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Nov 2022
43m 49s

The Cocoanut Grove Fire

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

The tragedy at Boston’s Cocoanut Grove in 1942 is still the deadliest nightclub fire in history. The cause of the fire is still unknown; in its wake, advancements were made in fire safety and medical treatments for burn victims.

Research:

  • Boston Public Library. “Great Fires of Boston: November 28, 1942.” 12/20/2021. https://guides.bpl.org/bostonfires/cocoanutgrove
  • National Fire Protection Association. “The Cocoanut Grove Fire.” https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Staying-safe/Safety-in-living-and-entertainment-spaces/Nightclubs-assembly-occupancies/The-Cocoanut-Grove-fire
  • LeBlanc, Steve and Bob Salsberg. “Worst US nightclub fire influences safety codes, burn care.” 11/28/2017. https://apnews.com/article/cd1e3a85b05e4d65bbd85fdf130f142e
  • Illinois Library. “Major American Fires: Cocoanut Grove Fire.” 8/19/2022. https://guides.library.illinois.edu/c.php?g=348303&p=2346975
  • Boston Fire Historical Society. “The Story of the Cocoanut Grove Fire.” https://bostonfirehistory.org/the-story-of-the-cocoanut-grove-fire/
  • New England Historical Society. “The Kid Wrongly Blamed for the Cocoanut Grove Fire.” https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/cocoanut-grove-fire-the-kid-wrongly-blamed/
  • Fleming, Daniel J. “The Cocoanut Grove Revisited.” Prologue. Vol. 49, No. 3. Fall 2017. https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2017/fall/cocoanut-grove
  • Sweeney, Emily. “77 years later, the mystery of the Cocoanut Grove fire remains unsolved.” Boston Globe. 11/27/2019. https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/11/27/the-unsolved-mystery-cocoanut-grove-fire/24YsmjPE5ruEpiaT5bev8O/story.html
  • Cullen, Kevin. “Cocoanut Grove plaque shoved down the street.” Boston Globe. 7/9/2016. https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2016/07/09/cocoanut-grove-tragedy-pushed-aside-name-privacy/DEKsnSwRUDK3fF5YvPWHJK/story.html
  • Rosenfeld, Eva K. “The Fire That Changed The Way We Think About Grief.” The Crimson. 11/29/2018. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2018/11/29/erich-lindemann-cocoanut-grove-fire-grief/
  • National Fire Protection Association. “The Lingering Mystery of the Cocoanut Grove Nightclub Fire.” 11/15/2019. Via YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYNUedVD6G8
  • Grant, Casey. “Legacy of the Cocoanut Grove Nightclub Fire.” WGBH Forum Network. Via YouTube. 8/21/2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UZ1_Nk-4Wk
  • Reilly, William Arthur. “Report Concerning the Cocoanut Grove Fire, November 28, 1942.” 1944. https://bostonfirehistory.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/51/2016/11/reportconcerningcocoanutgrovefire.pdf
  • Saffle, Jeffrey R. “The 1942 Fire at Boston's Cocoanut Grove Nightclub.” Edgar J. Poth Memorial Lecture. American Journal of Surgery. Vol. 166. 12/1993.
  • Stewart, Camille L. “The Fire at Cocoanut Grove.” Journal of Burn Care & Research. Volume 36, Number 1. January/February 2015.
  • Veltfort, Helene Rank and George E. Lee. “The Cocoanut Grove Fire: A Study in Scapegoating.” Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, Vol. 38, 1943.
  • Grant, Casey C. “Last Dance at Cocoanut Grove.” NFPA Journal. November/December 2007

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