The Day London Drowned in Beer: The Great Porter Flood of 1814

In October 1814, an enormous vat of porter burst at a London Brewery, unleashing a torrent of beer that demolished houses and killed eight people. Behind one of Britain’s strangest disasters lies a sobering tale of industrial negligence, poverty and the difference between who suffered and who received compensation.

The Night London Rioted Over a Man in a Bottle

In January 1749, Londoners packed the Haymarket to witness an apparently impossible feat: a man climbing into an ordinary wine bottle. The performer never appeared. The audience did, however – and when they realised the trick had already been played on them, things got spectacularly out of hand.