Great Balls of Fire!

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. The Great Fire of London lasted for three days, from the 2nd to the 5th of September 1666. It's one of the rare occasions in fire history where the source of the fire has actually been verified. What was the origin of the Great Fire of London, 1666? It started in the gardens of Buckingham Palace. It started in a brothel. It started in a bakery. It started due to one of Guy Fawkes's firecrackers accidentally going off.

2. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911 is often hailed as one of the "worst workplace disasters" in history. Basically, a small sweatshop that produced shirtwaists (ladies' blouses) caught fire - and due to the terrible safety conditions at the time, 146 garment workers were killed. In which American state did the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire occur? Massachusetts Minnesota New Jersey New York

3. Moscow has been hit by disastrous fires twice: first in 1547, and then later on in 1812. While "sorcery" was cited as the cause for the fire in 1547, there is a slightly clearer view as to what (or who) caused the 1812 fire (or series of fires) of Moscow. Bearing in mind that Russia had recently been invaded by Napoleon I and his troops, what is the generally accepted reason for the 1812 fire of Moscow? The Russian military followed a "scorched earth" policy, and thus set fire to their own city, which prevented key facilities and supplies from falling into the hands of the French invaders under Napoleon. Having successfully driven the French out of Russia the Russian people were celebrating with a beautiful fireworks display. One of the fireworks "misfired" and shot into a bale of hay. Strong winds spread the fire quickly thereafter. The French were having a bonfire celebrating their victory of having driven the Russians out of Moscow. However, the wind was strong, and the bonfire got out a little out of hand, and spread all over Moscow. The French were attempting to blow up the Kremlin, as a symbol of their victory in Russia. However, due to a series of mishaps, the gunpowder went off earlier than expected, and a fire started in an area near the wooden houses of Moscow.

4. Although deadly and destructive, the vast majority of fires are generally accidents. However, the fire bombing of Dresden in February 1945 was certainly a disaster with origins of malicious intention. It's also one of the most questionable and controversial actions undertaken by the Allies during World War II, that lead to a huge firestorm in the city, leaving tens of thousands dead. While all of the Allies were obviously in on the plan to bomb Dresden, only two of the Allied Forces sent their air forces to bomb the city. Which two air forces were responsible for the bombing of Dresden? The British Royal Air Force (RAF) and the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) The United States Army Air Force (USAAF) and the Soviet Air Force (VVS) The French Air Force (ALA) and the British Royal Air Force (RAF) The Soviet Air Force (VVS) and the French Air Force (ALA)

5. This particular fire disaster occurred on the 13th of May 2000, in a Dutch city. The fire started in a warehouse, storing around 900kg of fireworks. Of course, these fireworks only exacerbated the already hazardous situation, and things started going BANG shortly thereafter, with an estimated 177 tons of fireworks exploding. What is the name of the Dutch city in which this disaster occurred? Delft Rotterdam Enschede The Hague

6. The General Slocum, a passenger ship that took people on excursion around New York, caught fire on the 15th of June 1904, in the East River of New York. Over 1000 people died in the accident, making it one of the worst loss-of-life disasters in the history of New York, second only to the 9/11 attacks. Which of the following was a factor contributing to the fire aboard the General Slocum, which created such a terrible disaster and loss of life? The majority of the passengers were women and children, most of whom could not swim. All of these. Even after having been notified of the fire, the captain decided to continue his course, rather than stopping the boat and safely evacuating the passengers. Safety precautions were lacking: the crew had never done a fire drill; lifeboats were inaccessible; and the captain had never bothered to replace faulty hoses and lifejackets.

7. The Australian bush fire that occurred on the 13th of January 1939 was particularly nasty; and has been cited as one of the worst natural bush fires in the world. Due to the extent of the damage and destruction that the fires caused, the 13th of January 1939 came to be known by a certain name. What is that name? Dark Friday Ash Friday Black Friday The Day of Guwiyang

8. One of the earliest recorded fires, was the great fire of Rome which burnt for over a week in 64 A.D. The exact source of the fire is not known, and many theories about its source have since emerged. Which of the following is NOT one of the commonly accepted theories regarding the source of the Great Fire of Rome? A jilted ex-army captain who had been fired from his post returned to Rome to exact revenge on Nero and the Roman people by setting a fire to the city. On a whim, Nero sent out men to set fire to the city, while watching from his palace playing the lyre. The fire was an unfortunate accident. The persecuted Christians of the time started the fire.

9. Killing 31 people and wounding around 80 more, the King's Cross fire proved to be a fairly fatal London disaster. It also led to the introduction of automatic fire sprinklers and heat detectors in the London Underground, as well as the replacement of all the wooden escalators with modern metal ones. In which year did the King's Cross fire disaster occur? 1994 1991 1987 1985

10. Although some disregard it, the theory behind how the Chicago Fire of 1871 was started would actually be quite funny if it weren't for the seriousness of the situation. What is believed by many to be the source of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871? An office manager who, in a fit of rage, threw his typewriter out the window, which caused the fatal sparks as it hit the street A rather ill-fated band of thieves, who attempted to burn down the door to the money vault in a bank. Mrs O'Leary's cow, who accidentally kicked over a kerosene lamp in a barn. A factory worker, who tried to put his cigarette out on the wooden pavements that lined Chicago's streets.