So, three big anniversaries for St. John's and Newfoundland today.
December 12, 1901 - The first successful trans-Atlantic wireless signal is received in St. John's by Marconi.
December 12, 1942 - The Knights of Columbus Hostel Fire. Suspected to have been set by Nazi spies (they came ashore in Newfoundland frequently enough that submarines captured after the war had lots of ticket stubs, etc., for events in the city). It took place during a dance being broadcast live over the radio and it was filled with Newfoundland and American servicemen and their local dates.
In total, 99 people were killed - making it the deadliest fire in St. John's history. Even the Great Fire of 1892 only involved four deaths (three ladies and an identity-unknown servant).
Heroically, only 12 women and girls were killed because the men pushed them through windows as the people burned.
CBC has a survivor's story in today's coverage:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfou...1942-1.2869438
Not to be disrespectful of what happened, but none of it is new for me. So what fascinated me about this article was the relationship between this domestic and her masters. The lady of the house lent her a dress to go to the dance. The family she worked for even hid the paper from her when they realized her boyfriend's obituary was in it. Very touching.
December 12, 1985 - Deadliest air disaster in Canadian history. Arrow Air Flight 1285 crashed during take-off from Gander International, killing all 256 aboard - American soldiers heading home from Gander for Christmas.
I made a photo thread of the memorial site last year:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=212026