The Hartford Circus Fire:
Tragedy Under the Big Top
...the NEW book!
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Just released Spring 2014 Copies are now available of author Michael Skidgell's definitive account of what happened at Hartford, Connecticut's Barbour Street circus grounds on the afternoon of July 6, 1944, and what conditions were in place for this tragedy to get so far out of control. |
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Includes mini-biographies of 170 people believed to have died as a result of the circus fire.
6x9 Paperback 144 pages FREE USA Shipping! |
Almost 7,000 fans eagerly packed into the Ringling Brothers big top on July 6, 1944. With a single careless act, an afternoon at the “Greatest Show on Earth” quickly became one of terror and tragedy as the paraffin-coated circus tent caught fire. Panicked crowds rushed for the few exits, but in minutes, the tent collapsed on those still struggling to escape below. A total of 168 lives were lost, many of them children, with many more injured and forever scarred by the events. Hartford and the surrounding communities reeled in the aftermath as investigators searched for the source of the fire and the responsible parties. Through firsthand accounts, interviews with survivors and a gripping collection of vintage photographs, author Michael Skidgell attempts to make sense of one of Hartford’s worst tragedies.
Trailer for the book:
Sample pages:
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Scheduled Events
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"...describes the sketchy precautions by both the city and the circus before the fire, the event of the fire itself and its aftermath." - Susan Dunne, The Hartford Courant review |
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70 vintage photos! many never before published "Author does not overwhelm us with too much information. Sticks to the pertinent facts and presents an easily read story." - Tom D., Amazon.com review |
Contact the Author to Schedule an Event
Retailers: Contact The History Press for quantity purchases.
History Press authors Cindy Wolfe Boynton and Mike Skidgell signing books at Bank Square Books in Mystic, Connecticut, April 26, 2014.
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Author Mike Skidgell signing books at the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford annual meeting June 24, 2014.
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Author Mike Skidgell with circus fire survivor Jerry LeVasseur and WFSB reporter Kim Lucey after filming a TV interview on July 3, 2014.
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Tom Condon, Mike Skidgell, and Stewart O'Nan.
(photo by Tom Vaughn / youthjournalism.org)