The collapse of the Apollo Theatre took place on the evening of March 31, 2023, when a tornado struck Belvidere, Illinois, in the United States. A show there, headlined by the death metal band Morbid Angel, had begun despite advance knowledge of imminent severe weather. Winds of 90 to 100 miles per hour (140 to 160 km/h) caused the failure of the lower roof structure and large amounts of debris fell into the sold-out venue burying many people. Concertgoers removed debris prior to the arrival of the Belvidere Fire Department. One concertgoer was pronounced dead at the scene and 27 were taken to the hospital, of 48 who suffered non-fatal injuries. The street-facing facade and the upper roof structure were found on the street after the tornado. Following the collapse, the lack of safety protocols despite warning became the subject of multiple lawsuits. The Apollo Theatre was condemned the next day, but reopened that September.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belvidere_Apollo_Theatre_collapse

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1600:

Scottish nobleman John Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie, was killed during what was most likely a failed attempt to kidnap King James VI. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ruthven,_3rd_Earl_of_Gowrie

1772:

Russia, Prussia and Habsburg Austria began the First Partition of Poland, with the primary motive to restore the regional balance of power in Eastern Europe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Partition_of_Poland

1973:

Due to an athletics scandal, the National Collegiate Athletic Association applied the death penalty to the basketball program at the University of Southwestern Louisiana. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Southwestern_Louisiana_basketball_scandal

2015:

United States Environmental Protection Agency personnel accidentally caused a spillage (aftermath pictured) of 3 million gallons (11 million litres) of mine waste water and tailings trapped inside the Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Gold_King_Mine_waste_water_spill

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

stack talk: (US, rail transport, slang) The sound made by the exhaust of a steam locomotive. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/stack_talk

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

I remember on the trip home on Apollo 11 it suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.   --Neil Armstrong https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Neil_Armstrong