Thanksgiving Day Disaster
Victims of the disaster | |
| Date | November 29, 1900 |
|---|---|
| Venue | 16th and Folsom Grounds |
| Location | San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 37°46′02″N 122°24′50″W / 37.76722°N 122.41389°W |
| Type | Building collapse |
| Cause | Overcrowding on factory roof |
| Participants | Spectators at the Big Game |
| Deaths | 23 |
| Non-fatal injuries | Over 100 |
The Thanksgiving Day Disaster took place in San Francisco on November 29, 1900, at the annual college football game between the California Golden Bears and the Stanford Cardinal, also known as the Big Game. A large crowd of people who did not want to pay the $1 (equivalent of $40 today) admission fee gathered upon the roof of a glass blowing factory to watch for free. The roof collapsed, spilling many spectators onto a furnace. Twenty-three people were killed, and over 100 more were injured. The disaster remains the deadliest accident at a sporting event in U.S. history.