The Victoria Hall Disaster
On June 16, 1883, a traveling variety and magic show for children was visiting Victoria Hall in Sunderland, England. After the show ended, they passed around tickets for a chance to win a free toy. The performers began handing out prizes to the kids on the ground floor of the theater first. This caused roughly 1,100 kids from the upstairs gallery to begin running down the narrow staircase to try to get their tickets. For some reason, an employee bolted the door so that only one child could fit through at a time. The adults could hear the screams from behind the door, but the bolt was on the kid’s side. Eventually, someone ripped the door off its hinges, and an employee was able to evacuate 600 kids from the other side. It was still too late. This tragedy ended the lives of 183 children between 3 and 14 years old.