Today in Fire History 6/25
6/25/1985 Hallett, OK, a series of explosions and subsequent fires at 9:35 a.m. leveled the Aerlex Fireworks Manufacturing Corporation, a fireworks factory, near the town of Jennings, Oklahoma that killed twenty-one and injured five, licensed by ATF, produced 90% display-type (special) and 10% common fireworks. The incident, most likely, resulted from the careless unloading of pyrotechnic materials from a pickup truck adjacent to the assembly building. Investigators estimate it was only seconds from the initial ignition to the explosions, that was felt 13 miles away, and leveled most of the facility. “Factors such as unbarricaded process buildings coupled with the quantity and type of explosive composition on hand are believed to be responsible for the magnitude of the loss.” –
6/25/1935 Stockton, CA a warehouse fire and collapse injured a firefighter –
6/25/1914 Salem, MA City conflagration: 10,000 left homeless and nearly half of the "Old Witch City" was damaged–
6/25/1910 Allenton, WI conflagration: the fire destroyed the local bank, telephone exchange, post office and fifteen stores. –
6/25/1907 Brainerd, MN conflagration: the fire destroyed the Sleeper block on Front Street –
6/25/1907 Elk Point, SD conflagration: the fire started in the basement of “the Hoffmen double brick store building, occupied by the Union Investment company as a general store and O. M. Walters, hardware. The origin of the fire was probably incendiary, although there was a heavy electrical storm three hours before” the fire. –
6/25/1907 Chippewa Falls, WI a gasoline tank explosion killed two on board a launch on Couderay Lake –
6/25/1902 Mercur, UT conflagration –
1896 Petros, TN a blasting powder explosion killed two and seriously injured several at the railway station for state convict mines at Bushy Mountain –
6/25/1892 Ottumwa, IA an explosion in a fruit store was caused by a gasoline stove used to ripening bananas in the basement. –
6/25/1962 Supreme Court rules New York school prayer unconstitutional –
6/25/1950 Korean War began: when six North Korean infantry divisions invaded South Korea; over 55,000 American troops were killed in the conflict –
6/25/1942 Gen Eisenhower takes command of U.S. forces in Europe –
6/25/1941 Finland declares war on Soviet Union –
6/25/1910 Congress passed Mann Act, that made it illegal to "transport any woman or girl" across state lines "for any immoral purpose." “The most famous prosecutions under the law were those of Charlie Chaplin in 1944 and Chuck Berry in 1959 and 1961, who took unmarried women across state lines for "immoral purposes." Berry was convicted and spent two years in the prime of his musical career in jail.” –
6/25/1876 the Battle of Little Bighorn –
6/25/1868 President Andrew Johnson passed a law that government workers would work eight-hour day
6/25/1868 FL, AL, LA, GA, NC, & SC were readmitted to Union –
6/25/1864 Civil War, Union troops began tunneling toward Rebels at Petersburg –
6/25/1862 Civil War, Seven Days Battles began –
6/25/1788 Virginia becomes 10th state to ratify U.S. constitution –