How Did The Great Fire Of London Become So Devastating? | The Great Fire | Absolute History

Historians Dan Jones and Suzannah Lipscomb team up with engineer Rob Bell to tell the story of the Great Fire of London as it happened in real-time. Over 350 years after the fact, `The Great Fire' explores exactly what went down, hour by hour, street by street as the fire spread and destroyed almost every building within London's city walls. From the spark that set everything off at a bakers near Pudding Lane, to the warehouses by the Thames, to the blazing inferno that engulfed the entire city, the hosts present both old and new evidence to document the tragedy that caused £37 billion worth of property damage.
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[@AbsoluteHistory]

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[@Alitawc1]

I don't know how if people believe in life after death I know that I don't believe in God I'm an atheist. But since the small child I had memories of this fire would ask my mom and dad and an older people my mom and dad would take me around to libraries to read about the fire sometimes she would go there alone because she was an adult she was able to get into different areas of the library back then I'm now 48 years old. I was able to tell my mom things about the Great fire of London that she said you would only know that by books that then we didn't even have VCR or DVDs or anything we have books and sometimes maybe a documentary but still the information that you would find or on the TV it was be nothing compared to what you can get online today. I start having nightmares I did see a few therapy people who was astounded by the information I used to give them the the nightmares turned into a point where I couldn't sleep and I was scared to close my eyes because if I was in the nightmare for me back then they was houses or a little huts maybe shops of some type or working men on the bridges of the great fire which also got attacked by the fire. From what we can gather I was a maybe a teenager from what I could see but then again I could have been maybe 12 or 13 and I was on the bridge and screaming for help people running around me me trying to get away from the fire and the only way I could go down was to jump off the bridge and so I jumped off the bridge and the last thing I remember seeing is just all these bodies in the water and as I looked up before I hit the water just flames falling down on me. Now people reading this might think oh she's just a weirdo but no the information I was able to give about so many places I'm from London born and break London morning wc1 no one has ever spoken to me about the great fire never heard about it but about the great fire but I was able to give information to send people about the great fire it caused me a lot of grief and agony and when I finally saw a therapist it was a case of having to let me be able to go to sleep without having these horrible horrific dreams to talk about it I know what they went through I was even given a name of a family it lived on one of the bridges because of the amount of information I gave which I won't be given here but it helped me to come to terms but I still have those nightmares less but I still have those nightmares and I was definitely a boy. Scared of my mind and the worst thing was I couldn't swim so I knew if I jumped off that bridge I was going to die I was right in the middle but the whole bridge the fire was just ignited so everybody was jumping off the bridge so I had to I didn't want to burn so I jumped but then of course I died but the image in my mind when I died I was so scared to go to go near the bridge until I started talking about it to my parents and too many other people and then they started investigating with me and for me and a few historians came to see me the bridge the I know exactly what Bridget was the hutch jump off and seeing all those dead people in the water before I died was horrific and most of that bridge had to be rebuilt from under and on top and they never put houses on there ever again huts or whatever you want to call them!!🥺

[@calebsmommy812]

There is a miniseries that covered it from 2014. They did a great job

[@josmclaren4328]

@@Alitawc1 y87

[@josmclaren4328]

@@Alitawc1 ààaaaqoo

[@tammeoosterhof5514]

Spielberg

[@GhastlyCretin]

I don't understand how an epic movie hasn't been made about this. If it was done right it would be awesome.

[@khankrum1]

I think there was a movie in Black and White, long before Technicolour! I barely remember it as a child. Possibly " Samuel Pepys Diaries, But I can not be certain

[@AbsoluteHistory]

💚

[@helenagreenwood2305]

Also the gunpowder plot - I'm not sure a movie has been made about that - there's a few drama documentaries about it

[@ashleyowen7664]

right here is the problem with movies - any major disaster: deep water horizon, 9/11, ww2 they wanna make a film so they can make money off it

[@helenagreenwood2305]

@@myassizitchy brill I'll have a look 👍 Ps hope you sort your itchy ass out 😆😆😆😆😆

[@Konkata]

It physically hurts me to know many of those historic buildings could be standing today had a woman just taken one for the team and simply pissed the fire out

[@Marlaina]

😂

[@jessicazoppi2004]

😂😂😂😂

[@cowsal77]

😂 brutal

[@abigaild7304]

Hahaha

[@lindadenneypu6315]

I know, right

[@rosieHolliday5887]

Considering how crowded London was & how the city was built, it's amazing that it didn't burn to the ground every other month with the amount of fires & candles & everyone living on top of each other. Great documentary

[@steunited.2467]

But you have a train. Both myself and partner. Haven't had a train in twenty years

[@OpinionatedChicken59]

That's what I was wondering, did they have nay kind of fire control methods? What did they actually do when there was a fire? Seems like they had no clue.

[@jimj1525]

It must’ve been exceptionally dry that year. One would think it’s so rainy there that extensive, ravaging fires would be a rarity

[@frog_bean]

Just imagine “Hey Johnathan” “Hey Luke” “My house burnt again” “Same”

[@mwright_boomer]

What’s often forgotten is that an awful bout of plague swept through London in 1665. Those two events back to back must have felt like the end of the world.

[@colinyandon6137]

Especially to the people whose world ended!

[@elizabethwoolnough4358]

Years ago I read that the fire was instrumental in eliminating the plague outbreak.

[@juttamaier2111]

@elisabeth very probable because the majority of rats were certainly killed, they could not run fast enough from such a horrendous fire.

[@robertshaw5812]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/lavNqZiXmtSioZY

[@roguegirl29]

@@PIERRECLARY Uhhh...What?

[@Slimewolf]

I love the juxtaposition of the fiery terror unfolding all around, against Sybil just enjoying that night-life 😂.

[@okidoll]

It's 4:24 am. I should have been in bed a couple hours ago. This was so good I had to finish it. Well done. Cybil was quite the woman.

[@BeckBeckGo]

2:36 here. I’m rather enjoying my relentless insomnia tonight.

[@okidoll]

@@BeckBeckGo And I'm still up watching youtube.

[@WhiteCamry]

Church bells ringing?

[@christendomempire5657]

Same here 3:55 am should of been in bed hours ago

[@jenniferlee3139]

these people are bringing history to life. I really love this channel. I feel like I was in LONDON, back in 1666.

[@pissiole5654]

The guy dressed like Benjamin Franklin 52:00 was a nice touch

[@katarzynamariamuszynska2811]

Sometimes I wish I have some magic phone box like in Doctor Who which can transport me in any era in time so I can expierence different times

[@marionwheatland]

As fires burn hotter and hotter, the air rushing in to the heart of the fire combined with the updraft, creates its own powerful weather system. The intense heat melts and carbonizes various "fuels" at the same time that the fire sucks in anything close by. This is why you will never know the number of people who died during the Great Fire. -- they were sucked in as they tried to escape. Also, the Fire may be out after those chaotic days, but the intense heat of the fire penetrated the soil up to several feet down, meaning that the flames may be gone but the ground was still hot months later. Bodies buried under churches were in scorched coffins and the bodies inside were a disgusting shade of green due to the lead poisoning from the melting lead rooves.

[@satanstrophywife3867]

That’s literally the most fascinating thing I have ever read wow ✨

[@johnscanlon2598]

It’s called fire storm , Dresden comes to mind and Tokyo

[@hensonlaura]

Excellent, thx

[@Stopthisrightnow560]

Wow. That begs the question how contaminated the ground was afterwards. Hadn't even thought about everything toxic they made their houses out of.

[@jayg1438]

Yup, and the physics of fire of that size removes the air that is breathable so people suffocate. Again see Dresden and during WWII.

[@raymondwilliams2609]

So very well put together, it must have been a logistical nightmare to assemble with any accuracy ! I was extremely absorbed and now have a completely different outlook on one of the great tragedies in time that really is unequalled and set a precedent for how we live today. Bless them all, especially the ones who died so tragically. Fantastic, thank you for the upload ! 🤗☺️❤️✌️🖖🤘👋

[@naw9549]

They have a good one (or one of the history hit channels do) on the Montreal underground city that's also very good but a bit shorter, I highly recommend

[@automechs360]

Apparently there is extremely good records of how the fire spread including as to where is initially started from eye witness accounts. They had some pretty amazingly good records for a lot of events that you wouldn't think would have been possible for the time periods. For instance the border stones of Washington D.C. and many old mile stone markers are deadly accurate despite them not having a exacting way to measure out the miles or square miles of the District of Columbia back in the late 1700s and early 1800s.

[@gic8849]

England has the BEST tv shows about their history. I’m an American and obsessed with all of them.

[@pastexpiry2013B]

Best of all they don't apologize for their history.... or inject their woke bullshit into it.

[@richardvinsen2385]

Americans don’t care about our own history. Most English people probably know more American history than the typical American.

[@glen6258]

Just think, instead of all the crap we have on our history channel we could be actually learning about history. Not aliens and pawn stars

[@gic8849]

@@glen6258 I know right

[@flashcar60]

The wind feeding the fire need not have been a meteorological phenomenon. Fire itself can induce a centripetal wind.

[@Wig4]

Indeed ! It's why it's spreading fast in all 4 directions

[@atarayael]

A miniseries will work best

[@M.Godfrey]

Absolutely, and that wind scales with the fire.

[@AshB_Watercolors]

Yes!!! Exactly! I have studied controlled fires, for Range Mgmt and the forest service…. And centripetal wind is a huge factor.

[@apachehelicopter9032]

Yea look at Dresden in WW2

[@rosiebeardshaw658]

I don't think anyone could really comprehend how horrific it was. Such devastation! So many people affected by it.

[@jaggg.3821]

I could in the 1990, Oakland, CA and bear in mind the previous year we were semi-recovering from that World Series Quake in 89. A Fire Storm apparently the first time it had ever occurred in Oakland's & Berkeley's History broke out, in the surrounding Berkeley Hill's near U.C. Berkeley and the Lawrence Hall of Science, The Oakland Hill's around The Claremont Hotel were all a blaze yet somehow that Hotel never burn downed. The weird part about that day, it was the only time while in our house that my mom didn't have on the News. With the Firestorm came and onslaught of people with really bad Allergies & Asthma being advised by Doctor's not too go out into that Air because of the Environmental issue's stemming from that raging Fire. It would of killed Us, and in my case, it nearly had, I had a sneeze marathon going on with me. While in my bathroom getting more tissues for my nose I sneezed so hard that I slammed my head in to my marble sink. That gave me a whopping Concussion. Mom called the doctor who told us she didn't know what was going on the Doctor's office were being Flooded with Calls from patients in West Side Oakland as opposed to East Side Oakland, turning on the News The Fire Storm was featured. The Doctor called mom back too let her know she can't take me out in to that Air It Will Care. Most of my friend's went to a school in that era where the Fire blazed it scared The News Crew and Oakland Fire Fighters because the Fire had Jumped The Freeway. B.A.R.T had to suspend service's on The back then Concord train Route & Richmond because it stopped at Berkeley Station's on it's way to Richmond, CA. As for me a friend of the family brought my Allergy medications and for some reason, that I didn't understand a single Can of Regular Coke Cola. Apparently, some Old School Doctor's used Coke Cola on asthmatic patient's because the Carbon in the Soda, helped them breathe and since I was having trouble breathing from my allergies they felt it would help me Too. They were right, I could finally breathe and sleep through The Night, but I had to stay away from School for 3 Day's because the smog from the Fire was still in the Air. The saddest News we learned of in relation to Berkeley's & Oakland CA Firestorm some Elder's died in the Fire because they would not leave their pets behind because for some that was all they had were there Pet's. Come 1992, on the other hand, I was glad lived in Oakland and not L.A. why? The Rodney King Verdict April 29, 1992 all those Set Fire's would of greatly compromised me with my Allergies.

[@rosiebeardshaw658]

@@jaggg.3821 That sounds horrific. I feel for you and anyone who experienced that. I just meant, the masses of people who literally lost everything, homes,business, health. They didn't have any real welfare services in those days. Insurance barely existing businesses devastated. The poor had not the support we have these days.

[@jaggg.3821]

@@rosiebeardshaw658 that's true.

[@mehere8038]

In terms of the fire, I think most Australians can understand it, we get bushfires with the intensity of 1500 Hiroshima bombs you know & they jump 30kms at a time & have burnt down entire towns before the fire brigade can even reach that new front that did that. Number of people impacted & to experience a fire like that without previous serious fire experience, no, I don't think we can understand, but the fire itself, yeh, we certainly can! Mind blowing to think that stone buildings began doing what our flammable oil leaf trees do though & spontaneously exploding as the fire comes near, not to mention creating the firestorms, complete with lightning & their own wind & fire tornados (they didn't mention the fire creating the wind or tornados in the video, I guess cause they're not familiar enough with what fires like this cause so as to understand that would have been happening there too, but if it's doing the lightning, it's going to be doing at least the winds too)

[@TheAsurazero]

Michael Bay should be called

[@koenraad4618]

Once there was a baker in Pudding Lane, he burned down the city and went quite insane.

[@coling8176]

. . . he said “What the f*ck! , just my f*cking luck! , no guesses for who gets the blame!

[@CreachterZ]

From an American, is this a thing?

[@Nina-fp3jv]

😆

[@LQOTW]

@@CreachterZ I wondered the same

[@rabbitramen]

He and his family may have escaped blame back then, but you can be certain that they didn't get over in God's judgment of their bearing false witness against Robert Hubert. They traded being spared temporary fire on earth for enduring the permanent fires of Hell.

[@dyskelia]

Yes, I am watching a long doc about the fire of London on a Friday night

[@oreo9052]

I live in America. It’s amazing to see how the British brick architecture made it here and even still stands today. Thank you British people/colonists who built it. It’s still a sight to behold today. Whenever I visit the old towns in Virginia it certainly does feel like you’ve gone back in time.

[@Claudia_Crimson_585]

That's cool

[@EliTHink754]

I wonder what the ppl who were colonized thought. We're they amazed??? What you sow, you will reap. Now your about to enter your 3rd wwar.am amazed....not

[@terimorris6394]

@@EliTHink754the whole world was was colonised at some point, that’s just how it is. Even the English were colonised by the Normans romans vikings etc

[@JamesKerwin]

Of course though - that point will be ignored it doesn't fit the narrative. ​@terimorris6394

[@surreyboy84]

The thought of Samuel Pepys burying his Parmesan cheese in his garden made me chuckle.

[@jasonhaimovici1331]

Fell asleep with this on and had a vivid dream of me being here and burning alive. 10/10 documentary but wouldn’t recommend dozing off while this is playing.

[@louisetrott5532]

No, the archival records are NOT 'hidden away'. Archival records are stored in optimum conditions for permanent retention. The records are managed by a Content Management System. They are not hidden and they do not need to be 'found'. It is called Reference and Access.

[@beckyshock3099]

Thank you for putting all three episodes together, most of the time I watch one maybe 2, but have trouble finding all of them. Thank you so much!!!! Yes I watched it all at one sitting!!! Very interesting!!!!

[@allandavis8201]

I have to say that the demonstration of the way the fire reached such huge temperatures and ferocity was quite impressive and a little scary, and could still happen today.

[@mfbfreak]

It can't really happen like this anymore. There are not enough houses with exposed timber construction anymore. Most residential fires are extinguished before they can spread to other houses because of advanced fire fighting techniques. Only if we allow the regulations with regards to fire protection to slacken (like at grenfell tower) will we start seeing big fires again.

[@allandavis8201]

@@mfbfreak I agree, up to a point, there are many small traditional villages that have exposed wood construction and/or thatched roofs, there is one village like that in the area I grew up, the nearest fire brigade was (probably still is) a retained crew about 4 miles away from the village, and even with a very quick reaction time a old thatched roof would be a major blaze by the time they arrived, perhaps I did overstate my opinion and I hope I am wrong, it would be a true disaster for such a community that is for certain, and I hope we never see another disaster like Grenfell tower.

[@willowhofmann7409]

It DOES still happen today. I live in Northern California and . . Yeah, it happens. RE: Paradise, Ca

[@celtoloco788]

@@mfbfreak it might happen today, but only today. Allnew industrial and commercial builds are required to have sprinkler systems, soon fires will be a thing of the past. Theres a movement to require them in personal homes as well. With a proper sprinkler system a building literally cannot burn down

[@elizabetha2601]

Wildfires? Canada, California, Amazon, Australia, etc?? Yes it does still happen

[@alichehade6642]

This is hands down one of the best pieces i have EVER watched.

[@Garblegox]

9:36 And how could a fire burn down an entire city? It was a wooden city

[@stephbowden8850]

are you for real?

[@hensonlaura]

So many inanities.

[@bradmiller7486]

A good firestorm (Dresden, WW2) will actually turn bricks into glass-like substance.

[@DrGarri]

Fantastic documentary, done by these brilliant young historians, a MUST see!

[@shanevandiver8457]

I love your country. Never been there. I'm an American. Would love to visit.

[@ProwlingTiger1]

I always now imagine the reaction to Saint Pauls going up in flames would be similar to how the people of Paris (and the rest of the world) reacted to the Notre-Dame fire, even non-religious people were very upset due to the building having more than just religious significance but also architectural and historical significance, like Notre-Dame, Old Saint Pauls meant different things to different people besides the main obvious one, at that moment in time London had lost one of its major Icons which was 570 odd years old at the time, the 4th Church to be on that site. The loss of Old Saint Pauls must of been an even more brutal blow amidst an already devesting time for the people of London back then yet even with great tragedy and destruction- human resilience and will to survive and carry on- shines through.

[@joshschneider9766]

8:34 Can you imagine owning that blue car and seeing this? Oh yeah, I'm just parked on the exact spot the great fire of London started haha. Great detective work and great documentary!

[@jacksonpollock814]

I mean, Monument is right behind them...

[@Eli-pw9ug]

the honey and snail slime are VERY good for burns!! we still use it today to treat facial burns and even in skincare to help acne heal and cells renew themselves! They knew what they were doing

[@petenielsen6683]

The Great Fire of London is such an important historic even that the BBC could not make of its mind what started it in Doctor Who. In one episode Tom Baker's Doctor says "I had enough of that in 1666" when he starts a fire in a country estate in the early 20th century. And in Peter Davison's time as the Doctor we see it started by aliens who had tried to kill off the population of England starting on Pudding Lane using an altered version of the plague. Real events often become so important to people that writers cannot help thinking "what if the baker had not started it at all? What if it were aliens?" So it is ironic that the 4th Doctor merely mentioning it would be played by an actor whose NAME is Baker.

[@helenagreenwood2305]

Tom Baker was my favourite Doctor

[@BenBen-yx6ug]

@spud spuddy same doctor who is shit

[@torigalvin7565]

Chug,7.,

[@mattgoat4873]

have you banged your head? aliens? ffs

[@randwickbelle]

what if Covid was started by aliens? and it was to weaken us up before an invasion?

[@kristina7065]

I’m from Kyiv and regarding the looters, just recently when Russians started bombing our cities, some local bastards also started looting, but then quickly stopped when they faced the rage of self-organized public 🙂 Neighbors of those who left for the longest time kept an eye on their property and got together to track and defend apartment buildings from anyone unfamiliar. My neighbor is still looking after my rabbits 😭 Can’t say te same about the subhumans who call themselves russian army though, looting occupied towns and sending back to their greedy wives anything and everything, starting from washing machines ending with worn underwear. There were cases of children bodies found with earrings ripped off their ears in towns that rustards were pushed out of. Can’t imagine what’s going on in the towns that are currently occupied…

[@khankrum1]

You have only to examine the rape of Berlin in WWII. to understand what is going on in the Russian occupied areas!

[@bilindalaw-morley161]

I very much hope you and your family are now safe and well. Are you all together? I don't know why but I have a sense you are not there with your family, such would be difficult --worried, scared, missing them, etc etc.

[@mondomacabromajor5731]

In the current landscape of public opinion on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, it is not uncommon for the parties stirring up chaos to engage in fake news dissemination. While NATO's reckless expansion remains the major root cause of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, NATO member states, as veterans of concocting and spreading disinformation, and some Western media have been stealthily doing their bit in employing the disinformation tactic and fanning flames of propaganda. Recently, reports went viral on social media platforms that a senior Ukrainian official, Lyudmila Denisova Ukrainian parliament's commissioner for human rights, was fired over several lies spread about sexual assaults against children allegedly by Russians without verified evidence and since proven false. It has sparked the latest round of concerns about the rampancy of disinformation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Don't believe anything you hear on social media....

[@--Skip--]

The Rustarfs are just doing what their spiritual father, BLOODYMIR POOTIN 💩 allows. It cost Rubles to send back home Ukrainian goods! Sickening.

[@Crossword131]

Thank you for sharing your experience.

[@PandoraKyss]

"They called offal pudding." - Of course they did. Mrs. Crocombe taught me that they called everything pudding.

[@marleykaufman9710]

Professor pepper and spice has absolutely killed it with his outfit. The sherpa, the shoes, the brain - 100% savage

[@2lipToo]

How was King Charles permitted to claim the fire was an act of God when an innocent Frenchman had been blamed for it and hanged?

[@Simsimmer2000]

37 billion Pounds is just a bit more than the UK's track and trace app

[@653j521]

This is interesting to compare with the documentary about the Great Chicago Fire, especially the scapegoating of the poor, immigrants, and Catholics.

[@BeautyByLinnoria]

This is what i love...these intense deep dives into history 💝💝💝👍🏿👍🏿

[@donnacsuti4980]

I have read Samuel Pypse Diarys and have copy. They have detailed description of the event and his daily life he wrote at the time. It's great reading thank you for this video. I have no computer but view on my phone hope you keep posting for us retired folks who love history. Great shows.

[@riyads5236]

This is an exceptional production, with an epic story, told masterfully. Well done!

[@USAR8888]

I've always been fascinated by this event ever since reading a book about it called By Permission of Heaven by Adrian Tinniswood. Couldn't put it down! It is important to remember that the reason Londoners initially blamed the Dutch is because only 2 weeks before Admiral Robert Holmes raided and burned down the entire Dutch town of West Terschelling, along with 150+ Dutch ships, known as "Holmes's Bonfire", among the backdrop of the Second Anglo Dutch War.That would add much needed context to this documentary that presents this as just crazed, irrational Londoners blaming "foreigners" for the fire. It really wouldn't have been irrational as an Englishman to initially think the Great Fire was started by the Dutch out of revenge for Holmes's Bonfire just a couple weeks before.

[@robertshaw5812]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/lavNqZiXmtSioZY

[@Oakleaf700]

Superb documentary. St Pauls was our School's church, so I felt very 'Drawn' to it. A most beautiful building

[@deefurdeeart3673]

24:46 I can see some kind of drawing on the wall that is showing up due to the blue light and looks as if it cant be seen in natural light.

[@tripeeblonde8309]

You made me look! Yes!

[@chizvicious8353]

This was so very well documented... Best KZbin suggestion ever!!! I actually chose to watch this to fall asleep n now it's already morning but it was worth it... Well done 👍👍👍

[@PossumMedic]

1:04:29 - So true! Most time a fire alarm goes off... we ignore it 😂 "Must be a false alarm!" 😭

[@johnkeller6063]

I enjoy watching these videos. They're put together very well. I've learned quite a bit from these. Well done HH well done

[@Lonesome__Dove]

Ive been in two house fires in my life. Fires where i lost everything i owned within minutes. The one thing that stands out to me the most is the sound of the fire. Its loud, it roars and its very intense. You can definitely hear it coming.

[@N_0968]

One of the reasons was that the mayor didn’t allow the creation of fire blocks by tearing down surrounding buildings.

[@K8E666]

Honey would actually work because it’s got amazing antiseptic properties and would keep the burn moist which is exactly what you want. We still use gauze impregnated with manukau honey for wounds today.. Of course we use a lot of FLAMAZINE cream which is a topical antibacterial cream with an active ingredient which belongs to the group of antibiotic medicines called sulphonamides. Flamazine contains Silver Sulfadiazine and although white in colour when you apply it, it quickly oxidises and turns silver in colour.

[@mehere8038]

interestingly a Cochrane review found honey worked, while silver sulfadiazeine did nothing for burns

[@widowrumstrypze9705]

@@mehere8038 I know! This fool is pushing nonsense!

[@leonardo.1024]

The plug at the end with the "portrait" of Tony Robinson is gold.

[@jenmb2679]

Now that I'm older, with a lot of time on my hands I'm like a sponge for information. History on KZbin is better than our textbooks. We were taught lies.not saying internet is always accurate, though.

[@samfiadrangus9188]

I have such a history crush on Dr. Lipscomb...

[@mehere8038]

The city literally became like a forest they say, yeh, as an Aussie watching, that's how it reads, all the stuff happening there is what we experience with our bushfires. I'll bet if historians studied recent Aussie bushfires in detail & then reviewed the events of this fire, they'd find a lot more stuff they hadn't noticed previously too, such as the relationship between strong winds & the fire actually causing them

[@Thewitch-tr1uk]

thats in the bush its not a city

[@mehere8038]

@@Thewitch-tr1uk and why couldn't it happen in a city? Especially back then with the differences, with far more timber & other combustibles, straw etc as part of the buildings

[@markshaw270]

Only one thing as hot as the fire of London is Suzanna Lipscomb 😍🔥

[@tracykingston9668]

She just might create some new history buffs, that weren't before. LOL

[@thelittlefashionphoenix]

I would say, “Historian”, is this the very most perfect occupation for a dude named Dorian. “Dorian, the historian” is utterly fantastic 😂😂

[@Meipmeep]

What an amazing journey…

[@AbsoluteHistory]

💚

[@jackiereynolds2888]

Your passions and perspectives are most probably what fashion different people's lamentations about such incidents as this. Myself - with a penchant for the sciences think more about what we all lost in the Great Fire as one would think of say, - 'new beginnings'. A fervent wish of mine would be an opportunity to wander all the streets of old London circa. 1665 - say sometime in June. The architecture, all the infrastructure, and all the things that would have been lost, - entirely irreplaceable things like clothes and shoes, books and all other everyday sundries. Because you know that the fire took with it things that we will never know we have all lost and what's more, - are gone forever.

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

I love how the actress who plays Sybil looked at the camera when her undeserved pay raise was announced. Takes real skill to have valid complaints lobbed against you, and YOU come out on top.

[@MegCazalet]

I was about to make the same comment! Whoever played her was a great actress. That was an excellent touch.

[@glorialange6446]

A magnificent documentary. I am American, and years of seeing snips of the history, and seeing some of the details in historical based fiction and true nonfiction, made me eager to see this and I was appalled and fascinated at the result of the investigation, archeology, and documentation and map of the devastation and trully saddened by the losses people suffered. Kudos to you all and thank you for this history lesson.

[@johnstaves1337]

You 3 make a great team. VERY informative dramadocumentary.

[@kristinewatson3702]

Cognitive paralysis... I have the best example of this from my youth. When Mt St Helens erupted in 1980 there was a man named Harry R Truman who owned and operated a lodge near Spirit Lake at the base of the mountain. He refused to leave and died in the first volcanic flow that took off half the mountain top. If you remember this event the eruption was obviously not a surprise.

[@thepoolteam9339]

O pop

[@rhocat362]

I watched Mt. Saint Helen's erupt from the back door of a bar, just across the hills. It frightened the shit out of me!

[@Garblegox]

Similar to the "normalcy bias". Just the idea that our brains tend to doubt reality if it changes too suddenly, and we discount threats. There's a story of a Pan Am flight crashing into the ground, and the impact didn't kill the passengers. But the cabin caught fire, and while most people got up and started to flee to the exits, a few dozen people sat completely still in a trance, as if the flight was still carrying on normally and there was merely turbulence. Some of the entranced people were shaken into action by other passengers and got out, but a handful just sat still and burned to death.

[@kristinewatson3702]

@rhocat my parents drove us up in the hills to a viewpoint to watch! I was in 8th grade and half of my class was there with their parents. Ridiculous to drive closer even from the other side. Lol

[@clare076]

I remember when that happened, I live near Mt. Rainier.

[@robertafierro5592]

What a TERRIBLE situation!! Terrible every way you look at it. This was well researched and presented in an interesting way! Thank you for making HISTORY interesting for a person of any age!

[@Zenmyster]

I remember reading Pepys description. Rates right up there with Tolstoy's description of Moscow in 1812.

[@Cortinaman63]

A Fascinating extremely well made production, which not only gives the official story of the great fire of London, but for those clever enough to see it tells the true story behind the devastation caused, why it happened and who was really responsible, Always remember History is written by the winners, and the real "truth" is rarely what the History Books says it is. Thank you for this Superb Production, which I really enjoyed watching.

[@angelapas1488]

Those pesky “gold”smiths and bankers. Wasnt the edict of expulsion still in effect??

[@valiantsfelinesmccarty6678]

I felt for the human side of it but most of all it was amazing to see that 300-year-old trade coin Sybil had made. I think with her ingenuity and spunk she definitely survived maybe not in a way that we would find respectful but away that she could at least feed her daughters and get them to adulthood. I felt especially for those who had hope they'd saved everything and then lost it all including their loved one so sad to give up simply because you lost your things but back then it wasn't so easy to start over again. Shows the spunk of of humanity.

[@kendram5710]

It's about being a part of the cycle of things, from what I've interviewed about. and, I don't agree; but, they just say it's where they belong. if it goes, they go S: almost like how I would see a "pet" or child; they personify it.... like it'd be abandoning it if they left

[@Marlaina]

Sybil needed to be fired from her job from neglect of duty which caused children to get sick, which leads to death in those days. If humans wouldn’t give her the boot then nature did.

[@PerfectlyDeranged]

London’s burning, London’s burning! Fetch the engines! Fetch the engines! Fire, fire! Fire, fire! Pour on water, pour on water! To think 400 years later we’re still singing this nursery rhyme to our children just goes to show how much of an impact this had on our city.

[@CartoonHistory]

answer - stuff was made of flammable stuff

[@Nikki_Catnip]

This is so tragic and sad. Even though this happened so long ago. The stories of those who lived during this event feel like it was yesterday. I had to take a break several times because it made me feel so emotional.

[@404EncrytedError]

Had this video recommended to me on the anniversary of the great fire and I've been slowly watching the video on my off time

[@sunflowerlover7979]

It just now occurred to me that this is where the story of the three little pigs came from except the big bad wolf was actually fire. The people whose homes were made of straw and sticks were "blown" rather burned to the ground but those whose homes were made of brick stood. 🤯🥺💔💔

[@82dorrin]

The original fairy tale was very much about fire.

[@PhyllisGlassup2TheBrim]

But the brick and stone building *didn't* stand did they?

[@Mandy-nt2cs]

The earliest version takes place in Dartmoor with three pixies and a fox before its best known version appears in English Fairy Tales... and there were also African American & Italian versions. It isn't believed to have been inspired but the great fire.. but the moral of the story, being resourceful & outfitting the threat doesn't really seem to align with the tragedy of the fire either I don't believe. It would have been great if someone could have made the fire fall down a chimney into a pot to be eaten for dinner lol

[@DavidRCSA]

There was no stone house

[@danwillars5220]

I can't believe it happened in 1666

[@coreym162]

That year makes me think it was sabotage.

[@brianmcelvogue3370]

the year a certain group of people were formed and have been having regular accidents since 🤔

[@Shaden0040]

Has Robert Hubert ever been exonerated of this crime? Has he been proclaimedinnovent postumously?

[@christendomempire5657]

Yeah, I would like to find out

[@MichelleJ1822]

Anyone here after seeing a “short” on Time Travel Visuals? I have enjoyed many historical events on this channel. But I saw a mention of this event on that channel. So I wanted to dig a little deeper. This is my favorite channel for history! Thank you guys so much for all of your hard work and dedication and research. I’m almost 50 years old and just recently became interested in history. My dad was quite the history buff. But as a child, I was not in the least bit interested. But the older I’ve gotten the more interested I’ve become. And this is my go to channel!

[@carolhama4156]

When people died in the fire their bodies would've been totally consumed by the fire, so ere would be nothing to bury in the cemeteries, so there would've been much fewer numbers of graves than one per "missing" or dead person. Thank you for posting this interesting video on youtube! Wish we had KZbin when I was in school!

[@amberkat8147]

So in other words if the poor hadn't been left to fend for themselves and there was an official program to maintain walls and roofs the whole fire may not have been NEARLY so bad?

[@benediktmorak4409]

as you have heard from the comment, the mayor of London was a louse. - the fire can be put out by a woman pi**ing on it. Instead of doing anything.

[@DavidRCSA]

Yeah

[@Marlaina]

With how much fire they used back then, this was inevitable

[@ocdmom7889]

This reminds me so much of the 1991 fire in Oakland California. We think it cannot happen to us but we have not come as far as we like to think we have. Surprisingly enough the Great Fire of London burn 700 acres and took the lives of six people. In Oakland 1520 acres burned and 25 lives were lost; most very likely trapped on a narrow canyon road trying to escape their homes

[@L.C.Sweeney]

The tone of voices of the narrators is so jarringly optimistic and upbeat whilst they're talking about people burning alive.

[@shihtzusrule9115]

I held my mare's lead when she was being bred and she reared up and pulled the nylon rope out of my hands and burnt my hands and ripped my fingernails loose at the sides where they bled. A farrier was at the farm at the time and he told me he knew what would help my burning hands but I wouldn't do it. I told him maybe I would because my hands were hurting and he said get green horse dung and rub it on my hands. I told him, 'You're right, I'm not going to do it."

[@sands7779]

People in the west of Ireland used to use cow dung over scrapes and cuts.

[@Konkata]

Gloves.

[@EstbXCIII]

Imagine being the guy that single handedly destroyed one of the biggest cities in the world 🔥😲😢😫🔥

[@patriciarossman8653]

A bit like the legendary Mrs. O'Leary's cow of The Chicago Fire fame, although this has been largely discounted as folklore.

[@kevinmccarthy8746]

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL THING OF MY ENGLAND, my England, my Avalon. Your prodigal son the USA love you.

[@phoebeel]

"this process is used to test the flammability to British standards" well, doesn't really matter now does it? Buildings for the poor are still built with highly flammable coverings. 400 years later and still, being cheap costs you lives.

[@hensonlaura]

What are YOU doing about it?

[@phoebeel]

@@hensonlaura well I can't do shit because I'm in another country. Why, do you work for cheap crappy architects or the government?

[@allillanchu]

Exactly. Same thing happening even in modern times regardless of British fire standards. Also, the king says it was “an act of god” then why was Hubert found guilty and killed for starting it? Just so the king can clear his debts and force the people to rebuild the houses.

[@sophiegeorge2816]

Fire like water is a good servant but a bad master

[@thomasmcqueeney6877]

There should be a permanent marker at the site for history

[@SykeMediaTV]

How Did The Great Fire Of London Become So Devastating? ... I "wood'nt" know!

[@annbretagne2108]

Ha ha. Easterly wind was a factor, I heard.

[@Z3pH4x]

Nice

[@sonthems45229]

I cannot believe i spent 2 hours on documentary. Its so good. the explanation,the cast, the narrator.....bravo.hats off. 💕💟

[@hebneh]

Being in the USA, it's hard to conceive that in London today, you can walk around on the same streets as were present in 1666, which even still have the same names!

[@rolhoreis6187]

Jettying was response to taxes which were based on the footprint of the structure. It was a means to increase area of building space and yet pay tax on a smaller property.

[@nunyadambusiness6902]

I bet it was outlawed after that, though

[@hesterwright3674]

@@nunyadambusiness6902 there's still plenty of jettied buildings around the UK though

[@nunyadambusiness6902]

@@hesterwright3674 ??? - if THAT'S what helped the fire spread, then HOW were they not OUTLAWED?... 🤦‍♂️🤯🤦‍♂️...

[@hesterwright3674]

@@nunyadambusiness6902 they aren't still being built that way, but there are lots of medieval and tudor buildings remaining that are protected because of their historical importance. If you look at pictures of the shambles in York, you'll see some that are so close that you can reach out of the window across the street to shake hands from the upper floors. I imagine there are strict regulations in place to prevent fires in the area

[@nunyadambusiness6902]

@@hesterwright3674 ahhh... I had forgotten about the historical part of it. I'm surprised that after all the damage caused, they didn't make them tear ALL of them down... But if it's a different city like York, they might've ignored it... 🤯🤯🤯...

[@sonyaroseman4238]

this was heartbreaking.. great documentary!

[@RealPhoenixRising]

The fact it went on for Days instead of hours is Insane! I can only imagine the sight of the awesome monstrosity this was…

[@user-lo9yn6ji6o]

This is Phenomenal!!!!! Omg I’m watching for the third time!! Way to go history Hit! This is an excellent well researched documentary by many top historians!

[@PhillyAvGeek]

1:17:45 can't believe they found the camera that survived the fire still recording down there

[@ChocolateDealer]

Great video, loved this albeit as an Australian the analysis of how the fire spread (wind, heat, embers) isn’t any surprise - sounds like bushfire season for us (sadly)

[@nancyscogin7549]

My mom and I got a chuckle over all the Blue Plaques reading "Samuel Pepys watched the Great Fire from here." Maybe just 3 but we still got a kick out of it. We'd both read his diaries so we knew.

[@emmasimms5395]

I enjoyed watching this but it would have been nice if you had given more footage of all the artifacts that were found.

[@Clare0116]

Loved this documentary. Will there be any more ?

[@emmilypalmer9269]

I don’t think it’s fair to call the baker of villain; shit happens, accidents happen and in my experience terrible things often lead to wonderful transitions. The city of London could never be the city it is today without that devastating fire. Passing the buck is pretty douche.

[@marionwheatland]

The baker's villainous action was him and his family testifying against Robert Hubert, who had nothing to do with the fire.

[@emmilypalmer9269]

@@marionwheatland Fair enough. I agree that’s for sure a dick move. 🙏😣

[@emmilypalmer9269]

@@marionwheatland Fair enough. I agree that’s for sure a dick move. 🙏😣

[@mehere8038]

@@marionwheatland although the fact that their maid died while they all survived does make me wonder......

[@ey67]

Check out the name Joe arridy in Pueblo Colorado. Same thing almost that happened to Robert Hubert in London. Beyond disgusting.

[@MegCazalet]

Watching this after the recent devastatingly fatal, horrific fire in Hawaii makes the events even more vivid.

[@mariekatherine5238]

Amazing. 357th anniversary of the Fire of London!

[@AnnaAnna-uc2ff]

Thanks.

[@philipmcdonagh1094]

The bakers name Farrnier comes from the french for flour.

[@ManyInterestsLittleTime]

This has almost all my favorite historic scholars who work alongside media! Thanks!

[@lonelyqueen86]

Really enjoyed this series. I had heard of the Great Fire of London but didn't know much about it. Fascinating history.