THIS DAY IN HISTORY:
The Collinwood School Fire (1908)
In one of the deadliest disasters of its kind in the United States, 172 children and three adults were killed when an elementary school caught fire in Collinwood, Ohio. Though the building's doors opened outward, they were fitted with regular door latches instead of panic bars, which hindered the evacuation. As the conflagration rapidly spread, many children became trapped.
