Form |
Streaming video
|
| Author |
Swain, Madeleine, narrator
|
|
