"This Day in Fire History" is intended to present interesting facts about fire and the history of the fire service. While many of the entries involve significant fires throughout history, there are other facts included as well. For example, on June 16, 1916 Hugh Halligan was appointed to the FDNY. He would later go on to invent the "Halligan Bar" in the 1940's, now considered an essential tool of firefighting.

Other interesting facts include the first U.S. Patent for a sprinkler system (September 17, 1872), the debute of the television show "Emergency!" (January 15, 1972), and even the success of The Doors' "Light My Fire" (#1 on July 7, 1967).

As of April 1, 2008, I have roughly 200 events posted in "This Day in History."

Suggest Events to be Added

Please send me any events that you would like to see added into the "This Day in Fire History" section. You can follow the same basic guidelines laid out under the Submission Policy.

12.18.08