Latest news with #Barnum&BaileyCircus
New York Post
3 days ago
- General
- New York Post
Texas flooding one of deadliest mass casualty events for US children in past 100 years
The catastrophic flooding that swept through central Texas on the Fourth of July has the grim distinction of being one of the deadliest events for US children in the past 100 years. Of the 89 people confirmed dead so far, at least 27 are kids, many of them from Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp located just a few hundred feet from the banks of the Guadalupe River in Hunt in Kerr County. As of Monday afternoon, officials said 10 of the little campers are still unaccounted for as rescue efforts continue around the clock. 11 A cabin destroyed by the flooding at Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas seen on July 5, 2025. Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images 11 Stuffed animals on the windowsill of a cabin at Camp Mystic after the flood. REUTERS 11 At least 27 children have been killed in the devastating floods. The unimaginable tragedy puts the Texas flash floods among other mass-casualty events involving children since 1925. New London School Explosion (1937) 11 The scene of the explosion at the London School in New London, Texas in 1937. Bettmann Archive A natural-gas leak at an elementary school in New London, Texas — then called London — led to an explosion that destroyed the London School on March 18, 1937, killing 295 people, most of them children. That year, the London school board had opted to tap into Parade Gasoline Company's residue gas line in an effort to save money. It was a gas-line connection that the United States Bureau of Mines later concluded was faulty. 11 One of the victims in the New London explosion getting his injuries treated. Bettmann Archive The botched job resulted in in odorless, colorless natural gas flooding the school unnoticed until a shop teacher turned on an electric sander, with the switch creating a spark that ignited the gas, an investigation concluded. Hartford Circus Fire (1944) 11 The fire at a Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus tent in 1944. Bettmann Archive A Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus big-top tent water-proofed by a combination of paraffin wax and 6,000 gallons of gasoline sparked one of the worst fire disasters in US history, killing 167 people, including an estimated 100 children. Around 7,000 people packed the big top for a 2:15 p.m. performance July 6, 1944, most of them women and children. The paraffin and gasoline combination was a common way of waterproofing fabrics at the time — but also made the 200-by-450-foot tent highly flammable. The fire began on the southwest side of the tent's sidewall as The Flying Wallendas were performing. The bandleader noticed the flames and instructed the band to start playing John Philip Sousa's 'The Stars and Stripes Forever' — a tune known to circus performers as a signal something was amiss. Ringmaster Fred Bradna attempted to direct the audience to get up from their seats and leave in an orderly fashion, but the fire had shorted out the power, rendering his warning inaudible. Bath School massacre (1927) 11 The scene of the bombing at the Bath School in Michigan in 1927. Bettmann Archive The Bath School massacre was a bombing attack perpetrated by a deranged school board treasurer against the Bath Consolidated School in Bath Township, Mich., on May 18, 1927, killing 38 children and six adults. Andrew Kehoe, 55, who was incensed over losing an election for township clerk a year earlier and also facing foreclosure on his property, placed hundreds of pounds of explosives under the school with the intention of detonating them in an act of 'murderous revenge.' Before detonating the explosives, which were connected to an alarm clock timer in the school's basement, Kehoe murdered his wife and burned his farm to the ground. As rescuers frantically combed through the rubble, he drove a truck loaded with even more explosives and packed with metal debris to create shrapnel up to the schoolyard and detonated it, killing himself and four others. Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting (2012) 11 Authorities at the scene of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012. Getty Images The deadliest elementary-school shooting in US history was carried out Dec. 14, 2012, in Newtown, Conn., by 20-year-old former student Adam Lanza, who murdered 26 people including 20 children ages 6 and 7 before shooting himself in the head. Just before he left his home to commit the heinous act, Lanza shot and killed his mother. He then drove to the school in her car, dressed in black clothing and armed with a Bushmaster XM-15, an AR-style semi-automatic rifle, and unleashed his carnage. 11 People gathered for a prayer vigil at St. Rose Church in Newtown following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. AFP via Getty Images The horrifying mass shooting led to fierce debate about gun control in the US, including around subjects such as universal background checks and limiting magazine capacities. Oklahoma City bombing (1995) 11 The scene of the explosion at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995. Getty Images The deadliest act of domestic terrorism in US history, committed by a pair of anti-government extremists, killed 168 people on April 19, 1995, 19 of them children. Timothy McVeigh and his accomplice, Terry Nichols, detonated a rented Ryder truck full of explosives in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Okla., reportedly outraged by how the US government handled recent incidents such as the Ruby Ridge standoff in 1992 and the Waco, Texas, siege in 1993. The blast destroyed more than a third of the building, which later had to be demolished. The high number of child victims was due to the America's Kids Day Care Center located in the building. Uvalde school shooting (2022) 11 A memorial outside of Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas after the mass shooting. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, was the site of another one of America's worst school shootings, where 18-year-old former student Salvador Ramos killed 19 pupils and two teachers May 24, 2022. On the day of the shooting, Ramos drove to the school and entered a classroom after breezing by cops stationed in the hallways. He remained inside classrooms shooting victims for 1 hour and 14 minutes before the US Border Patrol Tactical Unit broke in and shot him. The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Department was roundly criticized for waiting around idle as Ramos perpetrated the attack. Two officers, including chief Pedro Arredondo, were later criminally indicted for their alleged mishandling of the shooting response.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rarely-Seen '80s Pop Star and Actress, 66, Thrills Fans With Recent Appearance
Rarely-Seen '80s Pop Star and Actress, 66, Thrills Fans With Recent Appearance originally appeared on Parade. It's been nearly 40 years since her hit single, "Two of Hearts," shot to the top of the charts — but fans still haven't forgotten about Stacey Q. The former pop star, who also played the fan-favorite character Cinnamon on two episodes of The Facts of Life, made an appearance at The Hollywood Show pop culture convention in Los Angeles this weekend where she thrilled onlookers with a performance of "Two of Hearts." In a clip shared to TikTok, the 66-year-old singer wore a shiny black vinyl jacket over a sparkly crop top and a short, shimmery skirt as she belted out the iconic tune. Her blonde hair was cut in a bob with bangs — a major switch from the heavily hairsprayed style she was known for back in the '80s. Fans loved seeing the star back in action. "Stacy Q a blast from the past! pretty cool," gushed one person in the comments, with another calling the singer "amazing." "This would be fun," agreed another wistful viewer. In a 2018 interview with Rediscover the '80s, Stacey — who started her career after as a performer with Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus — reminisced about getting the call to appear on The Facts of Life. "The writers of The Facts of Life called my record company and inquired about my availability," she recalled. "Since my life then was being Stacey Q, I ran out to Hollywood like my hair was on fire," the singer continued. "The reception I received right away was that the last thing this show needs is another female. I couldn't have agreed more. I had never heard the theme song. They were mortified. Danny [Medellin] overheard one of them in make-up say, 'She is just the type you wanna hate but you can't because she's so nice.' Bless her, whichever one it was. I know which two it wasn't. If it wasn't for the great and glorious importance of ratings during sweeps week, you never would have heard of George '80s Pop Star and Actress, 66, Thrills Fans With Recent Appearance first appeared on Parade on Jun 9, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
