The Great Beer Flood

October 17, 1814 - On this day in a London brewery, a massive vat filled with over 135,000 gallons of beer was literally bulging at its seams. The giant wooden barrel stood 20 feet tall and it was held together with 29 metal hoops.

At around 6 PM, the pressure of the fermenting beer caused the vat to rupture. This set off a chain reaction in the surrounding barrels and soon a tidal wave of beer was rolling through the slum of St. Giles.

Over 1.2 million litres of beer flooded the area. 2 houses were completely destroyed and 7 people died, including the 13-year-old waitress in the local pub.

Those who weren't swimming or running for their lives paused to gather up buckets of the beer. One man reportedly drank himself to death.

The brewery was absolved of any responsibility as the tragedy was ruled an "Act of God."