The Cleveland Clinic X-Ray Incident | A Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror
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- Опубликовано: 16 июн 2024
- "On the 15th of May, 1929, hundreds of doctors, nurses and patients were going about their business inside the outpatient building of the Cleveland Clinic..."
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
00:44 - History of The Cleveland Clinic
02:00 - The Day of the Incident
06:52 - The Aftermath
08:27 - The Cleveland Clinic Today
MUSIC:
► "Glass Pond" by Public Memory
#Documentary #History #TrueStories
I used to work at that Cleveland Clinic Campus, there’s a huge memorial about this on the first floor of the original building.
That's awesome
I used to walk through that building a lot and read the history there. I'm surprised I missed the memorial detailing it. Guess I gotta look again.
I'm glad they have a memorial! Too often we hear that nothing, or almost nothing, was done to remember those lost.
The original building is still there?
@@SonicBoone56 Did you watch the video? 🤔
"It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness; that is life."
Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, great quote
What do you mean "no mistakes"? They had a bare bulb next to film that's damn near explosive. Film that gives off poisonous gas when it burns, and was famous for how ridiculously easy it was to ignite. This wasn't just a mistake, it was an embarrassing one that 4 year old don't make
@@lithuaniaball i meant they committed no mistakes by the standard of the regulations of that time, they were justified to think that by following the safety regulations they would be safe. NOW we know how dangerous that was and even if they knew how dangerous those things were, their government told them it was safe and they trusted ((I'm trying to get my point across but idk, I'm not a native english speaker))
@@alme4898 didn't your mother ever ask you if you'd jump off a bridge just because all your friends were doing it? The fact the regulations at the time were a mistake themselves doesn't absolve the people who made that same mistake in following them
@@lithuaniaball dude I was trying to have a nice discussion with someone random on the internet, but if you're gonna be so rude then think whatever you want, let's agree to disagree and be done with this, have a nice life
The testimony of the woman preparing to jump to safety then immediately collapsing back inside the building made me genuinely feel sick. So horrifying and frustrating
You may want to stick to the ‘fascinating’ and skip on the ‘horror’ when it comes to further video selection. 🤷🏼♂️
MAJOR CORRECTION - The police officer Ernest Stab DID NOT die. He continued to work for the police department for another 25 years. He lived a full and happy life.
I looked this up and there is nothing to support your claim. You may wish to provide something to back this up.
@@beaka63 I looked it up as well, and every article I read said he survived. He suffered from recurring medical problems but remained a police officer for another 25 years, as a detective. So, yeah. Check again.
Policeman Ernest Staab's Heroic Effort
ID: 5584 | This file appears in: The Cleveland Clinic X-Ray Fire of 1929
Perhaps the largest heroic effort was made by Policeman Ernest Staab, who was recorded as saving 21 lives during the tragedy that killed 123 people at the Cleveland Clinic. After seemingly recovering and returning to duty, he collapsed while working on his lawn. Near death, he was rushed to a hospital and placed under an oxygen tent as shown above. Although Staab endured recurring medical problems for the rest of his life as a result of the Clinic disaster, he remained in the Cleveland Police Department for another quarter-century, where he served as a detective. | Source: Cleveland Memory Project, Cleveland State University Library Special Collections
Wow. Sounds like he had continuing medical problems, but I'm glad to know he survived.
@@beaka63 google the incident, him surviving is specifically clarified in the opening section on the wiki page
I've never heard of this case before and it really shocked me. The part about the woman almost being saved but collapsing inside the building broke my heart. They were so close
This one made me cry. It's just so sad.
wei wuxian!
Wei Wuxian :)
Me too. The whole story is tragic, but that part really got to me.
Eh, if it was that close she probably wouldn't have survived more than a few weeks of assisted breathing anyway.
It was a wonderful facility, they did everything right, and a local philanthropist allowed their work to continue while the building was out of commission.
One of the least fury-inducing stories you've ever read.
Darn rich people, am I right?
@zeropoint216 I know, rich people are like any other repressed minority, am l right? As this channel has pointed out workers really do have easy, low risk jobs.
Marxist in the chat 💬 again. 😒
Fury-inducing? What the?
@@exophthalmos1 I think they mean that the accident was not caused by willful negligence on the part of the owner as is the case with many of the disasters covered on this channel.
My grandmother worked at the Cleveland Clinic as a young woman when this happened. She told me about this story when I was a young boy. She for some reason which I can no longer remember did not go into work that day. She said that her friends were all killed. One of them was found with a cigarette still in her hands as the gas killed her so quickly. She was never the same from what I can gather after that. She returned home to live with her parents and eventually married my grandfather when she was 34 years old. I have since read about this but until now not seen a video about it. This was very interesting especially since my grandmother dodged death by not going to work that day.
What a horrible experience for your grandmother!
I've never heard about this, which is weird as an Ohioan. I'm a first aid instructor, and there's a good reason why we train people not to enter a scene where multiple people appear to be unconscious without an obvious cause.
But “heroes” are going to go anyway.
@@scharf74 And make more victims. Rule one is “don’t create more people who need to be rescued.”
@@TrappedinSLC EXACTLY.
And it is very difficult to identify the cause as it could be anything. From the top of my head I would tend to think it is something electrical, which means I would be so done if it turns out to be gas or anything else.
@@TrappedinSLC Like that Coast Guard(?) Ship that had like 3-5 people or so drop dead due to entering a bolted shut oxygen deprived room, while trying to tie down an anchor chain then rescue the others who'd passed out and died.
The cop that pulled out 21 people before losing his own life is an ultimate hero. Truly selfless.
Now that's a real man.
I don't normally get to say that, without irony or cynicism. It's just actually true.
@@Vespyr_ Yeah... So apparently the only way to be considered a real man is to sacrifice one's own life. That's quite a high standard there. I agree he's a true hero, but I'm hoping you are able to acknowledge other "real men" who were able to attain their man status without making the ultimate sacrifice.
That's back when cops were actually heros.
@@motoguy9299
They still are. You just buy into a bullshit narrative pushed by commies.
@@nampyeon635 Did I use the word only? I don't recall my words reflecting your insecurities. Are you sure you didn't just misread my message and project your anxieties onto me? I'd check again, because, ah, seems like that to me.
The way you relate these stories is so compassionate, despite how matter-of-fact you are about it. I can't get over how well you portray these disasters, aiming always to educate and inform.
I'd love him to read some asstr to me, yano late night?
Well put. I'm happy I found this channel.
It's also important to mention that his diction and pronunciation are both absolutely spot on.Therefore, it's impossible to misunderstand anything he says. I'm sure non- native English language speakers are more than grateful for this consideration.
Top notch.
Among the best this genre has to offer.
Agreed. It’s an intricate balance between facts and respect that he pulls off eloquently. How, for instance, he names the dead if there is a list, doesn’t seem to put a scale of horror that’s based on how many died, and also takes the time to mention brave individuals. Just hearing him speak about the officer in this video got me misty-eyed
The Cleveland Clinic went on to save my mother’s life, and I will forever be grateful to the organization itself and the people who work tirelessly for the care of others
That's awesome man
You grew up to be a s_cker!! 🍭
As soon as "Fire" and "Room To Store X-Ray Film" was mentioned, I knew straight away - Nitro Cellulose film. 02:25 ☹ Unfortunately, that was the only substrate widely available at the time. It is particularly susceptible to heat and doesn't require much to cause ignition. Nitrocellulose is not called guncotton for nothing.
Gun Cotton is different. NC film is Collodion which is soluble in a solution of Ether and Alcohol. Gun cotton is insoluble in that mixture but soluble in Acetone.
Did you know that some orders of nuns used to use fabric lined with cellulose to make their elaborately folded veils and wimples, but they had to stop because nuns kept catching fire?
Considering that Hollywood still used Nitrate Film at the time still.
My grandma normally walked past that building on her way home from school. That day a policeman wouldn’t allow her to take that route home.
Your grandma sounds like an old lady.
😯😯
@@ronalddregan9431 grandmas usually are! 😮😉
liar
@@ronalddregan9431 She’s been gone for fifteen years. She was born in 1916. I’m old now!😂
At least Officer Staab gave those people he pulled out a chance of survival even if it was minimal. It’s also always good to see the institution in these incidents to not only survive their respective disaster but to renovate and continue to be successful. As usual though to eventually know and have the correct safety standard there had to be tragedy first.
Yes! I wouldn’t have thought anyone could survive that.
I'm sure a clinic today would be so buried with criminal charges and wrongful death suits that the clinic would have to go bankrupt. Fortunately, an accident could still be an accident then. However, I would hope someone would have built a monument to the brave man who went back in again and again to save others and I I would hope that some restitution was made to the many victims.
No one would staab him
@@orangehoof Everything was so new, so unknown back then. It was truly an accident. They did everything by the books and it still happened.
If this were a known danger they let befall their building, the punishment would be much more severe, as it should.
true hero.
One of the things I love about this channel is he doesn't bury the lede. He says exactly what happened at the beginning. Then backs up and works up to it in more detail.
*Thank you all for the correction.
*lede
It's a common mistake.
Agreed. It’s “bury the lede.”
Lede
@@EsmereldaPea Thank you. I learned a new word today.
Both 'lede' and 'lead' are apparently acceptable spellings, though 'lede' is the original journalistic spelling.
Whenever feeling down about our city, the one constant bright spot is the Cleveland clinic, people come from all over the world for there cardio care, and it's nice having such a respected facility so close
Is it free? I hear horror stories of people going to hospital in America and getting a crazy bill worth thousands. I am grateful my back surgery will be free in my country, can't imagine becoming so in debt for healthcare :(
@@Robin_Coffins your stories are scare tactics. Your government loves controlling you through rationing your care. I lived in Canada for 4 years. My beautiful 15 year old daughter has permanent damage to her knee. They don’t have enough diagnostic machines to see what needs to be done. We paid 57% of our income in taxes. We didn’t realized we should’ve done a poor job at work so we didn’t make more money. My family and I, 6 of us, has NEVER spent that much on healthcare. I had hypothyroidism that went undiagnosed for 3 years. The doc didn’t want to order a test for $12.50. You do know they get bonuses for keeping costs down, right? Plus don’t get sick after 60. They call them ‘cost/benefit meetings’, instead of the death panels they are. They figure out the cost of a procedure vs what will be earned from them in taxes. I had medical professionals as friend. Brand new, state of the art hospital and my friend, an O.B. nurse, said they didn’t plan financially so didn’t open 95% of the OB section. Women were having babies in the halls. Very new, sparkly clean halls
@@debbylou5729 i knew that the "free" healthcare policies were impractical, but never knew they were this disgusting in practice. I'm sorry that you went through this.
@@Robin_Coffins It is VERY TRUE that you can go for medical care in the US and receive a bill for thousands. Happens everyday.
@@Robin_Coffins Nothing is free. The money is coming from somewhere. Your back surgery is happening at the expense of something or someone somewhere and you're likely paying your share in an area of your surplus so that it still feels free.
A ghastly story, stunningly presented. No "bells and whistles" of turgid music or special effects. Just the facts, given with your inimitable voice and clear speech.
I absolutely love the music Facinating Horror DOES use. It has become Iconic to me and synonymous with the name and content. Today's video was no exception to the excellent production value.
👻🧟♂️💀I was hoping for a little cheesy horror, but sometimes, less is more
Turgid and inimitable? I’ll be using that as a pick up line. Thanks!!
@@andorfedra
I also liked the music he used earlier.
The List murders, the music he used there is very eerie ..
You've described why I absolutely love this channel
Finally a disaster where no one is to blame and everything was truly just an unfortunate accident. Shoutout to Officer Staab, he's one of the few real life Superman.
@T Retano Uh, what if they need them quickly for an emergency?
@T Retano nobody knew at the time this would happen though.
Well, I think stupidity was to blame. Zero risk assessment...not good.
No one? Not even some chemist not pointing out the risks? Or a manager who was made aware of his assessment of what could happen?
Yeah irradiated sheets of plastic catch fire and it's so toxic people died in seconds..?
Yeah, nothing to see here. It's almost a feel good news story.
Except for all the dead people.
I've been to the Cleveland Clinic more times than I can remember but never knew about this event. Learning about the history of places I've seen, been to, or lived near always fascinates me.
This story struck so many personal chords with me. I grew up near Cleveland and am very familiar with the Cleveland Clinic. I am also a photo archivist and have learned the dangers if this type of film. Thank you, once again, for a well researched and tactfully presented bit of history. ❤️
Never heard this disaster before, thanks Fascinating Horror
Me too bro, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a cover-up operation of the alphabet soups. One (or more) of the doctors had probably discovered a cure for a disease that was going to cost the meds industry a lot of big bucks.
Same. I've been to the Cleveland clinic when I was and their care there is great, or at least it was then. Would've never guessed.
@@josianehemia2 Alphabet soups?
@@stabbityjoe7588 FBI, CIA, NSA....Alphabet soups
Last 2/Mths, I've been having an ALLERGIC REACTION to something in my swMobile Home. It reminded me of the Dude w/burlap bag on face in A Batman Movie that exhaled a Chemical n2 faces of anyone near conversating with. My Bday, 8/01; my window ac unit got me! Instant DRY THROAT-SLAMMED-STR8 CHOKE'N GAG!! Day before, Saturday; Lil Bro's GF came by to do Laundry & once the DRYER was Good-N- HOT; dang! I'ma do another reply & send this on
One of the few stories on this channel where no one was really to blame. No one knew this could happen & they were doing the right thing by the accepted standards if the time. It’s always more horrific when you find out that some POS knew there was a significant risk & knew they were breaking laws but does it anyway which leads to people dying.
The flammability of x-ray film was well known at the time, it is why they kept them separate from the main areas. Everyone responsible for the film would have known this. Still there isn't any specific person to blame, it was just how they did it at the time.
@@chilliinsanity6898 Exactly; Very similar to the nitrate film used in movies at the time. Lots of storage fires, theatre fires, etc. were the result of nitrate film-- But while it was a very well known risk, there was simply no other way to handle it that they knew of at the time, and no viable alternative until acrylic and other types of film were developed later on. Even stored correctly, nitrate can go up immediately and with little warning; It can self-ignite. EDIT: To clarify, both x-ray and movie film were nitrate, but sometimes film reels were treated with tinting in early attempts to colourise movies. As a result, some of these chemicals became even more volatile combined with nitrate as it degraded, causing massive and even more violent fires.
This tragedy lead to changes in the way hazardous materials were stored, all across the country. No one realized the dangers and the need for strict storage protocols...until now! I think it's safe to say that the ignorance of the day was a disaster waiting to happen. If it wasn't the Cleveland Clinic, it was bound to happen somewhere, eventually. You can't really blame them; they just didn't know!
All safety regulation is written in blood.
@@effluviah7544 Film vault fires were so common that around 75% of silent movies have no surviving copies (and that’s a pretty conservative estimate)
The thought of that woman on the balcony being so close to safety and ultimately falling back into the deadly building is so sad
These stories creep me the hell out, but I can’t stop watching them. Brilliant editing and execution!
There was one rule that my high school chemistry teacher impressed on all of us to remember after graduating above all others. "If you can see a gas, you need to run away. The only gases you can see are the ones that will kill you where you stand."
Edit for the smartasses in the replies: Yes, there are plenty of odorless, tasteless, colorless vapors that can kill you too. But there are also colorless gases that you need to live. There are zero colored gases that won't hurt you in a bad way.
Edit 2: The trend of folks assuming I use male pronouns while trying to pick comment fights is... interesting.
Oh wow. That's incredibly simple and useful and should be common knowledge!
Too bad the class clown wasn’t there to rip a fart. Also that teacher is wrong. Well intentioned but the “colored gas is bad” line is not correct.
@@ronalddregan9431 Why is it not correct?
@@hziebicki CO, carbon monoxide, colourless, odourless, 1,28% is deadly enough to kill you after 2,3 breaths.
CO2 can kill you to. even non toxic gas can kill you by basically displacing any oxygen and you die because your brain and lungs run out of air to breathe
@@a_lethe_ion The point wasn't that all toxic gases are colored, it was that most colored gases are toxic.
'The Cleveland Clinic would survive" understatement of the century...best cardiac care in the world
Do you think this tragedy inspired people to redouble their efforts? It’s definitely a triumph of spirit.
Nope. The best cardiac team in the world is at Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Great transplant center as well.
@@oldlace4u467 lol
@@oldlace4u467 nope.
I love that you tell the stories of historic events from long ago that many people have no idea ever happened, because they happened so long ago. Thanks for focusing on these older stories, which is why they are so extra fascinating...becuase I've never heard of them before. It's great to tell these stories which educates new generations and explains why a lot of modern safety protocols came to exist. Always fascinating! Thank you
look at all the commenters who have never heard of this incident. it's really not part of our culture to trade stories we heard about secondhand. and that includes almost all history. the only difference might be if a family member was there, and told us.
The Cleveland Clinic also has some of the best MS researchers and treatments in the country. They have given my mom a lot of hope with her battle. ❤️ I am sorry about this horrible accident, but thankful that the clinic is still here today. Also, RIP Officer Ernest.
Hi there! What is MS? Hope your mom's doing well with it, whatever it is lol
@@Nova-bv5qb Multiple Sclerosis. It's a debilitating neurological disease that causes the nerves in your brain to die over time. This can cause immense pain, blindness, deafness, immobility, and even death. Unfortunately, there is not a lot known about MS, and neurologists would rather pump patients full of pills that don't work or have the possibility of giving you cancer than look at other forms of treatment. My mom works closely with integrative doctors, both locally and from the Cleveland Clinic, and has been able to stop the progression of her disease using a diet developed by Dr. Swank, who spent 70 years of his life studying MS. Thankfully, she has not had any new symptoms in a long time and her last MRI showed that she does not have any new lesions on her brain! Hallelujah!
The Cleveland Clinic sewed up my head wound after I was attacked on the school bus in 2004, I still have the scar on my forehead to this day...
Man, that cop was an absolute HERO
Yes- incredible courage to keep going back. He deserves to be remembered.
What he did takes an incredible amount of bravery and self sacrifice I don't think I could ever manage. He must have been a great person.
21 people were given a chance. At what point did he *know* he would die and powered through? I wish we could know what he was thinking…
I've heard of firemen and soldiers doing this, but never have heard of a cop going to such lengths. I mean I saw a line of cops push over a man and break his skull and not even check on him just a few months ago... this man, god why did he have to die? Even one more cop like this, would have this world be just that much better for it. A true hero.
@@ronalddregan9431 Perhaps that’s one of life/humanity’s true mysteries… perhaps the answer is waiting for us in the afterlife.
that police officer is so dedicated to his job that he saved lives at the cost of his own, a true hero indeed.
People had honor back then
We need heroes like that today!
@@daffers2345
Do some research. The media is pushing a hate cops narrative. There are many cops who have saved people.
@@Aint_no_senators_son How do those boots taste?
@@tigerlilykitty3281 hes right. I know many more good cops than bad ones
As a former student employee at CSU’s Michael Schwartz Library Special Collections Dept (whose images you’ve used in this video) it’s great to see you discussing this local tragedy in such an interesting and informative (yet respectful) way - love your videos!
I have never heard of this horrific disaster until now. To know that they were within the boundaries of the guidelines, is important too. It’s a tragedy that really breaks my heart. Over the years I have appreciated all research and efforts of this hospital, including research that has helped me to understand my own personal health.
it's the dark truth behind every fire safety code... they are all written in blood.
I was surprised to see the original building is still standing.
I was surprised there was no mention of a memorial since most stories end in one
@Bat Man It may be because hospitals deaths do occur on average so maybe they didn’t see the point in making a memorial for these deaths specifically. And what about the people whose loved ones passed away in the same hospital but for different reasons, they still lost somebody dear to them but don’t get a memorial?
Idk for sure, this is just my reasoning, perhaps there even is one on the site.
@@BatMan-sg9kh Someone elsewhere in the comments said they worked there and there is a memorial on the first floor.
Me too, lol.
If you lived in NEOH, you wouldn't be surprised. Cleveland is pretty aged
Officer Ernest Staab is my new hero. I hope his descendants know about his heroism and are proud of the guy.
He lived until 1962!
@@frickinrick89 No, he died several weeks after the incident, after seeming to recover fully.
I underwent 'experimental surgery' on a heart valve that was not closing properly since birth. I suffered my first stroke at less then two years old. In 1956. But the medical community locally was clueless and sent me home. I suffered my second stroke at 52. I was sent to the Cleveland Clinic for arthroscopic heart surgery through an artery in my upper leg on a Friday while I was fully conscience. Out patient surgery on my heart! With permission from the doctors, I went to Six Flags and rode roller coasters with my children on the next day!
Science does not always get things right. But as long as we face our mistakes and do the best we can not to repeat them, life will improve!
The Cleveland Clinic is the greatest in the world from my perspective!
Ok boomer
@@whiteyfisk9769 how disrespectful you are. What the hell is wrong with us baby boomers. IT WAS OUR PARENTS WHO HAD THE SEX WHICH RESULTED IN OUR NUMEROUS BIRTHS. Now we are getting hell just because we number a lot. Those were the days before widespread womens birth control or women even working. Good union jobs were plentiful. My parents had just three kids..relatively small for the time. And very small for the Catholic family we were. I never had kids and my siblings only have 3 total. We aren’t busting the population with tons of people. REPEAT: quit blaming us boomers for just being born. I’ll give you the cemetery where my parents are so you can stomp on their graves, okay?
I'm very happy for you. :-)
The selflessness of the man who pulled out 21 people and kept going until his death... Truly astounding.
He didn't die in that incident. He died 25 years later
A policeman, Ernest Staab, rescued 21 victims from the fire, and left the scene, seemingly in good health. He later collapsed while working on his lawn, was hospitalized, but contrary to many contemporaneous newspaper articles[a] survived and worked for the police department for another 25 years.[7][6]
That poor woman on the 3rd story. I can imagine the whisps of smoke like ghostly arms pulling her back in the building.
Don't overdramatize it...
@@updatedotexe It is pretty fucking dramatic though, even in reality. Woman moments away from safety passes out and falls straight back into death.
@@updatedotexe You gotta admit, if overdramatization must occur, he nailed it! Lol
@@higueraft571 It is dramatic, but come on, MRDTH's comment was pretty twee.
@@higueraft571 Depending on how much she inhaled and so on it might've been better than to suffer the consequences... i don't wanna be that guy that wishes for a successful rescue of her just for her to suffer for months and then die.
Ernest Staab needs a statue in his honor. RIP all those lost. This one really got to me, just horrifying
sadly we all know people wouldnt agree on a statue of a cop no matter his pass
@@kamash581 Lol, get your head out of your ass And pay more attention. That’s not true at all.
@@tigerlilykitty3281 I mean the dude was just doing his job
@@libertyprime619 And?
@@tigerlilykitty3281 I mean he was doing what he was employed to do, and even then, I doubt none of the people he saved never died years later from the gas. I mean give him a memorial in the original building but full out statue is a bit overboard. We shouldn't glorify people for doing a basic human function
Despite the extreme tragedy of the event, this video really emphasizes the positive nature of everyone involved. I think you did a great service to the outcome!
As a paramedic in Southwest Ohio, I have transported patients up to the Cleveland Clinic numerous times...and have NEVER heard of this disaster until now. Thank you for the fascinating, tragic lesson.
It's terrifying how, even when meeting the guidelines, there are still over 100 people that died. You never know what can go wrong.
X-ray film was a new technology at the time. Nobody was aware of the risks. Just like the advent of vinyl wastebaskets. A simple item that everybody assumed was harmless. It is harmless - unless it catches on fire. One of vinyl's combustion products is cyanide gas. Back in the days when most people smoked - these things would frequently catch on fire as the result of a carelessly dropped cigarette butt. An office worker would get a decanter full of coffee and dump it on the fire to put it out - and collapse a few seconds later.
This is why the recommendation is to always use a fire extinguisher and to stand well back from the fire when using it.
@@colincampbell767 My recommendation would be runningshoes for me and marbles for the others... jokes aside. With this qxir, dark history, fascinating horror-bird-watching and all that i'm out of anywhere as soon as even the slightest thing seems off...
This is one of the most terrifying ones I've learned about yet. The thought of dying so fast you barely know what's happening, on top of being at a doctor office just hits many fears on the head for me.
@Tooth Fairy that's what I was thinking. Of course I don't want to die, but if I had to, falling unconscious in seconds is the way to go.
Try being an actual xray and ultrasound tech and hearing about this story. We learned about how to develop film when i was in school and the chemicals we had to use to develop the films. This makes me terrified. But now everything pretty much digital and we put everything on discs. But where i work we do still give patients actual film copies of their xrays. So everytime now i walk past a stack of films it will have me precautious af.
flamethrowers kill not by burning you but sending out a wave of carbon monoxide that pushes out all the oxygen around you. when first deployed in ww1 the Brits and French were swearing the Germans were using a new poison gas weapon and the flame was just a side effect of the gas deployment system. Soldiers dropped dead in their tracks with the flames being several feet away.
Industrial accidents carry this higher potential for instant death by gas because of the volume of reagents that are present, and needed, thereby creating more source material for escape and death. We typically think of refineries and factories, but be very sure a hospital or clinic is indeed an industrial site. Chemicals and gases present are wholly alien to most homes and non-industrial businesses. The presence of these large quantities of film was essentially a time bomb.
@Jens Nobel read medical studies done of flamethrower casualties. the vast majority were never touched by the flames and those that had damage from heat or flames it was determined they were dead from carbon monoxide poisoning long before they would died from heat or flames.
look up the forgotten weapons channel vids on flamethrowers with the foremost expert on flamethrowers. this guy was consulted by the US military on potential usage in Iraq and Afghanistan
I’d never heard of this. You did a brilliant presentation with no over dramatisation. Just facts and compassion for such a horrific event. Who could have known this would happen. This incident went on to save so many lives by storing the films in secure containers. Thank you.
Cleveland Clinic is an amazing hospital. My father had a lung transplant there less than two years ago due to pulmonary fibrosis. I can't say enough good things about it.
My mom, dad and only brother all died there in the past 5 years.
It's kinda sad that the people who ran in with full intentions on helping other people died to...good video tho man
For reals I didn't even think about that
and yet... it happens so often, especially with untrained or partially trained people who act heroically, but without the necessary thought or equipment...
most mass confined space casualty events involve a worker succumb to fumes surrounded by the bodies of his friends/colleagues who died trying to rescue him... in fact, the sad statistic is that the majority of people succumb to gas or fumes in a non domestic setting were trying to rescue someone else.
Yeah that's true but regardless when it's a friend are a good colleague human instinct just kinda kicks in for some people and they have to at least try to help...I get what you mean tho man for sure
It is fascinating. Also part of the "learning curve" for innovation at that time in history. I am very glad the Cleveland Clinic lived on. It helped save my grandmother years later, and we got to have her in the world for 107 years before she passed away in 2018.
If you had her in your life for 107 years then how old are you exactly?
@@0.001mm_tolerancy well, 107 in 2018 ... so 110 now ... but I'm curious how old the grandma was ... probably in her 140s if not older ... incredible!
But, seriously, sorry for you loss. And thanks for sharing.
When my youngest was a toddler, he was diagnosed with leukemia at the Cleveland Clinic, and that's where he was treated for 3 years. (the pediatric oncology department was in the original building, I think.) He's now studying to be a pharmacist. So happy to hear they helped your grandmother, too.
@T Retano You didn't read properly. They said "we" had her in the world for 107 years. So that's either "we" as humanity, or "we" as in op's family. Either way, a group of people had op's grandmother in the world for 107 years.
@@DaedalusYoung well, we did read properly, but the original comment has since been edited... 😫 ...
Thank you for this incredibly interesting upload. Live near the Cleveland area for years now & never heard of this part of the clinic's history. This channel always lives up to its name!
Thank you for this video. I had never heard about this before. Your channel is so informative. Although this incident was terribly tragic, the fact that they re-built and expanded so they could continue to treat & save people - to this very day - is remarkable and uplifting.
Honestly, Nitrate Film can just combust by itself, even in the proper conditions, I'm a photographer and I've worked as an archivist for very old cinema films and it is a very volatile material.
As always I love your narration and the effort you make to keep this neutral and respectful.
Yeah, I used to work at a student-run cinema and though we never handled it, we all knew how dangerous nitrate film is.
The scene in The Artist where he spills nitrate film about the room and it starts to catch fire made me twitch, just waiting for it to flare up.
I would love to hear more about nitrate film from somebody who has actually worked with it!
Nitrate film is essentially the base of smokeless gunpowder flattened through rollers. It's also known as gun cotton. The dark, poisonous smoke in this disaster was more from the emulsion that held the image than the film. While nitrocellulose fumes are noxious, they are white or colorless, which is why "smokeless powder" got its name.
@@xzigalianisiochfhradha3204 There's channels on RUclips that restore and digitise old film, and they do use nitrate film. E.M. Mihal is one such channel, if you watch the video Tib5-msDs-0 at the timestamp 8:40, for example, he gives a demonstration of how a short piece of nitrate film burns.
Yes u r absolutely right. When I was a film student, we learned about this.
Earnest Staab ..... this man seriously deserves a statue/a bench/clinic/public garden/etc - just SOMETHING to honor his unbelievably selfless sacrifice and unwavering bravery!❤️🥺
Unintelligent idiots would likely tear it down
@@BuzzinVideography sad but true
@@BuzzinVideography Why would that be true? Don’t be ridiculous.
@@tigerlilykitty3281 oh look. I found one here.
Y'all the same people that won't let Aunt Jemima stay on her own syrup.
@@BuzzinVideography Lmfao, I point out that there’s no reason he wouldn’t be allowed a bench and you bring up syrup icons. Grow up.
You do a fabulous job at finding and explaining these disasters that happened a long time ago and today. Very well done.
Thank you for bringing these stories back to light . I love history and you give us history that is quickly forgotten by most and we would never know if not for you !
I remember reading about this in John Stark Bellamy II's "They Died Crawling". He wrote a series of books on Cleveland crimes and disasters (though, not Balloonfest '86).
Seconding the recommendation, I've read all his books about Cleveland disasters. They're excellent.
Poor Cleveland - any big US city has similar disasters, but Cleveland seems to get the most absurd (ie, Balloonfest).
@@kimberlyoldschool only cleveland could destroy elliot ness lol
One of my favorite series.
@@kimberlyoldschool Balloon Fest? I still lived there in '86 and don't remember this tragedy. And yes, we did have the weirdest tragedies. From the River burning to the East Ohio Gas explosion to the Torso Serial Killer.
The clinic has a display about the fire set up on the first floor of the original building. It’s pretty interesting!
Thanks for the info- other comments were asking about a memorial.
Just the best and most respectful, detailed and accurate commentaries I've heard on You Tube. Subscribed.
@Fascinating Horror thank you for taking the time to research this story. So many disasters
have been swept under the rug, almost callously. I have always thought, instead of pretending
that the event never happened not only shows a type of disrespect not only to the victims as well for those left behind. I can only hope that learning from the past will help those in the future. You Are Amazing
I've always called the Cleveland clinic as my second home because of how many times I need to go but never heard of this disaster before. Thank you for sharing this, will have to share with friends and family
We literally did live there for months while my daughter was in the NICU...love the CC
currently employed at a cleveland clinic! great place
Thankfully the Clinic didn’t fold and in continuing earned its stellar reputation. It’s wonderful to hear people’s individual stories of how it helped them.
I had a bone marrow transplant and lived in the main building for 2 months! It’s a wonderful hospital, but I’m also not a huge fan of all the white, it makes everything feel so clinical and cold. The oncology unit was one of the older wings in the hospital, but the cardiac unit looks absolutely amazing!
@@Donde_Lieta pediatric neurology is in that old building... it's pretty cool to hear this story.
I am young, well young enough to not have heart issues. My Mitrol valve got stuck, I had to have open heart surgery in November (the one that just passed “20) and the Cleveland Clinic is a huge part to thank for me being here. I was 39 when I had the surgery. Great story man!!!
glad you've recovered, @Scott Smith
I'm glad you got that mitral valve fixed.
Huzzah for your survival! I pray you are fully recovered and that all will be completely fine going on!
That is awesome, but I'm sorry you had to deal with it. My Mom had a hip replacement at Cleveland Clinic (we lived there) and the way they treated her post op was shocking. She had a bedsore over her entire back, and when it broke (a huge blister).. they let her lay in her own urine til I got there. Mom couldn't even ask help, she didn't speak English. She cried out loud many times, from pain & discomfort.. no one came. A teenage girl in the bed next to Mom (2 bed room) had just had a brain surgery and was pulling the bell for the nurses for a glass of water.. but none came. I found this situation & went to investigate. A bunch of nurses assigned to that section (of mostly MediCaid patients) were reading magazines & chatting. I believe they could have heard every call. Our conversation wasn't pleasant. In hindsight, wish I had taken photo evidence of all this, but it was just prior to the advent of everyone having smartphones.
@@janavenue650 thank you so much!
As usual, EXCELLENT. These are some of the best documentaries I've ever watched.
Thanks for wrapping up with positivity and the accomplishments of the clinic. It helped put things back into perspective.
I miss the days when rich people built libraries and, in this case, donated space to a medical facility in-need as vanity projects.
Way better than billionaires playing astronaut
I've been saying the same! I want a Bezos Seattle Library or Bridge.....something for society
They still do. Of course they just dodged 10000x the amount donated in taxes too.
Andrew Carnegie was the philanthropist I believe
The government got involved with capitalism, people complain about it but this is true capitalism. Rich people giving to the leader because they have the means, rich people innovating to make life easier, etc...
The timing, pacing, diction, enunciation, anticipation built, and empathy in these stories is nothing short of extraordinary ♥
*enunciation
At points he becomes dangerously close to being cheesily overdramatic. But it usually lasts only for a second.
Exactly! I love his lovely, calm and neutral presentation.
@@declamatory Annunciation would indeed be quite extraordinary.
@@declamatory thanks
I used to work in the Radiology Department in MN at a clinic and we had xray film from back in the 1920s and 1930s for teaching. These films smelled gross and now knowing what they are made of, holy crap. Also, the way we had to dispose of old films into flammable proof containers and people came to take them away to dispose of them at a plant somewhere.
if film smells "vinegary," it's cellulose acetate film, sometimes known as safety film because it wasn't as flammable. it degrades and gives off acetic acid.
if it smells of mothballs or rotten egg, it's cellulose nitrate. the fumes can be dangerous to breathe even if its not burning.
@@RatPfink66 Thanks.
I was glad to find the original building still standing and in use today. I love your videos so much, I would love to see more than one a week, but I look forward to each one that comes out. I think what I like most (besides the fascinating horrific content, pun intended) is your lack of need for drama. The content is enough. You go through it in that smooth, calm voice of yours with no dramatic background noise or music besides your intro music. I just really like that.
If you're a geezer like I am, you may remember looking at the box of film that you bought at the drugstore and seeing "Safety Film" on the label. After the film industry changed from nitrate based film to acetate based, the label was used to assure the public who was by then well aware of the fire danger of the former. A theater fire caused by nitrate film is a key part of the plot of the Italian movie "Cinema Paradiso". Film fires were not uncommon.
Rest in peace officer Staab. Thank you for your service
100%
I absolutely love reading (mostly non-fiction), but I didn't know about this. Thank you for taking the time to share this.
I grew up about an hour from here and never knew about this until now. I've known people who have had to go across the state line to get either cardiac or cancer treatments there. I agree with the others, surprising to hear a story where nobody cut corners.
Absolutely horrific. I knew about the old type of cinema film being a fire hazard, but not thought about x-ray films, and didn't know about the gas hazard. It's great that the building still stands today. Fitting tribute.
I have learnt more from this channel than my years in high school science and history classes😂
I always get confused when people say things like this. I must've gone to a really good school, but just didn't realize it at the time.
@@alukuhito No, you just paid more attention.
Also; many people confuse "learning" for "hearing of", so the statement is so much more common.
Sad.
because they dont unnecessarily teach you interesting disasters, but rather history of humanity. its good to know, you should start listening.
More than likely, you simply aren't or didn't pay attention in class. I get so tired of these backhanded swipes at the education system. Too many people think teachers are supposed to entertain them. You are supposed to be an active participant in your education...it's not something that is just done to you. Every time people on RUclips make a comment like this, they are revealing that they have a piss poor attitude about learning. If you need stories to understand things, you aren't going to find real life to be very easy.
Thank you for covering this! I had never heard of it!
I’ve been watching a lot of your videos recently, and I keep seeing comments praising you for your respect for the victims of all these disasters you cover, and for the way you highlight the ways that laws and safety regulations change for the better in their wake. And I have to say I wholeheartedly agree. You deliver facts in such a compelling manner without sensationalizing the events, and you are very conscious of the human cost. Your videos are excellent. Love your channel.
Sadly it sometimes takes a disaster to prevent future casualties. The Cleveland Clinic is s good example .
There's a saying: Regulations are written in blood. This is just another example.
@@russellhltn1396 Not maritime disasters. A notable example is the sinking of the Titanic. Significant changes where made to regulations and safety procedures to sea ferrying vessels following the Titanic sinking. It was drowning more so than blood on this occasion.
@@westnblu You're nit-picking. Either way, it's death.
Super interesting story, as always! Thanks for shedding light on these lesser-known tragedies :)
Hi Jon! :)
Omg the microwave guys
Holy crap, imagine what would happen if it was the actual microwave guys commenting?
@@JacobSmith-kg5sy but I am? Haha.
My Great-Grandfather knew a bunch of people who were there that day. My grandfather tells me what he talked about when he heard what happened, and he says he had nightmares about it.
What a terrible tragedy. That cop was a hero, saving people at the expense of his own life.
this is something we consider in archives as well. some of the film is extremely flammable and dangerous and we have to be super careful about how we store it, because we want to keep the images but it's not the safest thing to store
Is modern x-ray film as dangerous as it was back then?
@@jimmiejordan1 as far as I am aware, it is all digital now
@@jimmiejordan1 no, the base for most films and transparent medias are either cellulose triacetate, which was adopted in 1951, or plastic, since the 80's.
@@artbk one thing I love about the internet. People from all over the world that know more than you about certain subjects can give advice. I am a mechanic by trade. I also work on computers. If someone needs advice about that I can help. But I know very little about x-rays or the film used. LOL
My mother was thirteen years old and living in Cleveland when this happened, but I never heard about this at all. Her sister, my aunt, was 18 or 19; she eventually became a nurse. I wonder if this event had anything to do with her going into the profession...
Well back then women didn't have much choice in acceptable professions. Teacher, nurse, secretary.
@@Elleoaqua Good point haha. My mother had studied art in and was a cartoonist of sorts in college. She applied to work at Disney Studios (from Ohio!) and was rejected based on sex. She eventually got a job teaching art at a teachers college in Arkansas. No secretaries in our family though! lol
Ask her.
@@dmark1922 how does she know it was based on gender? Did they tell her that?
@@scharf74 my mother passed away 21 years ago, but I heard the story a number of times straight from her mouth, and according to her, those were their words: "we don't hire women as artists" or something to that effect. this would have been in the late 1930s
8 years and 3 months and then BAM, tragedy.
That background music never fails to make me feel creeped out, even when I binge watch several in a sitting during daylight.
This hospital is wonderful I was there in 2015. They show this on TV and all the upgrades. It's huge place and year after year number 1 in heart health. I loved it there and they saved my life
I've lived in Cleveland my whole life and have heard many a tale of woe. But I have never heard about this. Great Video!
I've learned so much from this channel. Hugely underrated channel.
This channel is so underrated. Could be on television and I think it would do very well.
I lived in Cleveland for 7 years and had never heard of this story. I passed that building many, many times without ever knowing its history. Thank you for sharing!!
Interesting, never heard about this incident before.
"... an unprotected lightbulb that was situated too close to an unprotected stack of film..."
I would say, more likely, someone stashed some unprotected film too close to an unprotected light bulb..
That is why often cages are built around light bulbs in certain places, so that the heat from the bulb does not cause a problem, or so that the bulb does not become broken by something else..
And the reason why they do that is because situations like this happened in the past due to it... Not from someone's foresight.
I'm not sure this was widely understood at the time since it was not really understood that this film is highly flammable and volatile.
@@KathrynSrce3719
Like with most fatal accidents, it was simply something we could chalk down to carelessness And haste.
@@rogersheddy6414 in most cases, yes. That might be the reason. But in this particular case, I think that there was a real possibility of a lack of understanding of these sorts of things. If I recall correctly, the narrator did mention that the investigation concluded that how the film was stored was in line with the safety standards at the time. Of course, these standards have changed since this tragedy because they were found to be inadequate. But yeah I do agree with you that what you've said might be the case in most cases.
FYI new electrical safety codes do not allow exposed light bulbs in areas used for storage like closets. And the LED bulbs are much safer in that regard anyway.
Thank you. I’ve just realised that one of the reasons I watch your vids is because you don’t have any over the top manufactured emotion. Your presentations are well researched, and calmly and fairly presented. I’d watch for the information anyway, but your diction and delivery are a bonus.
Although this was of course a tragedy, it ended up being a “feel good” piece, with the way the Clinic continued to function and to thrive.
Your stories really are fascinating, and that’s why they keep my attention
It's amazing how far we've come. Another name for nitro cellulose, you know the stuff that they developed the X-rays on, is gun cotton!! It's literally what is in those bags that they shove into the battleship guns behind the shells to make them go boom! So yeah probably a good idea that we've gotten away from using that as a development medium.
Gun cotton was part of the cargo on the SS Mont-Blanc, the ship that exploded in the Halifax Disaster of 1917.
@@sirbrigit Yes, indeed it was. Ten tons of it. Along with 2300 tons of picric acid, 200 tons of TNT and 35 tons of benzole. The Mont Blanc was a floating bomb.
All that it took was the collision with an impatient captain and stupid pilot of the Norwegian freighter, Imo, in the Narrows of Halifax harbor to set it aflame, then set it off.
There was an excellent book written about the circumstances, the explosion and the aftermath written by Michael J. Bird. It was called The Town That Died.
Yes the term Nitro Cellulose caught my attention .
I stayed in the Hope Lodge when I was getting my bone marrow transplant, it was absolutely amazing for me and my mom 💜
I hope you are doing well now.
Yeah, my mom had heart surgery done at Cleveland Clinic, the facility is amazing.
I’m happy you’re still doing this even though your channel is demonetized 😕 I appreciate your hard work 🙏
As someone born & raised 20 minutes from downtown Cleveland and a frequent patient of the Cleveland Clinic.... HOW have I never heard of this tragedy? Thank you for another informative & tastefully done video. Keep up the great work.
My god what a horrific incident. I’ve never even heard of this nightmare. I know it’s a massive well renowned hospital but did not know of this incident. Those poor souls.
This is a truly horrific story. Just the idea that you can do pretty much everything right (based on the knowledge of the times) and disasters can still happen is really terrifying. I'm glad safety standards were improved because of this
Just found these wonderful videos showing history I never knew about. Thank you for the history lessons.
Wow these documentaries are all interesting and informative... am glad I subscribed to this channel👍👍
From the title, I was thinking this was one of those cases where patients got radiation poisoning from incorrect use of medical equipment.
To be a human on this planet is a horror story, each one unique with varying levels of terror.
I read this in the voice of Jordan Peterson
ITS NOT ENTIRELY CLEAR, MAN!
*eyes role so hard they fall out of skull*
Dude this channel is called fascinating horror. Go to a cooking channel and see what sort of edgy shit you can write in there
@@verybarebones You seem to be pretty good at writing useless comments, so take your own advice.
Wow I got an ad for an air purifier before this video.
Great and informative video as always! You’re my favorite channel on all of RUclips
Yet another fascinating story. Thanks so much. I look forward to each episode.