The Blackwater fire was caused by a lightning strike on August 18, 1937, in Shoshone National Forest, about 35 miles (56 km) west of Cody, Wyoming, United States. Fifteen firefighters were killed by the forest fire when a dry weather front caused the winds to suddenly increase and change direction. The fire quickly spread into dense forest, trapping some of the firefighters in a firestorm. Nine died during the fire and six died afterwards from severe burns and respiratory complications; 38 others were injured. More U.S. wildland firefighters died in the Blackwater fire than in any incident since the Great Fire of 1910; the death-toll was not surpassed until 2013 when 19 firefighters died in the Yarnell Hill Fire. Firefighters in the first half of the 20th century used mostly hand tools to suppress wildfires, and all gear was carried by the firefighters or by pack animals. Weather forecasting and radio communication were generally poor or nonexistent. After the Blackwater fire, better ways to respond to such fires were developed, including the smokejumper program in 1939 and the Ten Standard Firefighting Orders (a standardized set of wildland firefighting principles) in 1957.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwater_fire_of_1937
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1856:
Scenes of Clerical Life, the first work by English author George Eliot (pictured), was submitted for publication. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scenes_of_Clerical_Life
1869:
In the first official American football game, Rutgers College defeated the College of New Jersey, 6–4, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_American_football
1935:
The Hawker Hurricane, the aircraft responsible for 60% of the Royal Air Force's air victories in the Battle of Britain, made its first flight. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Hurricane
1977:
The Kelly Barnes Dam in Stephens County, Georgia, US, collapsed, and the resulting flood killed 39 people and caused $2.8 million in damages. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly_Barnes_Dam
1995:
Madagascar's Rova of Antananarivo, which served as the royal palace from the 17th to 19th centuries, was destroyed by fire. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rova_of_Antananarivo
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
isomorphic: 1. (mathematics) Having a one-to-one correspondence. 2. (biology) Having a similar structure or function to something that is not related genetically or through evolution. 3. Having identical relevant structure. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/isomorphic
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
The most important persuasion tool you have in your entire arsenal is integrity. --Zig Ziglar https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Zig_Ziglar