By: HISTORY.com Editors

1904

The Great Baltimore Fire begins

Published: February 09, 2010Last Updated: May 27, 2025

In Baltimore, Maryland, a small fire in the business district is wind-whipped into an uncontrollable conflagration that engulfs a large portion of the city by evening. The fire is believed to have been started by a discarded cigarette in the basement of the Hurst Building. When the blaze finally burned down after 31 hours, an 80-block area of the downtown area, stretching from the waterfront to Mount Vernon on Charles Street, had been destroyed. More than 1,500 buildings were completely leveled, and some 1,000 severely damaged, bringing property loss from the disaster to an estimated $100 million. Miraculously, official reports said no lives were lost—although some reports did claim one man perished—and Baltimore’s domed City Hall, built in 1867, was preserved.

The Great Baltimore Fire was the most destructive fire in the United States since the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed most of the city and caused an estimated $200 million in property damage.

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on February 7th

1775

Benjamin Franklin publishes “An Imaginary Speech”

In London on February 7, 1775, Benjamin Franklin publishes “An Imaginary Speech” in defense of American courage. Franklin’s speech was intended to counter an unnamed officer’s comments to Parliament that the British need not fear the colonial rebels, because “Americans are unequal to the People of this Country [Britain] in Devotion to Women, and in […]

1:34m read

1812

Earthquake causes fluvial tsunami in the Mississippi River

On February 7, 1812, the most violent of a series of earthquakes near Missouri causes a so-called fluvial tsunami in the Mississippi River, actually making the river run backward for several hours. The series of tremors, which took place between December 1811 and March 1812, were the most powerful in the history of the United […]

2:28m read

1881

Criminal case ends in plea bargain—one of the first

Albert McKenzie pleads guilty to a misdemeanor count of embezzlement in Alameda County, California. McKenzie had originally been charged with a felony for taking $52.50 from the sewing-machine company for which he worked. However, rather than go through a trial, the prosecution and defendant agreed to a plea bargain, one of the first documented in […]

1:00m read

1917

German sub sinks Scottish passenger ship SS California

Just three days after U.S. President Woodrow Wilson’s speech of February 3, 1917—in which he broke diplomatic relations with Germany and warned that war would follow if American interests at sea were again assaulted—a German submarine torpedoes and sinks the Scottish Anchor Line passenger steamer SS California off the Irish coast. The SS California departed New […]

1:40m read

1962

Full U.S.-Cuba embargo is announced

On February 7, 1962, President John F. Kennedy issues an executive order broadening the United States’ restrictions on trade with Cuba. The ensuing embargo, which effectively restricts all trade between Cuba and the United States, has had profoundly negative effects on the island nation’s economy and shaped the recent history of the Western Hemisphere. The […]

1964

The Beatles arrive in New York

The Beatles make their first visit to the United States, and Beatlemania begins.

2:50m read

1968

Mysterious murder, later solved by forensic evidence

Bernard Josephs returns to his house in Bromley, England, and finds his wife Claire lying under the bed, her throat slashed and severed to the spine. Defensive wounds to her hands appeared to be caused by a serrated knife. No weapon was found at the Josephs’ house, and police had no other clues to go […]

1:36m read

1974

Guests watch Mel Brooks’ “Blazing Saddles” movie premiere from horseback

In one of Hollywood’s zaniest movie premiere stunts, Mel Brooks’ 1974 western spoof Blazing Saddles screens at the Pickwick Drive-In Theater in Burbank, California. Guests attend not in cars—but on horseback. Attendees, many sporting cowboy hats, watched the movie from atop their steeds. Movie sound came through speakers attached to saddle pommels, and the studio […]

1:22m read

1979

Josef Mengele, known as the “Angel of Death,” dies

Dr. Josef Mengele, the infamous Nazi doctor who performed medical experiments at the Auschwitz death camps, dies of a stroke while swimming in Brazil—although his death was not verified until 1985. When war erupted, Mengele was a medical officer with the SS, the elite squad of Hitler’s bodyguards who later emerged as a secret police […]

1:46m read

1984

Navy captain becomes the first human to perform an untethered space walk

While in orbit 170 miles above Earth, Navy Captain Bruce McCandless II becomes the first human being to perform an untethered spacewalk, when he exits the U.S. space shuttle Challenger and maneuvers freely, using a bulky white jet pack of his own design. McCandless orbited Earth in tangent with the shuttle at speeds greater than […]

0:52m read

1992

European Union treaty signed

After suffering through centuries of bloody conflict, the nations of Western Europe finally unite in the spirit of economic cooperation with the signing of the Maastricht Treaty of European Union. The treaty, signed by ministers of the European Community, called for greater economic integration, common foreign and security policies and cooperation between police and other […]

1:04m read

2002

President George W. Bush announces plan for “faith-based initiatives”

President George W. Bush announces his plan to federally fund faith-based initiatives. Bush started his day at a National Prayer Breakfast held in the ballroom of the Washington Hilton Hotel, where he explained the basic philosophy behind his plan. In service to others, he said, we find deep human fulfillment. And as acts of service […]

1:22m read

Early 20th Century U.S.

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Photos of the Wreck of Shackleton’s Endurance

Preserved by icy waters, the majestic wooden ship of the infamous 1914-1916 Antarctic expedition is revealed in images from the deep of the Weddell Sea.

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The Real Story Behind the Discovery of Titanic’s Watery Grave

A 1985 expedition using unmanned cameras discovered the lost wreck of the ocean liner Titanic, which sank in 1912 in the North Atlantic.

Early 20th Century U.S.

What Was the Titanic’s Captain Doing While the Ship Sank?

Edward Smith's body was never recovered, and his final moments remain a mystery—with no shortage of conflicting accounts.

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Citation Information

Article Title: The Great Baltimore Fire begins
Author: HISTORY.com Editors
Website Name: History
URL: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/february-7/the-great-baltimore-fire-begins

Date Accessed: October 21, 2026
Publisher: A&E Television Networks
Last Updated: May 27, 2025
Original Published Date: February 09, 2010

The Great Baltimore Fire begins

Related

Early 20th Century U.S.

Photos of the Wreck of Shackleton’s Endurance

The Real Story Behind the Discovery of Titanic’s Watery Grave

What Was the Titanic’s Captain Doing While the Ship Sank?

About the author

Fact Check

Citation Information