On December 30th, 1903, over two thousand people were packed into Chicago's brand new Iroquois Theater for a matinee performance of Mr. Bluebeard, starring comedian Eddie Foy.

Little did theatergoers know, however, that the owners of the theater cut corners in fire safety measures in an effort to open as quickly as possible. Despite billing itself as "absolutely fireproof" there were no sprinklers or fire alarms installed, the fire escapes weren't finished and some of the exit doors had been locked during the performance. When fire struck on stage in the second act, the interior of the theater became a hellish death trap, killing close to six hundred people.

My guest is Troy Taylor, author of the book, "One Afternoon at the Iroquois: America's Deadliest Theater Fire". He is a podcaster, historian, tour operator and an expert on the paranormal.

Troy's website: http://americanhauntings.net

A link to his podcast page (the American Hauntings Podcast): http://americanhauntingspodcast.com

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