The Tragic True Stories Of The Other Great Fires Of London

The Great Exhibition of 1851 is the sort of thing that would be absolutely worth a place on the time travel bucket list. Organized mainly by Prince Albert, the exhibition was a massive undertaking that showcased all the best that Victorian England had to offer (via Historic UK).

Much of it was housed in a huge building called the Crystal Palace: At 1,850 feet long, it was about five times the length of a standard American football field. Millions of people visited, and when it was relocated to South London after the exhibition, the London Fire Brigade says that the palace was expanded and became the largest building in the world.

Sadly, it wasn't the draw the owners had hoped for, mostly because Victorian-era workers didn't have the free time to visit. Then, in 1936, manager Sir Henry Buckland noticed a flickering light at one end of the building. It was a fire ... in a building that had already been diagnosed as having a gas leak.

Iron, says the LFB, melts at somewhere around 1500 Celsius, or 2700 Fahrenheit. Based on video footage shot at the time, the iron supports weakened, then collapsed as firefighters were only able to stand and watch as this crowning achievement of Victorian art, architecture, and science fell to the flames.

The grounds are still a park, and per History Today, although there have been rumors of plans to rebuild the entire structure, that hasn't happened.