Boston Night Club Fire Kills 440 In 1942...

THE NEW YORK TIMES, November 30, 1942. 

* Cocoanut Grove night club disaster in Boston Massachusetts in original reporting

This 40 page newspaper has a three line, three column headline on the front page: "BOSTON FIRE DEATH TOLL 440; NIGHT CLUB HOLOCAUST LAID TO BUS BOY'S LIGHTED MATCH" with subheads and inside page photos of the famous fire which ravaged the Cocoanut Grove night club in Boston MA. Other news of the day throughout. Slightly browned, otherwise in nice condition.

 

Historical Background: The Cocoanut Grove was a nightclub in Boston, Massachusetts. On November 28, 1942, the fashionable nightclub burned in what remains the deadliest nightclub fire in United States history, killing 492 people and injuring hundreds more. It was also the second-worst single-building fire in American history. Only the Iroquois Theater fire in Chicago in 1903 killed more (602). The tragedy shocked the nation and briefly replaced World War II news headlines. The fire led to a reform of fire codes and safety standards across the country. The club's owner, Barney Welansky, who had boasted of his ties to the Mafia and to Boston mayorMaurice J. Tobin, was eventually found guilty of manslaughter.