@timeportals: On October 17, 1814, a catastrophic event known as the London Beer Flood occurred at the Horse Shoe Brewery in London. A massive vat containing over 3,500 barrels of fermenting porter burst, releasing a tidal wave of beer that demolished the brewery’s back wall and surged into the densely populated St Giles rookery. The deluge destroyed homes and claimed eight lives, including mourners at a child’s wake. The disaster highlighted the dangers of large-scale beer storage and led to changes in brewery safety practices.