@@spiralrose Kids were not so "helicoptered" back then. A lot of kids could have literally been present with their parents none the wiser. Lots of kids back then got hurt or even killed because parents let them wander streets unattended.
So many of the tragedies covered by Fascinating Horror seem to have been lost to time, but by featuring them, the people lost can be remembered. The story of those covered in this video are heartbreaking
I think what he's doing is spreading the information. A lot of these events are remembered by the local community, but not known to the rest of the world. Such was the world before the internet. An old event like this has to be posthumously documented and uploaded, and without making it to social media, will remain relatively obscure. And has this channel ever done an uplifting event? I mean, there is the word "horror" in their name which might limit their content, lol...
They're not lost in time with those of us watching and learning. I love this channel. I hope a reflection of these devastating occurrences gives a form of peace knowing followers acknowledge those thought to be forgotten. 💔💐🕊️💕
Another thing this channel is great for is making people wary. You bet most of us fans here would've been outta there after the first dust fell, same with any potential incident that could happen to the viewers. FH, aside from providing high quality informative entertainment, is potentially saving lives :)
Agreed, obviously going over these events comes from dark curiosity to some extent, but our narrator never goes the way of ghoulish dramatization - just tells us what happened, how, and what happened in the aftermath - often important innovations in safety procedures and public health. "These laws were written in blood" that's something we should not forget
'Met every building code'. These are the hard ones. The owner, builders, architects and engineers all know they built it to spec and it still fell down. No matter how many times you say to yourself, "I built it to code!", the guilt just doesn't go away.
But it was probably a bigger theater than had been built before so the regulations didn't allow for that. The Titanic had enough lifeboats according to regulations but they hadn't been written for ships of that size. In the case of the Titanic it was very clear there needed to be enough lifeboats for all passengers, in the case of a building it gets a lot more complicated and they probably hadn't allowed for such a big build up of snow.
pretty much, what we considered modern regulations had changes since the past 100 years. i remember changes happened during the half sinking of costa concordia even with a "modern" ship there were still gaps, old structure docrine of the hull and such. regulation came about to all crusie ships/similar regarding to safety, lifeboat designs and alertness.
@@nlwilson4892 In the day of the Titanic, though, nobody thought of lifeboats as something you sit around floating in until another ship arrives on the scene. Back then the mentality of life boats was to transfer passengers from a distressed ship to another ship, and at the time the number of lifeboats was deemed sufficient. Unfortunately they didn't seem to take into consideration a ship sinking quickly without any other ships around, and so after the Titanic sank they thankfully came up with the regulation that a ship must have enough lifeboats to hold everyone on board.
@@dx1450 Radios were a reasonably new invention, especially one that could transmit any distance. So the provision of lifeboats was very much intended to be enough for all passengers. They were very much intended that people could row themselves to land or keep themselves in shipping lanes until help arrived.
The poor theatre owner... he was following the book that was given to him, and it cost him everything. May he and the other 98 souls who lost their lives that day rest in peace.
Things that are unprecedented remain that way until they are no longer. Today we spend so much time criticizing the past that we fail to see what lies before us
That is actually not quite true, this video gives a far more rosy picture of what happened than it really should. Go watch Brick Immortar's video on this same topic and you'll see.
In a strange way, this story makes a refreshing change from the usual ones, in that this one had nothing to do with wilful negligence or greed leading to an abject failure to adhere to standards. I'm guessing that, without such an unprecedented snowfall, the theatre would have stood perfectly safely for decades. It just goes to show that safety regulations are a movable feast and all it takes is one unexpected incident to make people think, "Hmm, there's something we never considered." And why would they? The unprecedented is just that: it's something you'd never expect. So there we have it, a lot of people died and injured as a result of freak weather conditions, rather than anyone being at fault. Especially not the poor theatre owner, who clearly couldn't cope with the guilt he ladled upon himself, even though it wasn't anything he did wrong or could've prevented. I'm sure history isn't looking unkindly on him and I hope he's resting in peace along with the other victims of this tragic accident. Hats off to Patten, though. Even when ill, the man is still a hero!
"this one had nothing to do with wilful negligence or greed leading to an abject failure to adhere to standards." Not true. There was massive negligence in the building's construction. Harry Crandel committed suicide for a reason. Because he was guilty as sin. His lawyers got him off to escape jail time but he couldn't escape a guilty conscious. ruclips.net/video/N4P7qHjp3nE/видео.html
I think about that couple. They were already the type to arrive at a movie later. But if they had dawdled in the lobby a little longer, maybe asked for extra salt in their popcorn or something, they both might have survived.
The oddest decision I ever made that probably saved my life: I was driving on a 2-lane country road, following a slow car, with a tractor-trailer behind me. For some reason that I still don't understand, I decided to pull over as I passed a gas station. Once the tractor-trailer passed me, I pulled back onto the road to follow the big truck. A few miles farther on, an oncoming pickup truck came over the double yellow center line and hit the tractor-trailer. If I hadn't pulled off, that pickup probably would have hit me head on! I believe God Himself inspired me to pull over. 😺💕🐾
FYI, there apparently was one guy who noticed the plaster sprinkling down, apparently he was supervisor at a mine or something and recognized that a collapse was imminent and made a beeline for the door, just barely making it out in time.
@@lizxu322 i kinda suspect you are half sarcastic by the smh, but even if i will still say that 1st, if he warned more people the doors would become clogged and nobody may have escaped, if people believed him in the little time he had to explain. Also he propably was in a state of panic so he may not have been able to think about others.
It’s so rare to hear of a tragedy, that *wasn’t* caused by greed and corruption! I’m glad the victims still haven’t been forgotten and received a memorial!❤️
I feel bad for every single victim and their families, but the couple you mentioned hits different...that's extremely tragic and I can only imagine what he felt afterwards.
That's what makes history interesting. Facts are dull. People's fate within them, are relatable. I first noticed this with Ken Burns. He'd find a well documented person or family, and follow their lives through the period of his documentary. This was especially evident in "The West". An event happens on this date. That's boring. Hearing how a person or family lived before, during and after that event will make you remember that event, because peoples lives are more interesting than a mere name, date and time. That revelation made me realize why I hated high school history so much. Just memorizing dates and names is a waste of time, lol...
We just had ppl run into traffic to save a stranger who had passed out at the wheel. This isn't an America thing or early 20th century thing: it is a certain percentage of ppl do and a certain percentage of people don't everywhere, every time.
When I was working for the day at a senior housing complex in DC several years ago, one of the residents called a snowstorm coming that weekend a "Knickerbocker storm". Whenever I hear this story, I think of how it was imprinted on the memories of that man's generation.
Yeah, but just imagine how guilty you'd feel if, despite doing everything right, the building you built and owned, meant for a good time, killed so many people, and left so many families without loved ones. It would be too much for me to bear, I think. Its because he was such a good person that he felt so guilty that he took his own life. It's a shame, but understandable.
There was a big fire in Provincetown Massachusetts years back, burned tons of artists shops, the guy who accidentally started it killed himself a short time later
It's heartbreaking. And sometimes it seems the people who are truly remorseful seem to pay the most, while the greedy and callous ones get off relatively light or completely. For example, even if Dan Lee Webb of Webb's Bait Farm was doing something illegal, he did it to support his family, he was desperate and not greedy and was taken advantage of. He turned himself in, spent 10 years of his life in jail, had to pay an enormous fine and worst of all, lost family and friends horrifically. Now you can argue that the Knickerbocker man is more sympathetic in that he wasn't doing anything illegal or dangerous, but when I compare Webb to the bastards at Six Flags (Haunted Castle), Guadalajara, the Yarmouth Castle, the waterslide that killed that killed that poor boy, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, or outside of this channel people like John Landis who make horrific tragedies that they had a hand in all about them, who are responsible for so much carnage and tragedy and refused to take any responsibility and will not so much as honor the victims in any way, shape or form, I do have some sympathy for him, and I have it for this man whose remorse lead to suicide.
6:51 The stories of how just a matter of chance or a stroke of luck made all the difference between life and death are staggering. At least this is one of the handful of stories where the structure was fully up to code, and it was merely the standards of the day that were insufficient. For some reason, I feel like that *does* make a difference; if only because it means no one was being willfully irresponsible.
It'd be worth looking into how the standards of the day were determined, and by who, because as often as not these sorts of things are subject to all sorts of meddling on behalf of financially interested parties in the industry being regulated.
It does make a difference. Most of the stories are about building codes being ignored and being overlooked by inspectors because of money. This one wasn't neglegent. He was obviously doing everything right by the codes of the day. Unfortunately, it takes tragedies like this to change the codes. They learn better ways to make buildings safer through a failing of the current codes.
In 1977 I attended a showing of ‘Star Wars’ in a relatively large theater in Richland Washington USA. It was packed with happy theater goers. Two years later, in the middle of the night, when the theater was empty, the whole roof collapsed due to a structural defect. If the timing was different, and occurred a couple years earlier there could have been a thousand casualties, including myself! Great video on this most scary tragedy!
that is absolutely nuts. i guess it goes to show that luck really is terrifying in deciding our deaths, and another day to live is always worth appreciating
wow, talk about lucky! And if any movie could have shook the roof off it was Star Wars. ☺️ I remember standing in line for that movie in a line up that wrapped way around the building. Such a cool experience.
It'd take a lot more the an allergic reaction to slow "Old Blood and Guts." This is one of the few disasters I actually knew something about. But I never knew Patton was even involved! Your way of presenting everything is as stellar as ever.
As a person who lives in the Midwest USA, huge amounts of snow is something we worry about. If we have heavy snow, we have to hire someone to clear off the roof or go up ourselves. This includes businesses especially ones with flat roofs
@@mcdjinn6975 I am mostly talking about businesses, schools and malls that have flat roofs. However, most houses have slightly slanted roofs. Even with the slant, snow stays on your roof unless it is warm enough to melt. Our winters are cold so the snow accumulates...
@@happyfacefries Yes, but the warmth in the building will slightly warm up the surface of the roof, meaning the snow will slide off. You act as if heavy snowfalls aren't normal in large parts of the world.
I cannot tell you how many times I recommend or show your videos. I’ve even recommended to my Fire Chief that they become taught in the department to understand the scenarios. You do an excellent job on showcasing these tragic incidents.
Kudos to the telephone operator who called all the emergency services; most would not have thought of contacting the Army, or even had their number to hand.
I suppose a few theatres like this still exist throughout our country. We have one locally, tho not as grand. They screen “old” movies, have orchestral concerts, etc. I go there a few times each year and marvel at its historic value. I imagine tho, next time, I will think of this tragic story. Thank you for remembering the victims.
We have a theater in my city that is something like this one, built just four years after the Knickerbocker Theater was. It has been used for everything from vaudeville acts, film showings (both silent films and old classic films in the modern era), concerts, ballets, comedy stand-up routines, and just about anything else you could imagine would take place in a theater. And it's a gorgeous old theater, too -- every bit of it is appealing to the eyes as you go in. It almost met the wrecking ball in the 1970s, but thankfully, a dedicated group of people worked to save it and get it on the National Register of Historic Places. Now it will hopefully celebrate its 100th anniversary this year. This is the kind of theater that the Knickerbocker might have been if it was still around today!
These stories are so sad and unfortunate. Thankfully they usually lead to improvements in present day and future structures. Very well told and a huge thank you!
I love how these old theaters look. I would go to an old school theater in pitman NJ. It has balcony's, everything that the older theaters have. It's very nice.
This story is nothing but sad. The theatre owner really got to me. A lot of big-wigs try to escape responsibility for these kinds of disasters, but this man had really done nothing wrong. The building was up to code for the time and yet he still felt the need to blame himself and take his own life. It's a shame to lose someone with a degree of empathy for others on top of all the innocent lives already lost.
Yeah, ironic, that. Supposing he ended the note with "..and so, I won't take my life after all, as I still have much to give" yadda yadda, and didn't take his life; merely wrote that missive, He'd instead be reviled as cold and selfish and one who _should've_ died from this and a greedy capitalist and all that usual stuff in these videos. Damned if you do, etc.
Reminds me of the roof collapses of the Katowice trade hall (65 deaths) and the Bad Reichenhall ice rink (15 deaths), both in January 2006 after very cold weather with heavy snow. In Germany all buildings with a similar roof construction as the ice rink were inspected, and some had to be demolished.
Excellent story telling and view on the facts. The poor newlyweds. Every tragedy is a stepping stone to better regulations and standards, these videos are all an archive of those who've been lost along the way
30" of snow is alot of weight. Even up here in Wisconsin where we're used to snow......30" in one storm never happens. Just a series of freak occurrences.
I thought that "1922" said "2022", and got really really sad for a second "At the time, he was recovering from an allergic reaction to seafood he'd eaten the day before. But he didn't let his own condition get in the way of organization of the rescue operation." Wow, a true hero.
"After a few hours a more organized rescue operation was put forth." Me: I wonder how organized it could be in this snowstorm. "Patton was put in charge." Me: Well, ok then. 😮
I'd love a Fascinating Horror podcast! I think it'd be lovely to get more in depth information (I'm sure they cut a lot) and they're one of the few creators I think I would listen to for that length of time.
@@fiona8230 I am looking for good podcasts and so I just followed your suggestion. But is the “unexplained” part frustrating…? I prefer my mysteries solved and explained. 👀 ☺️
That was a tragic accident but the fact it happened in peacetime AND before the great depression means it got more coverage. If this was going to happen, it was good it happened at that time so that the appeals to better structural safety standards would be heard and reciprocated nationally.
Do the case of Janet Parker sometime soon, the last smallpox death ever recorded in 1978. She was a medical photographer who was exposed to smallpox accidentally, which compelled the head of microbiology at the hospital she worked at - Dr. Henry Bedson - to kill himself. It's still not clear how she was exposed, but it is a highly contagious virus so it could've come from any source, and she was a high-risk worker so it was entirely probable it could happen. It's for this reason that there's only two labs in the world permitted to handle smallpox particles. The death was very sudden, and likely the reason she died was due to not having been vaccinated for the virus in 12 years as it was seen as such an unlikely scenario to become infected. To this day, we still don't vaccinate against smallpox due to the fact the WHO considers it to be eradicated, but it is totally possible that somebody could be exposed to an old sample of the virus from a century or two ago, as it's very good at surviving and developing a culture on very small amounts of organic material. I just think this topic would be perfect for your channel, it really fits your style
can we just apreciate the guy who owned the theater? so often in these videos the owner is guilty because of negligence and active cost-cutting but he seems like he genuinely cared.
You can kind of tell by the pictures from above that the girders that made up the roof were embedded into the bearing walls, instead of resting on top of them. Whereas this isnt uncommon, it would appear that the flat roof sat a few feet below the top of the bearing wall, which would have allowed the snow to pile up in the space between the roof and the top of the parapet. The result was the structure of the roof compressed downwards and eventually slipped out of the joist pockets in the wall. The hissing sound they heard was probably the ceiling detaching and sliding down the walls before the rest of the roof pushed it down.
What a tragic story. It seems unusual to have a story where such a disaster occurs and the building is found to have been up to code. Typically, there are all sorts of corners cut due to greed. I feel for all those lives lost but I also feel for the theater owner who seemed to want to do things right. May he also rest in peace. By a bit of coincidence, my video this week was also based on a theater disaster: the Iroquois Theater Fire. That one, unfortunately, has much more to do with greed and poor execution during the building process.
I love your content, not only for the information and how thoroughly and concisely it is presented, but also for the way you always make an effort to call attention to the victims of the tragedy. Thank you for being their voice so that they are not forgotten.
Thank you for covering one of my local disasters. I’m very familiar with that plaza and it would be a lovely spot for a permanent memorial of some kind. It would also be great if someone would write an in-depth book about the Knickerbocker, though I fear the survivors will have all passed on by now, so the research would be more difficult. You can find video of survivors talking about the collapse on RUclips, though.
Excellent telling of this story. I attended college in DC and we were told this story in my freshman year. You did a great job combining the facts and the individual stories
This is one of the things I love about this channel. I have seen videos about the theater collapse dozens of times, and had no idea Gen. Patton was part of the rescue efforts. Always great tidbits other videos skim over.
Extreme blizzards are a rare occurrence in Washington DC, and as a result many roofs are constructed flat. Not only that, but when such a storm occurs they lack plows to clear away the snow for traffic to pass through. Crandall was a Washingtonian and knew these things; he was simply following codes that were thought to be fine for Washington’s climate, and paid a dear price for it. Glad to see that there is a makeshift memorial for it at last, and hope a real one is built in the near future.
I always look forward to these! As always, thank you for bringing attention to many of these disasters that most probably have forgotten or didn’t even know about!
The story about that young couple was heartbreaking. If she'd only been a few steps back, they'd have both survived. I can't even imagine the pain and guilt that young man went through afterwards.
I've seen the security footage. What's scary is there actually were a few people there. You can see a stadium worker run for their life as the roof starts to cave in.
I love your videos. I love to hear these histories of these forgotten horrors. I’m sure one day you’ll have the modern day horror of the Sufeside Condo collapse.
Holy crap!! That's the neighborhood Adam's Morgan in Washington DC. I work on that same block!! I never knew the history behind that building or why they put up that violin. Wow. Now imma go to work and show my coworkers this video!!
Thanks for posting FH. The amazing thing about your posts is that they have usually led to better safety standards everywhere for whatever disaster was featured that week with those kinds of builds which makes life a lot safer as a result of these horrific tragedies. It also looks like General Patton himself at 6:48 along with the fire chief.
Watching this in the break room of my work, which is a flat-roofed cinema. Though I live in a desert so snow isn't really an issue. We got about 3 inches of snow once when I was a kid, but that's the most snow I know of.
I grew up in that area of DC, but after the Ambassador theater had closed. I had never heard about the Knickerbocker theater disaster until now. I do remember the bank being built in the plaza, and on the weekends the plaza had a farmer's market. Thanks for teaching me something new about the area I grew up in.
I'm the health and safety rep at my workplace and these videos are incredibly educational. Definitely shows me the implications or poor regulations and makes me considers dangers I wouldn't have otherwise
In case anyone wants to get a feel for what the movie palace was like back then: Just yesterday I've watched a screening of the 1920's silent movie Metropolis, accompanied by a live orchestra, at Babylon Berlin. It's a famous movie palace from that time in the center of Berlin that regularly stages silent movies from that period with orchestras. The venue is quite authentic and definitely has this glamorous feeling to it. Instead of 25 cents, however, it costs 25 €, which is 25 € in todays money. But definitely worth it!
Thank you for covering the Knickerbocker Theater collapse! I believe I suggested it to you a few months ago, around the time of the 100th anniversary. As usual, you did a thorough and thoughtful job at telling the story.
I have multiple food allergies, including shellfish. Exposure can seriously knock you back. I’m even more in awe of Patton now. We don’t see many like him in our day and age, now!
@@Cynthiabecker24 You are starting winter and the US is heading into summer. Always was amazed at how different the seasons are between North and South hemispheres.
I love this channel. If you haven't covered it already, could you make a video about the Grover Shoe Factory Disaster? It was a major catastrophe, but it led to the creation of boiler codes and professional engineering societies. Edit: Or the Silver Bridge Collapse in Point Pleasant, WV. I'd love to hear you talk about the Mothman legend!
Once again you have taken a tragedy that I have heard a great deal about and in 10 minutes added information that. I had never known before. Kudos to you, Sir. Your research is spot on. Though this horror is largely forgotten today, I still remember my Grandmother on days of heavy snow telling us "not to go to the movies". It took years for me to figure out why she said this and it was in memory of this event.
A beautiful, historic building is torn down to make space for an ugly, brick bank. That's America for you. Given the horror of these disasters, I really appreciate the detail you go into about the rescue efforts and the contributions of everyday people who just wanted to help out of the goodness of their hearts.
I know you mostly do older stuff, but it’d be interesting to see you cover the Beirut port explosion in 2020. I love your channel and hope other agree with my suggestion
It's one thing I always wonder with big box stores and living in upstate New York. Snow is exceptionally heavy, especially after sitting for a while and melting.
A few times a year, my local symphony performs a score live while the audience watches the film. I've seen a Harry Potter movie and a Star Wars movie this way. It's quite satisfying- the music is richer and more of a presence next to what's happening onscreen, and the audience is more responsive than at a typical screening. It's more expensive than catching a flick at the local multiplex, but absolutely worth it.
That poor owner… I can’t imagine the suffering he went through in the aftermath. I hope he didn’t feel as though those 98 deaths were on his hands, but he likely did.
The little boy that crawled in to give the survivors water really brought a tear to my eye. What an angel.
Indeed. But can you imagine any small child being allowed to do that today?
No matter what this upload says, I don’t think any little boy’s mother or father would have allowed them to crawl into a collapsing/collapsed building
@@spiralroseI'm sure you know better
@@spiralrose Kids were not so "helicoptered" back then. A lot of kids could have literally been present with their parents none the wiser. Lots of kids back then got hurt or even killed because parents let them wander streets unattended.
So many of the tragedies covered by Fascinating Horror seem to have been lost to time, but by featuring them, the people lost can be remembered. The story of those covered in this video are heartbreaking
He needs to cover the tragedy of darth plagueis the wise
I think what he's doing is spreading the information.
A lot of these events are remembered by the local community, but not known to the rest of the world. Such was the world before the internet. An old event like this has to be posthumously documented and uploaded, and without making it to social media, will remain relatively obscure.
And has this channel ever done an uplifting event? I mean, there is the word "horror" in their name which might limit their content, lol...
They're not lost in time with those of us watching and learning. I love this channel. I hope a reflection of these devastating occurrences gives a form of peace knowing followers acknowledge those thought to be forgotten. 💔💐🕊️💕
Another thing this channel is great for is making people wary. You bet most of us fans here would've been outta there after the first dust fell, same with any potential incident that could happen to the viewers. FH, aside from providing high quality informative entertainment, is potentially saving lives :)
Agreed, obviously going over these events comes from dark curiosity to some extent, but our narrator never goes the way of ghoulish dramatization - just tells us what happened, how, and what happened in the aftermath - often important innovations in safety procedures and public health. "These laws were written in blood" that's something we should not forget
'Met every building code'. These are the hard ones. The owner, builders, architects and engineers all know they built it to spec and it still fell down. No matter how many times you say to yourself, "I built it to code!", the guilt just doesn't go away.
But it was probably a bigger theater than had been built before so the regulations didn't allow for that. The Titanic had enough lifeboats according to regulations but they hadn't been written for ships of that size. In the case of the Titanic it was very clear there needed to be enough lifeboats for all passengers, in the case of a building it gets a lot more complicated and they probably hadn't allowed for such a big build up of snow.
pretty much, what we considered modern regulations had changes since the past 100 years. i remember changes happened during the half sinking of costa concordia even with a "modern" ship there were still gaps, old structure docrine of the hull and such. regulation came about to all crusie ships/similar regarding to safety, lifeboat designs and alertness.
@@nlwilson4892 In the day of the Titanic, though, nobody thought of lifeboats as something you sit around floating in until another ship arrives on the scene. Back then the mentality of life boats was to transfer passengers from a distressed ship to another ship, and at the time the number of lifeboats was deemed sufficient. Unfortunately they didn't seem to take into consideration a ship sinking quickly without any other ships around, and so after the Titanic sank they thankfully came up with the regulation that a ship must have enough lifeboats to hold everyone on board.
@@dx1450 Radios were a reasonably new invention, especially one that could transmit any distance. So the provision of lifeboats was very much intended to be enough for all passengers. They were very much intended that people could row themselves to land or keep themselves in shipping lanes until help arrived.
The poor theatre owner... he was following the book that was given to him, and it cost him everything. May he and the other 98 souls who lost their lives that day rest in peace.
Things that are unprecedented remain that way until they are no longer. Today we spend so much time criticizing the past that we fail to see what lies before us
@@Raynl1978 Wise words.
Trust the experts
@@Raynl1978 and so the wheel of time turns yet again upon children of the day. So too shall it be again.
That is actually not quite true, this video gives a far more rosy picture of what happened than it really should. Go watch Brick Immortar's video on this same topic and you'll see.
In a strange way, this story makes a refreshing change from the usual ones, in that this one had nothing to do with wilful negligence or greed leading to an abject failure to adhere to standards. I'm guessing that, without such an unprecedented snowfall, the theatre would have stood perfectly safely for decades. It just goes to show that safety regulations are a movable feast and all it takes is one unexpected incident to make people think, "Hmm, there's something we never considered." And why would they? The unprecedented is just that: it's something you'd never expect. So there we have it, a lot of people died and injured as a result of freak weather conditions, rather than anyone being at fault. Especially not the poor theatre owner, who clearly couldn't cope with the guilt he ladled upon himself, even though it wasn't anything he did wrong or could've prevented. I'm sure history isn't looking unkindly on him and I hope he's resting in peace along with the other victims of this tragic accident.
Hats off to Patten, though. Even when ill, the man is still a hero!
Very well said.
"this one had nothing to do with wilful negligence or greed leading to an abject failure to adhere to standards."
Not true. There was massive negligence in the building's construction. Harry Crandel committed suicide for a reason. Because he was guilty as sin. His lawyers got him off to escape jail time but he couldn't escape a guilty conscious.
ruclips.net/video/N4P7qHjp3nE/видео.html
there was gross négligence in this case too. look it up
@@MonTube2006 Yes, faulty design
Brick Immortar did a video on it that goes more into the structural issues
I will always find it uncanny how whether you live or die in an incident can be determined by literally a single decision or a single step you take.
I think about that couple. They were already the type to arrive at a movie later. But if they had dawdled in the lobby a little longer, maybe asked for extra salt in their popcorn or something, they both might have survived.
Yes like going out in dangerous weather conditions, just to watch a movie 🍿. Smh.
So very true. Turn left or Turn right. You make the choice and your life might change in an instant.
We're born to die.
The oddest decision I ever made that probably saved my life: I was driving on a 2-lane country road, following a slow car, with a tractor-trailer behind me. For some reason that I still don't understand, I decided to pull over as I passed a gas station. Once the tractor-trailer passed me, I pulled back onto the road to follow the big truck. A few miles farther on, an oncoming pickup truck came over the double yellow center line and hit the tractor-trailer. If I hadn't pulled off, that pickup probably would have hit me head on! I believe God Himself inspired me to pull over. 😺💕🐾
Another suicide in the wake of the disaster was architect Reginald Geare, whose career was ruined by the disaster. Another good succinct video!
Oh how horrible. Tragic all around. 🥲
Thanks for mentioning this. I Googled him. 3 buildings of his still stand.
Ppppppppppppppp
Pppppp
FYI, there apparently was one guy who noticed the plaster sprinkling down, apparently he was supervisor at a mine or something and recognized that a collapse was imminent and made a beeline for the door, just barely making it out in time.
He should have warned more people smh
@@lizxu322 i kinda suspect you are half sarcastic by the smh, but even if i will still say that 1st, if he warned more people the doors would become clogged and nobody may have escaped, if people believed him in the little time he had to explain. Also he propably was in a state of panic so he may not have been able to think about others.
It’s so rare to hear of a tragedy, that *wasn’t* caused by greed and corruption!
I’m glad the victims still haven’t been forgotten and received a memorial!❤️
Love the name and description of your channel. We need more women like you. Enjoy your day.
@@edwardbellingham3509 formal but weird, nice 👌
Cool it with the antisemitism please
@@whiteyfisk9769 where was the antisemitism?
Apparently Brick Immortar has a video detailing that they actually did take shortcuts here
I feel bad for every single victim and their families, but the couple you mentioned hits different...that's extremely tragic and I can only imagine what he felt afterwards.
🙏😢
Life sucks so don’t have kids.
@@areyoujelton and yet folks keep having them!!!🙏😬
That's what makes history interesting. Facts are dull. People's fate within them, are relatable.
I first noticed this with Ken Burns. He'd find a well documented person or family, and follow their lives through the period of his documentary. This was especially evident in "The West". An event happens on this date. That's boring. Hearing how a person or family lived before, during and after that event will make you remember that event, because peoples lives are more interesting than a mere name, date and time.
That revelation made me realize why I hated high school history so much. Just memorizing dates and names is a waste of time, lol...
@@Backroad_Junkie history is definitely fascinating, whether tragic or triumphant!!!🙏📖👍👻
The local response to the disaster was pretty remarkable, everyone from child to shop owner to soldier acted immediately in recovery support 👏
This is America.
When there is an emergency or disaster, we step up without waiting for some "authority" to tell us to.
That's just what we do.
No looting either
We just had ppl run into traffic to save a stranger who had passed out at the wheel. This isn't an America thing or early 20th century thing: it is a certain percentage of ppl do and a certain percentage of people don't everywhere, every time.
@@azuman7 didn't make one mention about America but ok dude, nice write-up
@@mikesmith-po8nd I'm sure people in most countries would do the same lol
That photograph of the guy with snow upto his waist is brilliant
Ggg
It has a very "this is fine" meme vibe
Wearing a three-piece suit and hat! Lol
It looks a lot like H.H. Holmes, at least on this low-res. monitor.
@@CassandraJeffersfor him, it probably was just fine
The story of that musician is just heartbreaking, who knows how many lost their other half that night.
When I was working for the day at a senior housing complex in DC several years ago, one of the residents called a snowstorm coming that weekend a "Knickerbocker storm". Whenever I hear this story, I think of how it was imprinted on the memories of that man's generation.
Shame the owner took his own life- he clearly wasn't trying to cut corners on cost, and he wasn't a building engineer.
Yeah, but just imagine how guilty you'd feel if, despite doing everything right, the building you built and owned, meant for a good time, killed so many people, and left so many families without loved ones. It would be too much for me to bear, I think. Its because he was such a good person that he felt so guilty that he took his own life. It's a shame, but understandable.
There was a big fire in Provincetown Massachusetts years back, burned tons of artists shops, the guy who accidentally started it killed himself a short time later
Yet psychopaths live long, fruitful lives after doing evil sht on purpose.
The world isn't fair. :(
I know...for once an owner who had done everything right. Poor guy...my sympathies to all the families affected.
It's heartbreaking. And sometimes it seems the people who are truly remorseful seem to pay the most, while the greedy and callous ones get off relatively light or completely. For example, even if Dan Lee Webb of Webb's Bait Farm was doing something illegal, he did it to support his family, he was desperate and not greedy and was taken advantage of. He turned himself in, spent 10 years of his life in jail, had to pay an enormous fine and worst of all, lost family and friends horrifically. Now you can argue that the Knickerbocker man is more sympathetic in that he wasn't doing anything illegal or dangerous, but when I compare Webb to the bastards at Six Flags (Haunted Castle), Guadalajara, the Yarmouth Castle, the waterslide that killed that killed that poor boy, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, or outside of this channel people like John Landis who make horrific tragedies that they had a hand in all about them, who are responsible for so much carnage and tragedy and refused to take any responsibility and will not so much as honor the victims in any way, shape or form, I do have some sympathy for him, and I have it for this man whose remorse lead to suicide.
6:51 The stories of how just a matter of chance or a stroke of luck made all the difference between life and death are staggering.
At least this is one of the handful of stories where the structure was fully up to code, and it was merely the standards of the day that were insufficient. For some reason, I feel like that *does* make a difference; if only because it means no one was being willfully irresponsible.
I agree!
It'd be worth looking into how the standards of the day were determined, and by who, because as often as not these sorts of things are subject to all sorts of meddling on behalf of financially interested parties in the industry being regulated.
It does make a difference. Most of the stories are about building codes being ignored and being overlooked by inspectors because of money. This one wasn't neglegent. He was obviously doing everything right by the codes of the day. Unfortunately, it takes tragedies like this to change the codes. They learn better ways to make buildings safer through a failing of the current codes.
It’s sad that many of the regulations on modern structures exist due to deadly disasters
Minimum Investment, maximum profit, zero pride.
Say what you want about Patton, but you can't deny the man knew how to get shit done.
The Nazis definitely found that out firsthand.
@@DisrespectfulRob Gavin Newsom?
@@marienbad2 lol
Include murdering WW1 vets.
In 1977 I attended a showing of ‘Star Wars’ in a relatively large theater in Richland Washington USA. It was packed with happy theater goers. Two years later, in the middle of the night, when the theater was empty, the whole roof collapsed due to a structural defect. If the timing was different, and occurred a couple years earlier there could have been a thousand casualties, including myself! Great video on this most scary tragedy!
that is absolutely nuts. i guess it goes to show that luck really is terrifying in deciding our deaths, and another day to live is always worth appreciating
wow, talk about lucky! And if any movie could have shook the roof off it was Star Wars. ☺️ I remember standing in line for that movie in a line up that wrapped way around the building. Such a cool experience.
It'd take a lot more the an allergic reaction to slow "Old Blood and Guts." This is one of the few disasters I actually knew something about. But I never knew Patton was even involved! Your way of presenting everything is as stellar as ever.
As a person who lives in the Midwest USA, huge amounts of snow is something we worry about. If we have heavy snow, we have to hire someone to clear off the roof or go up ourselves. This includes businesses especially ones with flat roofs
Don’t have flat roofs
@@mcdjinn6975 I am mostly talking about businesses, schools and malls that have flat roofs. However, most houses have slightly slanted roofs. Even with the slant, snow stays on your roof unless it is warm enough to melt. Our winters are cold so the snow accumulates...
@@mcdjinn6975 roofs can cave in from weight if they're not flat, Einstein
@@happyfacefries Yes, but the warmth in the building will slightly warm up the surface of the roof, meaning the snow will slide off. You act as if heavy snowfalls aren't normal in large parts of the world.
I cannot tell you how many times I recommend or show your videos. I’ve even recommended to my Fire Chief that they become taught in the department to understand the scenarios. You do an excellent job on showcasing these tragic incidents.
That one guy who lived but had his girlfriend die because she was a few steps ahead of him must've been haunted by that for years.
Kudos to the telephone operator who called all the emergency services; most would not have thought of contacting the Army, or even had their number to hand.
And this was over 40 years before the institution of the 911 US emergency number, and 15 years before 999 in the UK.
I suppose a few theatres like this still exist throughout our country. We have one locally, tho not as grand. They screen “old” movies, have orchestral concerts, etc. I go there a few times each year and marvel at its historic value. I imagine tho, next time, I will think of this tragic story. Thank you for remembering the victims.
What's the name of that theatre ?
My city still has it’s theater built by the WPA during the Depression. It was revived years ago, hosting dozens of events each year.
We have a theater in my city that is something like this one, built just four years after the Knickerbocker Theater was. It has been used for everything from vaudeville acts, film showings (both silent films and old classic films in the modern era), concerts, ballets, comedy stand-up routines, and just about anything else you could imagine would take place in a theater. And it's a gorgeous old theater, too -- every bit of it is appealing to the eyes as you go in. It almost met the wrecking ball in the 1970s, but thankfully, a dedicated group of people worked to save it and get it on the National Register of Historic Places. Now it will hopefully celebrate its 100th anniversary this year. This is the kind of theater that the Knickerbocker might have been if it was still around today!
My great grandfather was there when this happened. I can remember him talking about it. Really feel sad for those who lost their lives.
These stories are so sad and unfortunate. Thankfully they usually lead to improvements in present day and future structures. Very well told and a huge thank you!
2:30am on the west coast, about to go to bed and I see a post from Fascinating Horror. Damn it, I'm up for a little longer.
I love how these old theaters look. I would go to an old school theater in pitman NJ. It has balcony's, everything that the older theaters have. It's very nice.
This story is nothing but sad. The theatre owner really got to me. A lot of big-wigs try to escape responsibility for these kinds of disasters, but this man had really done nothing wrong. The building was up to code for the time and yet he still felt the need to blame himself and take his own life. It's a shame to lose someone with a degree of empathy for others on top of all the innocent lives already lost.
Even in his suicide note he was thinking of others, not himself. Such a waste to lose a man like that.
Yeah, ironic, that.
Supposing he ended the note with "..and so, I won't take my life after all, as I still have much to give" yadda yadda, and didn't take his life; merely wrote that missive,
He'd instead be reviled as cold and selfish and one who _should've_ died from this and a greedy capitalist and all that usual stuff in these videos.
Damned if you do, etc.
The parts where people come together to help others always makes me super emotional.
Reminds me of the roof collapses of the Katowice trade hall (65 deaths) and the Bad Reichenhall ice rink (15 deaths), both in January 2006 after very cold weather with heavy snow. In Germany all buildings with a similar roof construction as the ice rink were inspected, and some had to be demolished.
I'm addicted to these videos! They are just long/short/detailed enough to keep my attention.
Excellent story telling and view on the facts. The poor newlyweds. Every tragedy is a stepping stone to better regulations and standards, these videos are all an archive of those who've been lost along the way
It's interesting to see one where it's not really anyone's fault. Sure things could have been done better, but the building was built to code.
30" of snow is alot of weight. Even up here in Wisconsin where we're used to snow......30" in one storm never happens. Just a series of freak occurrences.
@@christopherweise438 30 inches of snow... that's... roughly foot to upper thigh or hip area. That's some serious snow.
@@nerdstop5025 - Exactly. We get 100"-200" of snow a season, but it doesn't come all at once. We have time to clear our roofs off in between storms.
@@christopherweise438 Jesus. That sucks.
@@nerdstop5025 - LOL!!!
It makes you appreciate the summers more (is what i try to tell myself).
I thought that "1922" said "2022", and got really really sad for a second
"At the time, he was recovering from an allergic reaction to seafood he'd eaten the day before. But he didn't let his own condition get in the way of organization of the rescue operation." Wow, a true hero.
That’s future general patton for ya
@@jtgd he was such an interesting character
"After a few hours a more organized rescue operation was put forth."
Me: I wonder how organized it could be in this snowstorm.
"Patton was put in charge."
Me: Well, ok then. 😮
Have you ever considered also uploading these as audio podcasts? You're an excellent narrator and you describe the events vividly.
I'd love a Fascinating Horror podcast! I think it'd be lovely to get more in depth information (I'm sure they cut a lot) and they're one of the few creators I think I would listen to for that length of time.
yes pleeeeease make a podcast! The episodes could be way longer as well, I'd love to listen to it!
I would love that but only if he keeps the same music!
@@bladergroen you might like the podcast Unexplained! Richard MacLean Smith has a very similar narrating style!!!
@@fiona8230 I am looking for good podcasts and so I just followed your suggestion. But is the “unexplained” part frustrating…? I prefer my mysteries solved and explained. 👀 ☺️
Brilliant once again, Sir. The narration. The haunting music. The whole nine yards. Love it
So sad for those lost in this building collapse. I hadn't heard of many incidents like this until the condo tower here in Florida last year.
That was a tragic accident but the fact it happened in peacetime AND before the great depression means it got more coverage. If this was going to happen, it was good it happened at that time so that the appeals to better structural safety standards would be heard and reciprocated nationally.
good points
Been looking forward to you covering this one since I first heard about it. Good job bro!
I remember hearing about this a few years ago. It’s interesting to hear about it again. Keep up the great work man!
This one is a true relic. Wow. Thanks for keeping it alive.
Do the case of Janet Parker sometime soon, the last smallpox death ever recorded in 1978. She was a medical photographer who was exposed to smallpox accidentally, which compelled the head of microbiology at the hospital she worked at - Dr. Henry Bedson - to kill himself. It's still not clear how she was exposed, but it is a highly contagious virus so it could've come from any source, and she was a high-risk worker so it was entirely probable it could happen. It's for this reason that there's only two labs in the world permitted to handle smallpox particles.
The death was very sudden, and likely the reason she died was due to not having been vaccinated for the virus in 12 years as it was seen as such an unlikely scenario to become infected. To this day, we still don't vaccinate against smallpox due to the fact the WHO considers it to be eradicated, but it is totally possible that somebody could be exposed to an old sample of the virus from a century or two ago, as it's very good at surviving and developing a culture on very small amounts of organic material.
I just think this topic would be perfect for your channel, it really fits your style
Does he do videos on people? I thought he just did disasters
@@nicoledoubleyou He just did a short on the fate of Harry Houdini, so he really does both
@@nicoledoubleyou It also triggered a public health crisis which falls into the realm of disaster
OK Billy Windows
Thanks for remembering this forgotten tragedy.
can we just apreciate the guy who owned the theater? so often in these videos the owner is guilty because of negligence and active cost-cutting but he seems like he genuinely cared.
Even when he was not there, his soul was crushed after that.
May he rest in peace in his heavenly theatre.
Your voice is so soothing while paying respect to so many tragedies. It really paints a mental picture of what happened.
You can kind of tell by the pictures from above that the girders that made up the roof were embedded into the bearing walls, instead of resting on top of them. Whereas this isnt uncommon, it would appear that the flat roof sat a few feet below the top of the bearing wall, which would have allowed the snow to pile up in the space between the roof and the top of the parapet. The result was the structure of the roof compressed downwards and eventually slipped out of the joist pockets in the wall. The hissing sound they heard was probably the ceiling detaching and sliding down the walls before the rest of the roof pushed it down.
Now thanks to your video documentary, the victims will forever be remembered. Thank you.
Oh my God, the way they described the pause after the collapse, just before people began to cry out in pain. Breaks my heart.
Thank you for your impeccable description of every horrific event on this channel!
Thank you. I love learning historical events that we were never taught.
FH please cover the Wowowee Stampede disaster of 2007. That topic perfectly fits your channel. Kudos man!
What a tragic story. It seems unusual to have a story where such a disaster occurs and the building is found to have been up to code. Typically, there are all sorts of corners cut due to greed. I feel for all those lives lost but I also feel for the theater owner who seemed to want to do things right. May he also rest in peace.
By a bit of coincidence, my video this week was also based on a theater disaster: the Iroquois Theater Fire. That one, unfortunately, has much more to do with greed and poor execution during the building process.
I love your content, not only for the information and how thoroughly and concisely it is presented, but also for the way you always make an effort to call attention to the victims of the tragedy. Thank you for being their voice so that they are not forgotten.
Thank you for covering one of my local disasters. I’m very familiar with that plaza and it would be a lovely spot for a permanent memorial of some kind. It would also be great if someone would write an in-depth book about the Knickerbocker, though I fear the survivors will have all passed on by now, so the research would be more difficult. You can find video of survivors talking about the collapse on RUclips, though.
As my roofer friend always said, “Flat roofs are there to keep roofers in business”.
oof! Interesting.
I worked for a roofing company and leaks in the foam roof coverings on flat roofs was a never ending business for the company.
Flat roofs are only possible in deserts, and they still need some sort of ventilation for water.
Excellent telling of this story. I attended college in DC and we were told this story in my freshman year. You did a great job combining the facts and the individual stories
This is one of the things I love about this channel. I have seen videos about the theater collapse dozens of times, and had no idea Gen. Patton was part of the rescue efforts. Always great tidbits other videos skim over.
I love this channel. One of the best on RUclips. Every video keeps me engaged.
Extreme blizzards are a rare occurrence in Washington DC, and as a result many roofs are constructed flat. Not only that, but when such a storm occurs they lack plows to clear away the snow for traffic to pass through. Crandall was a Washingtonian and knew these things; he was simply following codes that were thought to be fine for Washington’s climate, and paid a dear price for it. Glad to see that there is a makeshift memorial for it at last, and hope a real one is built in the near future.
The minute you mentioned the volume of snow, I thought: it probably had a flat roof!!!
Another great telling of yet another tragic story.
Thank you for always teaching us something new, Good Sir~💕
May YOU know that you are loved and valued right back~💕💕💕
I always look forward to these! As always, thank you for bringing attention to many of these disasters that most probably have forgotten or didn’t even know about!
The story about that young couple was heartbreaking. If she'd only been a few steps back, they'd have both survived. I can't even imagine the pain and guilt that young man went through afterwards.
Yes! I picture him “being a gentleman” by insisting she walk ahead, and then being sad he did so for the rest of his life.
This reminds me of what happened at the Metrodome back in 2010, thank the Lord that happened late at night when no one was there.
I've seen the security footage. What's scary is there actually were a few people there. You can see a stadium worker run for their life as the roof starts to cave in.
Just gotta say, I absolutely love the background music, it's become an iconic part of this channel ♡
Wow, I'd never even heard of this. Thank you as always for a great episode! Very tragic.
I love your videos. I love to hear these histories of these forgotten horrors. I’m sure one day you’ll have the modern day horror of the Sufeside Condo collapse.
Seen this story told elsewhere but still learned some new details. Thanks for the upload.
Holy crap!! That's the neighborhood Adam's Morgan in Washington DC. I work on that same block!! I never knew the history behind that building or why they put up that violin. Wow. Now imma go to work and show my coworkers this video!!
Thanks for posting this !
I suggested it a bit ago, and you never disappoint.
Great channel!
Thanks for posting FH. The amazing thing about your posts is that they have usually led to better safety standards everywhere for whatever disaster was featured that week with those kinds of builds which makes life a lot safer as a result of these horrific tragedies.
It also looks like General Patton himself at 6:48 along with the fire chief.
Watching this in the break room of my work, which is a flat-roofed cinema. Though I live in a desert so snow isn't really an issue. We got about 3 inches of snow once when I was a kid, but that's the most snow I know of.
I lived in DC for 5 years and passed this bank regularly. I had no idea the story behind that spot. A proper memorial is certainly needed.
I grew up in that area of DC, but after the Ambassador theater had closed. I had never heard about the Knickerbocker theater disaster until now. I do remember the bank being built in the plaza, and on the weekends the plaza had a farmer's market. Thanks for teaching me something new about the area I grew up in.
I'm the health and safety rep at my workplace and these videos are incredibly educational. Definitely shows me the implications or poor regulations and makes me considers dangers I wouldn't have otherwise
Dude I gotta say, whenever I see a new video of yours out I get excited. Thanks for all the hours of entertainment
Movie palaces should be a thing again.
That was my thought as soon as he showed them
They are. They are even more impressive now.
In case anyone wants to get a feel for what the movie palace was like back then:
Just yesterday I've watched a screening of the 1920's silent movie Metropolis, accompanied by a live orchestra, at Babylon Berlin. It's a famous movie palace from that time in the center of Berlin that regularly stages silent movies from that period with orchestras. The venue is quite authentic and definitely has this glamorous feeling to it. Instead of 25 cents, however, it costs 25 €, which is 25 € in todays money. But definitely worth it!
Well done. Excellent narration as always.
Thank you for covering the Knickerbocker Theater collapse! I believe I suggested it to you a few months ago, around the time of the 100th anniversary. As usual, you did a thorough and thoughtful job at telling the story.
I have multiple food allergies, including shellfish. Exposure can seriously knock you back. I’m even more in awe of Patton now. We don’t see many like him in our day and age, now!
Cheers man. Love seeing some timely content here in Melbourne Australia.
¿ǝɹǝɥʇ uʍop ɹǝɥʇɐǝʍ ǝɥʇ s,ʍoH
@@j2kerrigan Hot. My guess is hot.
@@j2kerrigan F*CKING FREEZING MATE
It is cold as shit, rain at 6C
@@j2kerriganG'day, 1st day of winter for us tomorrow, had a lil snowfall, so I'm happy....as I'm a winter baby. And for you?
@@Cynthiabecker24 You are starting winter and the US is heading into summer. Always was amazed at how different the seasons are between North and South hemispheres.
Must of been quite the experience watching something so new,(moving pictures) while listening to a full orchestra. Wonderful.
I love this channel. If you haven't covered it already, could you make a video about the Grover Shoe Factory Disaster? It was a major catastrophe, but it led to the creation of boiler codes and professional engineering societies.
Edit: Or the Silver Bridge Collapse in Point Pleasant, WV. I'd love to hear you talk about the Mothman legend!
I was just reading about this a couple days ago. This was tragic indeed.
Once again you have taken a tragedy that I have heard a great deal about and in 10 minutes added information that. I had never known before. Kudos to you, Sir. Your research is spot on. Though this horror is largely forgotten today, I still remember my Grandmother on days of heavy snow telling us "not to go to the movies". It took years for me to figure out why she said this and it was in memory of this event.
I believe the military hospital at 5:33 was called National Naval Medical Center. The name didn't change until the 21st century. Great video btw.
Great vid FH, I really enjoy your narrative style.
Thank you so much for posting this. I live near DC and yet had never heard of this
A beautiful, historic building is torn down to make space for an ugly, brick bank. That's America for you.
Given the horror of these disasters, I really appreciate the detail you go into about the rescue efforts and the contributions of everyday people who just wanted to help out of the goodness of their hearts.
This series causes me to self-reflect with gratitude for all I have in the moment.
Fascinating Horror vids are somehow a calming start to my work week. 🙃
I know you mostly do older stuff, but it’d be interesting to see you cover the Beirut port explosion in 2020. I love your channel and hope other agree with my suggestion
I agree yeah
It's one thing I always wonder with big box stores and living in upstate New York. Snow is exceptionally heavy, especially after sitting for a while and melting.
Your respect for those who lost their lives and your emphasis on calls to memorialize them is honorable.
Appalling tragedy and how I'd love to watch an authentic show with orchestra. #OurHistory
A few times a year, my local symphony performs a score live while the audience watches the film. I've seen a Harry Potter movie and a Star Wars movie this way. It's quite satisfying- the music is richer and more of a presence next to what's happening onscreen, and the audience is more responsive than at a typical screening. It's more expensive than catching a flick at the local multiplex, but absolutely worth it.
That poor owner… I can’t imagine the suffering he went through in the aftermath. I hope he didn’t feel as though those 98 deaths were on his hands, but he likely did.
Awesome beef man, keep teh videos flowing :)