1814 London beer flood Horse Shoe Brewery

A giant wave of beer killed eight people in London

8 people killed

In 1814, a huge vat of porter burst at London's Horse Shoe Brewery, triggering the collapse of other containers. A torrent of beer flooded nearby streets and homes in the densely populated St Giles neighborhood. Eight people died in the disaster. An industrial accident turned an ordinary brewery into the source of a deadly flood.

Mountains naturally filter New York’s water

New York City’s protected Catskill Mountains watershed naturally filters most of its drinking water. The city is one of only four major U.S. cities whose water is pure enough that most of it does not require treatment.

A coiled spring made small clocks possible

Early mechanical clocks were powered by large hanging weights. In the early 1400s, the mainspring provided another way to store energy: a tightly wound spring. This made much smaller clocks possible.

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1814 London beer flood Horse Shoe Brewery

A giant wave of beer killed eight people in London

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