Shiloh Baptist Church Stampede
On September 19, 1902, a crowd of 3,000 people were gathered at the Shiloh Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama to listen to a speech by Booker T. Washington. When the speech was over, two men began fighting one another. Someone shouted, “fight!” but the crowd mistook it for “fire!” This caused people to panic, and many people started to leave. A minister stood up and shouted “quiet!” to try to get people to calm down, but that again was mistaken for a second “fire!” People began to rush for the stairs, which were flanked by two tall brick walls. This pushed people into falling on the ground and succumbing to the weight of the masses. Approximately 110 people perished, and many others were seriously injured.