Khodynka Tragedy
On May 30, 1896, 500,000 people were gathered on Khodynka Field for a celebration after the coronation of the Emperor of Russia, Nicholas II. Everyone was promised a bread roll, sausage, pretzels, gingerbread and a commemorative cup which contained one gold coin. However, only 150 buffets and 20 pubs were set up on the field. On the morning of the banquet, people were already waiting at 6AM. It was obvious that there wouldn’t be enough food for everyone. This caused a lot of people to push and fight one another in order to get to the front of the crowd. A total of 1,282 dead bodies were collected from the fields, and an additional 9,000 to 20,000 people were seriously injured. But the festivities went on as scheduled. By 2PM, the Emperor and Empress were waving to the cheering crowd as if nothing had happened.