30 November 1936

In London, the Crystal Palace is destroyed by fire.

The Crystal Palace was a revolutionary iron and glass structure originally built in London to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. Designed by Sir Joseph Paxton, it showcased cutting-edge engineering and modern materials of the Victorian era, symbolizing industrial progress. Measuring an impressive 1,851 feet in length and 128 feet in height, the palace’s modular design utilized prefabricated components, enabling its rapid construction in just nine months. It was situated in Hyde Park during the exhibition, attracting millions of visitors and displaying innovations from around the world. After the event, it was relocated to Sydenham Hill, where it served as a cultural and educational hub until it was tragically destroyed by fire in 1936. The Crystal Palace remains a landmark in architectural history, influencing modern architecture and demonstrating the possibilities of prefabrication and expansive public spaces.

30 November 1966

Barbados becomes independent from the United Kingdom.

Barbados gained its independence from the United Kingdom on November 30, 1966. This marked the end of nearly 300 years of British colonial rule in Barbados. The process leading to independence was relatively peaceful, and Barbados became a sovereign nation within the Commonwealth.

The journey towards independence began with political and social developments in the mid-20th century. The Barbados Labour Party (BLP), led by Errol Barrow, played a crucial role in advocating for greater autonomy and self-governance. In 1961, Barbados achieved full internal self-government, which allowed for the island to have its own parliament and a greater degree of control over its domestic affairs.

The push for complete independence continued, and negotiations between Barbadian leaders and the British government resulted in the Barbados Independence Act of 1966. This act, which received royal assent on July 22, 1966, paved the way for Barbados to become an independent state on November 30 of the same year.

The formal ceremony for Barbados’ independence took place at the Garrison Savannah, with a grand parade and the raising of the new national flag. Errol Barrow, who had become the Prime Minister, played a key role in the celebrations. Barbados remained a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy, and it retained ties to the British Crown through its membership in the Commonwealth of Nations.

30 November 1936

The Crystal Palace in London is destroyed by fire.

On November 30, 1936, the Crystal Palace, an iconic structure which had come to epitomise the pomp of the Victorian era, was destroyed by one of the greatest fires ever seen in London.

The 990,000 square foot cast iron and plate glass building was constructed in Hyde Park for the Great Exhibition in 1851, at the behest of the Queen’s husband Prince Albert. In 1854 it was redesigned and reconstructed on Penge Common, by Sydenham Hill in South East London.

At just after 7pm on the evening of November 30 the Palace’s manager, Sir Henry Buckland, was walking in the grounds of the building when he saw a red glow emanating from it. He found two nightwatchmen trying to douse a fire that had begun in the women’s cloakroom and spread to the central transept.

The blaze took hold with alarming speed as the flames, helped by a strong wind, swept across the Palace’s acres of timber flooring, up into galleries and along glazing bars. The Penge Fire Brigade was not called until nearly 8pm; by that time, the building was an inferno.

30 November 1864

In the Battle of Franklin, the Confederate Army of Tennessee suffers heavy losses in an attack on the Union Army of the Ohio.

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The Battle of Franklin was fought on November 30, 1864, in Franklin, Tennessee, as part of the Franklin–Nashville Campaign of the American Civil War. It was one of the worst disasters of the war for the Confederate States Army. Confederate Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood’s Army of Tennessee conducted numerous frontal assaults against fortified positions occupied by the Union forces under Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield and was unable to break through or to prevent Schofield from a planned, orderly withdrawal to Nashville.

The Confederate assault of six infantry divisions containing eighteen brigades with 100 regiments numbering almost 20,000 men, sometimes called the “Pickett’s Charge of the West”, resulted in devastating losses to the men and the leadership of the Army of Tennessee—fourteen Confederate generals (six killed, seven wounded, and one captured) and 55 regimental commanders were casualties. After its defeat against Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas in the subsequent Battle of Nashville, the Army of Tennessee retreated with barely half the men with which it had begun the short offensive, and was effectively destroyed as a fighting force for the remainder of the war.

The 1864 Battle of Franklin was the second military action in the vicinity; a battle in 1863 was a minor action associated with a reconnaissance in force by Confederate cavalry leader Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn on April 10.

30 November 1936

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The Crystal Palace in London is destroyed by fire.

On November 30, 1936, the Crystal Palace, an iconic structure which had come to epitomise the pomp of the Victorian era, was destroyed by one of the greatest fires ever seen in London. The 990,000 square foot cast iron and plate glass building was constructed in Hyde Park for the Great Exhibition in 1851, at the behest of the Queen’s husband Prince Albert. In 1854 it was redesigned and reconstructed on Penge Common, by Sydenham Hill in South East London.

The blaze took hold with alarming speed as the flames, helped by a strong wind, swept across the Palace’s acres of timber flooring, up into galleries and along glazing bars. The Penge Fire Brigade was not called until nearly 8pm; by that time, the building was an inferno. Despite the best efforts of 88 fire appliances and 438 men from four brigades, the building could not be saved, its central transept collapsing with a deafening roar. Buckland told reporters that the magnificent structure would “live in the memories not only of Englishmen, but the whole world”.