News of the day, this day in history. Temporarily knocking the events of War off the front page was the story of the horrific fire at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston, killing almost 500 patrons, making one of the worst domestic fires in U.S. history. And the war went on.
November 29, 2011

Cocoanut-Grove-resized.jpg
Within seconds, an inferno.


News of the war took backseat on this day when word of a devastating nightclub fire that took almost 500 lives reached the wires. The Cocoanut Grove, one of the more popular night spots in Boston, was crowded over capacity with estimates at around 1300 the night before, mostly post-Thanksgiving and Football game celebrants, caught fire when a carelessly dropped match ignited flammable decorations that filled the club. Within seconds the club erupted in an inferno of flames. Panic spread, with patrons attempting to get out through blocked exits. The resulting mayhem and death toll lead to enforced and tightened fire regulations and a revamping of safety codes for public places. The disaster had a chilling effect throughout the country as nightclubs were a haven from the endless stress of war.

But the war still dragged on. Reports of fighting in the South Pacific with weather being a major factor in aiding the Japanese in sending reinforcements to New Guinea. In North Africa, fighting was continuing with allied advances slowly taking shape. The same on the Russian front, where Germans were being pushed back and Russian armies were advancing.

All this, reported on the NBC News Of The World for the morning of November 29, 1942.

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