On November 28, 1942, Boston's premier nightlife venue, the Cocoanut Grove, was packed beyond capacity with over 1,000 patrons celebrating football victories and wartime furloughs. Around 10:15 PM, a small flame in the dimly lit basement lounge rapidly ignited artificial palm trees made of paper and flammable cloth. Within minutes, toxic smoke and a flashover fire swept through the multi-level venue, triggering immediate mass panic.
As terrified patrons surged toward the main entrance—the primary exit most people knew—they encountered a fatal architectural flaw: a single revolving door. In their desperation to escape, the pushing crowd crammed into both sides of the revolving door, jamming it completely. The immense pressure of the crowd pinned people against the structure, blocking escape while toxic gases and flames consumed the foyer.
Secondary exit doors were either locked to prevent gatecrashers, hidden behind drapery, or designed to open inward against the pressure of an advancing crowd. The disaster claimed 492 lives, making it the deadliest nightclub fire in United States history. In its aftermath, the tragedy sparked immediate legislative overhaul across the country.
Municipalities mandated that revolving doors in public buildings must be flanked by outward-opening swing doors, or designed to collapse outward in emergencies. Furthermore, outward-swinging exit doors, clear exit sign illumination, non-flammable interior decorations, and strict bans on locking panic hardware became mandatory building standards worldwide.