June 29th: The Day Shakespeare's Globe Went Up In Flames

Interior of the original Globe

Today is the anniversary of the Globe Theatre fire in 1613. The Globe was home to Shakespeare's acting company, Lord Chamberlain's Men, and the majority of his plays were debuted there too. There was nothing left of the theatre after June 29th 1613, until it was rebuilt again the following year.
  It has been identified that the fire originated due to someone's marvelous idea of firing a real cannon inside. A fully loaded, gunpowder and wadding filled cannon being set alight in a small confined space holding about 3000 people...sure, what could possibly go wrong?! I think the initial idea was just to make a dramatic entrance, but that actor's grand appearance meant a destructive end to the Globe. King Henry VIII was the play being acted at the time, and June 29th was probably the only performance where the roof actually set on fire. Hopefully, for Shakespeare's sake, the panicked reaction of the audience during his play did not hinder his work, or the reception of King Henry VIII. Due to the thatched roof and 99% of the theatre being made of wood, the fire spread wildly. Back in 1613, there were no Health and Safety regulations, no Fire extinguishers, no evacuation controls and, worst of all, no fire service. 

Shakespeare's Globe today

   No surprises then, when the Great Fire of London broke out in 1666, killing thousands and destroying numerous buildings and houses. Shortly after, thatched roofs were banned from London forever, and it was only in 1994 that the ban was lifted in order to reconstruct 'Shakespeare's Globe' in London. After the Globe burnt to the ground, a second theatre was built in its place in 1614, but despite its huge popularity it was demolished by the Puritans in 1644, along with several other theatres. London was the hot-spot for theatrical performance in Elizabethan times, as it probably still is today in some ways, so that meant most the theatres were competing with each other to be the best and do the most exciting, new stunts/costumes/stage-effects etc. Therefore, the likely story behind the Globe fire of June 29th 1613 was a case of ambition and rivalry going that one step cannonball too far...