The Winecoff Hotel fire, of December 7, 1946, was the deadliest hotel fire in American history, killing 119 hotel occupants, including the hotel's original owners. Located at 176 Peachtree Street in Atlanta, Georgia, the Winecoff Hotel was advertised as "absolutely fireproof". While the hotel's steel structure was indeed protected against the effects of fire, its interior finishes were combustible and the building's exit arrangements consisted of a single stairway serving all fifteen floors. All of the hotel's occupants above the fire's origin on the third floor were trapped, and the fire's survivors either were rescued from upper-story windows or jumped into nets held by firemen. A number of victims jumped to their deaths.
19 guests at Canfield Hotel die in fire (Dubuque, Iowa)
The Winecoff Hotel fire, of December 7, 1946, was the deadliest hotel fire in American history, killing 119 hotel occupants, including the hotel's original owners.
Historical Significance
The Winecoff Hotel fire, of December 7, 1946, was the deadliest hotel fire in American history, killing 119 hotel occupants, including the hotel's original owners.
Events Before
German air raid on Allied airfields at Eindhoven, Saint-Trond, and Brussels
German air raid on Allied airfields at Eindhoven, Saint-Trond, and Brussels
Franklin D. Roosevelt is sworn in for an unprecedented and never-to-be-repeated fourth term as US President
Franklin D. Roosevelt is sworn in for an unprecedented and never-to-be-repeated fourth term as US President
Soviet troops liberate Auschwitz and Birkenau Concentration Camps in Poland - now commemorated as International Holocau
Soviet troops liberate Auschwitz and Birkenau Concentration Camps in Poland - now commemorated as International Holocaust Remembrance Day [1]
WWII: US troops under General Douglas MacArthur enter Manila in the Philippines after a month-long battle, ending three
WWII: US troops under General Douglas MacArthur enter Manila in the Philippines after a month-long battle, ending three years of Japanese military occupation
Declaration of Liberated Europe is signed at the Yalta Conference by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Josep
Declaration of Liberated Europe is signed at the Yalta Conference by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin, declaring that liberated nations are to establish democratic governments through free elections
Events After
Mahatma Gandhi begins a march for peace in East Bengal
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political thinker who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign…
Benelux agrees to work on related issues
Benelux agrees to work on related issues
Britain nationalizes its coal industry
The Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946 (9 & 10 Geo. 6. c. 59) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which nationalised, or brought into state control, the coal industry in the United…
French fashion designer Christian Dior presents his first influential collection, named the "New Look"
French fashion designer Christian Dior presents his first influential collection, named the "New Look"
Earl Mountbatten of Burma is appointed the last viceroy of India to oversee the move to independence
The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan.
More from the 1940s
D-Day: The Normandy Landings
Allied forces launch the largest amphibious invasion in history on the beaches of Normandy, France, marking the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi occupation.
wars conflicts
World War II: Representatives of 26 nations at war with the Axis powers sign the Declaration of the United Nations, pled
World War II: Representatives of 26 nations at war with the Axis powers sign the Declaration of the United Nations, pledging to make no separate peace deals
Mahatma Gandhi begins a march for peace in East Bengal
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political thinker who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign…
birth
Omar al-Bashir is born
Omar al-Bashir is born
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened on June 9, 1946?
- The Winecoff Hotel fire, of December 7, 1946, was the deadliest hotel fire in American history, killing 119 hotel occupants, including the hotel's original owners. Located at 176 Peachtree Street in Atlanta, Georgia, the Winecoff Hotel was advertised as "absolutely fireproof". While the hotel's steel structure was indeed protected against the effects of fire, its interior finishes were combustible and the building's exit arrangements consisted of a single stairway serving all fifteen floors.
- Why is 19 guests at Canfield Hotel die in fire (Dubuque, Iowa) significant?
- The Winecoff Hotel fire, of December 7, 1946, was the deadliest hotel fire in American history, killing 119 hotel occupants, including the hotel's original owners.