Historical eventAugust 181937

Blackwater Fire of 1937

A lightning strike started the Blackwater Fire (pictured) in Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming, consuming 1,700 acres (7 km2) of old-growth forest and killing 15 firefighters.

Everything on August 18Original source

In context

When
Wednesday, August 18 193789 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1930s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1937.

What happened

A lightning strike started the Blackwater Fire (pictured) in Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming, consuming 1,700 acres (7 km2) of old-growth forest and killing 15 firefighters.

August 18 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1937Blackwater Fire of 1937
  2. 1989Luis Carlos Galán
  3. 1993American International Airways Flight 808
  4. 2003Murders of Andrew Bagby and Zachary Turner
  5. 20052005 Java–Bali blackout
  6. 2008Uzbin Valley ambush
  7. 2008Pervez Musharraf
  8. 20112011 southern Israel cross-border attacks
  9. 20172017 Turku attack
  10. 2017Asylum seeker
  11. 2019Iceland

Also in 1937

  • September 13Chicago Public SchoolsChicago Public Schools began delivering lessons via radio amid to a polio outbreak, marking the first large-scale use of radio broadcasts…
  • July 5Hormel FoodsThe Hormel Foods Corporation introduced Spam, the canned precooked meat product that would eventually enter into pop culture, folklore, a…
  • July 9NitrocelluloseNitrate film being stored in a 20th Century Fox facility spontaneously combusted, destroying more than 40,000 reels of negatives and film…
  • December 22Lincoln TunnelThe Lincoln Tunnel, connecting New York City to Weehawken, New Jersey, opened.
  • October 5The Queen's College, OxfordSix days after retiring from the Queen's College, Oxford, Robert Howard Hodgkin was elected its provost due to the sudden death of B. H.…
  • November 10Getúlio VargasBrazilian president Getúlio Vargas led a coup against his own constitutional government, establishing the dictatorial Estado Novo regime.
  • December 3Rupert Bruce-MitfordRupert Bruce-Mitford, the spiritus rector of research on the Sutton Hoo ship burial, joined the British Museum.
  • May 7Fleischer StudiosEmployees at Fleischer Studios in New York City went on strike in the animation industry's first major labor strike.

Everything we record for 1937 →

Sources

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“Blackwater Fire of 1937”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/blackwater-fire-of-1937-1937-august-18, accessed October 27, 2026.

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Questions about this entry

When did Blackwater Fire of 1937 happen?

August 18 1937 — 89 years ago, on a Wednesday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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