Have done a story on the little know Peshtigo fire that occurred at the same time as the great Chicago fire? As a retired firefighter a little know fact from the great Chicago Fire when help from other cities arrived to help with the Chicago fire none of the assisting fire dept. Could cooperate with the other departments because of the different threads on the fire hoses, the great Chicago fire brought about a National Standard thread for all fire departments
Also worth remembering are the improvements in road safety designed by John Fitch, Levegh's co-driver. Fitch Barriers (basically plastic bins filled with sand), as seen on many US highways, are credited with saving at least 17,000 lives since their introduction in the late 60's...
Fitch Barriers, aka BFBs ("Big Fricken Barrels") and its brother, the FUMS, work by ATTENUATING impact, over a very short distance and span of time, rather than being an immovable barrier. The sand, ash, salt pr water in the bins absorb energy as the BFB contents are being slammed into motion..
this video brings back a flood of memories. My father was in the military and our family was living in Wiesbaden Germany in the mid-fifties. My father had taken my brother and me to the 1954 Le Mans race and we were back in the stands for the 1955 race. We were sitting directly above the pit area but further up in the stands. I can still close my eyes and see the fire, smoke and bodies and hear the cries and screams of people all around us. We never attended another race at LeMans although we visited the track two years later. It was a very sad day indeed.
@@CatchiestWorm12 For them to remember if they were actually there, at the very very youngest six. That would put them basically in their mid 70's now.
Levegh was a very experience, and incredibly intelligent, racing driver. Like a number of other great drivers he had the innate ability to read what was happening ahead of him and therefore avoid being involved in someone else's problem. There's little doubt that he knew, but for a miracle, he was going to die but his primary instinct was to warn the vehicles behind to avoid the inevitable crash being worse, which, with other vehicles, mostly lapped traffic, close behind him was a huge risk. This could easily have resulted in multiple vehicles going into the crowd so, as bad as this was, Pierre undoubtedly saved far more lives than this crash ended...
Sad to see no mention of how this affected the MB codriver, John Fitch’s life. He went on after this to be an advocate for motorsport racing. He directly had a hand in designing in safety to Limerock in CT, and also designed those cute yellow “Fitch Barriers” full of sand or water at dangerous places to absorb speed. These barriers are usually placed at offramps. Jack Ryan’s wife crashed jnto these with her 911 in Patriot Games. Great video.
You remind me of my eighth grade history teacher from forty years ago. He used to lecture with he same kind of energy that you have. He made history both interesting and exciting just like you do.
I had the great pleasure of being taught in the 70's by a teacher by name of Mr Jackson who made history lessons both exiting and interesting. On one occasion, he entered the classroom. With his usual phrase, "be seated scholars," perched himself upon the front of his desk, lit his pipe,(as usual,) threw the match in the waste bin and 'WHOOSH a surge if flame. A class of shocked students then had a masterclass of theatre when he pointed his pipe at us and commenced; "The great fire of London started....... " whilst the bin burned away merrily." He regularly staged battles with pupils fighting with wooden rulers as swords and we once raided the adjacent classroom on a viking raid, pillaging as we went. At age 11 this was fun. He is the man who fired my interest in history. He taught with a passion for his subject, the same as I sense in you sir.
While living in Germany in the late 50's and early 60's I actually saw one of the Mercedes 300SLR vehicles, and instantly and eternally fell in love with it. To this day I still feel it is the car I would most dearly love to own.
Yes, especially the one with the race number 722-the car driven by the late Sir Sterling Moss to win the 1955 Mille Miglia race. Although having the street version driven by Mercedes race team manager Rudolph Uhlenhaut for his personal use would be nice, too.
@@PaulZink - I am fortunate to own both of those fine cars - in 1:18 scale diecast made by CMC Models of Germany. If you are not familiar with the brand, they are high end, extremely detailed pre painted and built from more than 1,500 individual parts! I had Stirling sign #722 for me as well as a re print of the 1955 Mille Miglia poster, "Overwhelming Victory of Mercedes Benz." I had John Fitch sign the poster also, as he won the Standard Sports Class in a 300 SL, and Stirling of course won the Sports Racing Class in the 300 SLR. The poster and the car are two of my most prized motor racing artifacts, particularly since both men have passed on. They are gone, but my memories are vivid about conversations with both of these men at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut. RIP John and Stirling.
Mercedes sold one of them (an SLR) recently to the public, making it the most expensive car publicly sold thus far (over $125 million)... the money will go to charity.
Being a huge racing fan I’ve known of this tragedy and you did a fine job telling it. Thank you for keeping stories alive with your concise and factual episodes.
He's so much better than most UA-camrs, who go way too long and state a lot of incorrect information. I saw a video about the history of Porsche the other day that had more wrong information in it than correct information!
These days there is endless content to be enjoyed. But the thrill of your good story telling skills keeps me coming back as one of my favorite youtube channels. Thank you History Guy for traditional good stories.
His description brought tears to my eyes even this many years on and the fact I wasn't born for another 10 years. I do think it's unfair to blame Mike Hawthorn; it wasn't his fault he was called in and nor his fault the car behind didn't have disk brakes as he did. Racing was dangerous back then; and even in the 70's and early 80's I don't think a year went by without a driver or drivers being killed at Le Mans. But each accident no matter how sad had made the sport and the cars we drive today that much safer. So their sacrifice is not in vane.
Frenchmen here, history degree too, my father is a big fan of F1 and Le Mans is mythical in motorsport, but i never even heard about this accident. Thanks for all your work, i love the whole channel. So many out of mainstream history topic, its so refreshing.
I used to live in Le Mans and go to the 24h. It's really an incredible race, so very interesting to watch, and to race for the pilots. When you go there, you immediately see that this isn't a regular track. The accident is not forgotten there. There is a monument in memory of the dead and everything is very secured now.
a person complained to Gaston Chevrolet(ca. 1910)about the quality of automobile braking systems,,,,,,,,,,, Gaston's response was,,,,,, "I make them go, I do not make them stop".
I'm fairly certain that the quote belongs to Gaston's older brother Louis, who was the engineer behind the Frontenac and Monroe racing cars and the original Chevrolet street car...which was NOT part of GM. GM was the brainchild of Bill Durant, who bought out David Buick and Ransom Olds' names and companies and then pretty much forced Louis out, leaving his name behind too. Gaston was killed at the Beverly Hills board track not long after he won the Indy 500 in 1920; Louis began manufacturing racing parts, including the famous Fronty (Frontenac) DOHC head that bolted onto a Model T engine and almost doubled its horsepower. But don't accuse the Chevrolet brothers of any involvement in GM, Branon; that happened after they were gone. The original Chevrolet road car was a fabulous machine, I think the first production car with a V-8 engine; it only became a mass-produced car meant to challenge Ford after Durant took it over.
Thank you again for an interesting video. Thanks also for not showing the horrific pictures of the crash. I like that you use metric units too make it understandable to the rest of the world.
They need to keep putting it in the "suggested for you" feed... that's how I found it yesterday. Let's face it, UA-cam can really contribute greatly to the success of a channel by putting it in the suggested for you category. We need more intelligent channels like this instead of the drivel, pablum , morons , narcissists, garbage , and insanity that's out there .
That you for covering this forgotten terrible accident. I cannot even imagine being in the crowd witnessing something like this, and just how many people died later from their injuries given that era's patient care.
You guys never cease to pique my interest! Your love of history and writing abilities are both above par! Salute to you and condolences to all the souls who perished that day.
Love the way you tell history, it's so energizing and pulls you in, my mind was in a total "dreamscape" listening to you tell of this unfortunate event.
Excellent presentation...indeed , tragedies such as the one at the 1955 Lemans need to be remembered...spectators at racing events need to know the potential dangers.
Excellent coverage of this most famous endurance race ! The tragedy is ingrained on my memory, even though I wasn't born until 2 years later, The reason being , this motor race was often mentioned during conversations at home, and history lessons at school, Being from a sporting family, Motor racing was never far from the dinner table.
Brilliant work sir, I remember researching this many years ago and was truly surprised by the impact it had on racing. Great job telling a very challenging story. Matching safety with the speeds these cars achieve has, and always will be, a deicate balance.
Thanks for a great description of this tragic moment. I’ve heard the story before, and seen the film (ugh!), and you did great job of summarizing it all.👍
Seeing those cars now, with the driver's heads totally exposed like that, makes me shudder. It's hard to believe we once didn't think at all about safety.
There’s a quote from Jackie Stewart, 3 time Formula One World Champion who raced in the 60’s and 70’s. He said, “When I was in F1, sex was safe and motor racing was dangerous.” Tells you a lot I think.
I’ve been interested in history and military history and racing (motor sports and skiing)and my grandfather was the editor of The Atlantic Monthly from 1928-1966 and publisher of the Atlantic Little Brown from 1969-1989 and he loved racing as well (he also drove ambulances in WW1 with the American Field Service)while I was in prep school in pomfret CT I would visit him and also in the summers we would fly fish but i became addicted to motor sports when I would watch F-1 and LeMans as well as the 24 hours of Daytona and Sebring but he watched the prewar silver arrows and Auto Union and of course Bugatti’s so this story was something I remember from around 8 years old and I’m aware of the impact it had not only on racing but automotive safety as a whole,love your channel and your Officers Hat collection as well,keep it up and god bless you for keeping history alive in a time where it seems so few young people care,thanks again.
As a car enthusiast, this piece of history actually hits me pretty hard. I know this was posted almost a year ago, but somehow I am just now seeing this. Thank you sir, for posting this. Some people do not understand auto racing, but it is because of this, and a few other notable racing crashes, that made both race tracks, and cars, safer.
Thanks for looking out for the racers and fans. I thought the IRL came close to a Le Mans type accident a few times. Those sleds were airborne too often.
I volunteered at MidOhio every summer. At the bigger races I had similar thoughts. I tried my best to station myself so that wreck debris had no chance to get there. With current safety barriers I was in a greater risk of injury from a drunk fan than from the cars.
I am addicted to your channel. There may have to be an intervention. The airshow disaster of 1951 in Flagler, Colorado was a pivotal event in changing airshow safety regulations in the US. Possibly a worthy subject. Thank you so much for the time and effort you must put into this.
Stated in another way: Every regulation has dead people behind it. Be it safety regulations of mines, railroads, dams, aircraft, medical devices, medications, electricity, buildings, steam boilers, fires, automobiles, motorcycles and many many others.
As a avid watcher of your video’s who also happens to be a professional race car fabricator for the past 40+ years you finally brought my two loves together in one video, unfortunately it’s about the one disaster that not many know about and in all honesty should have and could have been avoided but that’s what happens when ego gets in the way of reality!
I like, I wish you did include how the magnesium construction of the Mercedes 300 SLR actually was a major factor on how many were killed or injured. Because as the safety crews arrived and not being trained in the dangers of a magnesium fire they started dousing the flames with water. Along with how this accident actually caused Mercedes Benz completely pull out of motorsports and wouldn't have another factory racing team until 2010
It was backed by Mercedes but it wasn't a factory racing team. In the late 1970's they actually developed the 450SLC 5.0 mercedes with the goal to use it for rally racing but pulled out of having a factory team because during development Audi released the Quattro cars which outdated all the RWD cars quickly. Though some teams still ran the 450SLC 5.0. And AMG were building and racing cars off of Mercedes since the early 70's with Mercedes support, but still weren't a factory sponsored team.
You hit the nail on the head with this one History Guy. I remember it being on the radio news hour. It was a horrible year for my family, but nothing like the horrors of that accident. It truly changed everything. Even the French caved and put up barriers and pulled spectators back into stands. It is still the most dangerous kind of racing, but nothing like it was.
@@whiskeyx-ray4483 how about modern history? Today a cop died and four were injured. But don't dared knock your 2nd Amendment and your well organized mulitia.
Carol Bates next time somebody is shooting someone, you guys be sure to riot, block traffic, yell and call them horrible names. That should solve the problem.
The lava lamp is awesome , peace, love dove ,I truly do appreciate all of your studio collectables, there is so much history behind us that truly deserves to be remembered ,thank you and the history lady for all of your sharing of knowledge!
I love how absolutely in depth you go on your subjects. If I were to do the same thing, I would have simply explained the incident and investigation, but you went back to the start of the Le Mans tradition, and explaining everything about the cars yet still staying on track. Extremely impressed with your love for the work.
I've read it was actually closer to 100 than 83. Some of the walking wounded suffered collapsed lungs and other injuries associated with an explosion and died at the hospital a day or two later. Still nobody knows the exact figure.
Great video! As a huge Motorsport fan I was thrilled to see this video. I'd love to see a video about motorcycles or motorcycle racing. Might I recommend doing a video on the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy (aka TT)? BMW Motorrad has some fascinating history too
Oh, sorry! I didn't realize this was a black tie event. Love your channel. I agree you bring these lectures to life, much like my old history instructor in college, "Bloody Mary Engelbright."
Always good videos. I've never heard this sad story. Very well told with much respect to those who died. Always great History Guy, and Wife. Maybe we should include her in there a bit more. God Bless.
I too love history. While I know most of the stories told on you channel, I love the way you concisely tell the stories yet include much of the important details. My experience is that most historians, like myself, get caught up in the details and loose their audience early on. I love your videos, keep up the good work.
This I knew a great deal about but I clicked anyway cause Mr. Guy was gonna teach me something. I had never seen pics of the car models involved other than the grainy 1955 footage I had seen 30x. Outstanding!
I moved to Reno in 2010, so that was my 1st year. I was out there in 2011, the day BEFORE the 'Galloping Ghost' crash. The USAF Thunderbirds were only scheduled to perform on that 1 day, if I'm remember correctly. I didn't want to miss it. I heard that they lost 3 pilots during the 2007 races. Was that the year 'Miss Ashley 2' crashed?
Thank you for doing an episode on this racing accident. You are right not many people remember this bit of history. I myself only read about it when I was in my 20's. It is history that should be remebered as is all history. Love the channel and keep up the great work.
I love your channel. When I was in school as a child I hated history class, now I can't get enough. I look forward to the end of a long work day when I can kick back and learn something new. Keep up the good work! 👍
I’ve seen the black and white footage countless times and yes it was horrific. I believe the next big push for safety came in the sixties and that would make another good history video.
I have watched many of your videos and have enjoyed them all. Having been an avid sports car racing fan my whole life I was already very familiar with this particular accident. That being said you did this subject justice, I will forgive you the few small things that could have been mentioned for the vast amount that you did say and get completely 100% accurate. Thank you for shedding light on this often obscured piece of history and for giving it the treatment it deserves. You now have a new subscriber.
I have become a dedicated fan of The History Guy! I consider these episodes mini masterpieces of instruction. This teacher invites us to construct meaning and significance from the events of the past that "deserve to be remembered". I applaud the scholarship and enjoy the style. Bravo!
Accurate, but you missed entirely the effect of the magnesium body parts had on the disaster. They burned white hot and the fire was made worse when water was applied.
@cromwell2007 Nobody died in the grandstand, so far as I know. The death zone was almost entirely in the standing room area in front of the grandstand. (In addition to the spectator killed by the AH, someone got run down and killed in the pits, too, across the road. A gendarme?) And the magnesium wasn't important, either. Fire wasn't much of an issue. Most of the Mercedes' body shell landed on the bales of hay in front of the standing area, not in the crowd, and while they had trouble putting the fire out, nobody was located there. It was the engine, axles. and other non-combustible shrapnel that did almost all the killing.
From the time I first heard of this accident, in the late 1960's, I have heard that the magnesium parts burned fiercely, killing dozens. Several accounts included that aspect. But the grape shot-like shrapnel definitely was the primary killer. This video provides the most comprehensive coverage of the accident I have encountered.
Thank you for creating this channel. This has become my favorite channel. I enjoy listening to your excellent narration and for keeping history alive. Once again, Thank You for what you do!
This caught my full attention immediately since the catastrophe has been widely referenced in many publications but a comprehensive breakdown of the event has not been forthcoming. Thank you for helping illuminate this event so we can hopefully continue to improve safety at these events and at lesser ones which also need good sense to reduce risks.
I'm surprised I haven't found your channel sooner! I watched a few of your videos and I like what I saw! on the subject of the video, its amazing how far safety in racing has come since this horrible disaster, not just in auto racing, but in other sports as well, such as drag racing, F1 powerboat racing, offshore powerboat racing, etc race cars nowadays have, depending on the type of vehicle being driven, roll cages, on board fire extinguishers, and other safety features as well as racers of all stripes having to wear protective suits, a HANS device, and helmets.
My mother and father were at the race. They went to get a beer. The accident happened where they had been standing moments before. My father was on Montgomery's staff at NATO at the time. He retired a few years later as a 2 star general (air force). I was in school in Switzerland at the moment.
Thank you very much for what you do! I have only come across your videos very recently, while being stuck home from work with a bad cold. I CANNOT wait to see what gets covered next! Not only have I gained knowledge I didn't have before, but I've even learned new things about subjects I already considered myself well-versed in! You're able to mix the entertainment and the educational materials so beautifully, you'd almost not know you were learning something! Well done, sir! PLEASE continue your amazing work!
Got here via watching a snippet of Steve McQueen’s film about LeMans. THIS was extremely interesting. And informative. In short, what we’ve come to expect from The History Guy! Thanks for posting.
The 1955 Le mans disaster is a very important crash. However, I would argue, that the single most important crash as far as driver safety goes would be the 1966 Spa-Francorchamps crash of Jackie Stewart. Even with all of the modifications after the La Mans crash, about two thirds of all Formula One drivers died before retirement. As a result of the 1966 crash only one F1 driver has died while racing F1 this century. It may be worth a follow up episode.
Another fantastic history lesson! I recently saw a YT video on this very subject that had actual videos of the crash. In addition, the early days of automobiles saw, as mentioned, increases in horsepower but the roads themselves were not in very good shape to handle the faster cars.
Thank you for covering this, and so many other little known bits of history. The MB 300 SLR photo frequently shown in the video is of the Fangio/Kling driven team car (#19)...the car following Levegh's #20. Thank you again!
Haven't watched the video yet, just wanted to chime in here and say that I really like the new name. It definitely suits the channel these days, certainly better than the old one. It's a great tagline and an even better channel name!
I've read of this story, and I've seen video treatments of this. But you provided a key detail I'd never heard of before, and it's an important one. A rule change. Most people don't really care about the technical racing rules, but they often have consequences far beyond that which is intended. A rule change or a series of follow-on rule changes can do great things, bad things, or, as in this case horrible things. Good job.
Justin Pipes You're correct. If I recall rightly, they basically had to wait until it burned itself out which severely hampered rescue and treatment of the victims.
The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered I know you're into aviation history... especially airplanes having to ditch... I look forward to the day you do a video on the 767 that ran out of fuel in Canada, mid flight. If I remember they were converting from imperial to metric units and the airplane only took on half the fuel it was supposed to.
UH1 helicopters are also made of magnesium...its light and strong :but it WILL burn. Thats the reason a lot of B29's crashed when the top cylinder of the back row of the R3350 engine overheated and caught fire...burning through the main spar and causing the wing to fall off.DAN GIURNEY'S AAR eagle that won at Spa was also made of magnesium. The VW also had a magnesium engine; thats why I ALWAYS carried a fire extinguisher in my Type II camper.
Phil Giglio: That fire extinguisher is a good idea in a vehicle, but it wont have much effect on a Class D fire, which is burning metals. You probably had a CO2 extinguisher, they were very common, which is Class B & C, good for burning liquids and electrical fires. Then they came out with dry chemical extinguishers which are rated ABC. These have become the d-facto extinguishers nowadays in that they can handle most types of fires the general public would face. But Class D fires are thankfully few. They become so hot so quickly they can actually burn underwater! The reaction splits the water molecule which provides the oxygen it needs to burn. If their is enough magnesium it can burn through steel and even concrete. For Class D you need to smother it in sand.
I've been a Nascar dedicated fan since 1978-79. Always watch other racing her and there. Got back into F1 racing last year and have not missed a thing since then. Your absolutely correct in stating this race should be remembered. Interestingly I'm a Silver Arrow fan, more now knowing this race history.
I am an American. I humbly apologize if all my European pronunciations are not correct.
Never apologize for being American!! 😋
Have done a story on the little know Peshtigo fire that occurred at the same time as the great Chicago fire? As a retired firefighter a little know fact from the great Chicago Fire when help from other cities arrived to help with the Chicago fire none of the assisting fire dept. Could cooperate with the other departments because of the different threads on the fire hoses, the great Chicago fire brought about a National Standard thread for all fire departments
Arlie Austin ua-cam.com/video/C4wi7ebOIWs/v-deo.html
We saved their asses a few times last century. Let them change their languages.
The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered you did very well,
Also worth remembering are the improvements in road safety designed by John Fitch, Levegh's co-driver. Fitch Barriers (basically plastic bins filled with sand), as seen on many US highways, are credited with saving at least 17,000 lives since their introduction in the late 60's...
Fitch Barriers, aka BFBs ("Big Fricken Barrels") and its brother, the FUMS, work by ATTENUATING impact, over a very short distance and span of time, rather than being an immovable barrier. The sand, ash, salt pr water in the bins absorb energy as the BFB contents are being slammed into motion..
Imagine how many more unaccounted
this video brings back a flood of memories. My father was in the military and our family was living in Wiesbaden Germany in the mid-fifties. My father had taken my brother and me to the 1954 Le Mans race and we were back in the stands for the 1955 race. We were sitting directly above the pit area but further up in the stands. I can still close my eyes and see the fire, smoke and bodies and hear the cries and screams of people all around us. We never attended another race at LeMans although we visited the track two years later. It was a very sad day indeed.
wow, unbelievable. how old were you at the time?
Nah.
@@CatchiestWorm12 For them to remember if they were actually there, at the very very youngest six. That would put them basically in their mid 70's now.
Later ,Juan Manuel Fangio said about Pierre Levegh rasing his hand to warn him; "It was like he was waving goodbye"
Levegh was a very experience, and incredibly intelligent, racing driver. Like a number of other great drivers he had the innate ability to read what was happening ahead of him and therefore avoid being involved in someone else's problem. There's little doubt that he knew, but for a miracle, he was going to die but his primary instinct was to warn the vehicles behind to avoid the inevitable crash being worse, which, with other vehicles, mostly lapped traffic, close behind him was a huge risk. This could easily have resulted in multiple vehicles going into the crowd so, as bad as this was, Pierre undoubtedly saved far more lives than this crash ended...
@@gosportjamie very well put
UScarsinSweden, I heard this story also.
if you do a search,the disaster was caught on film.
@@Mercmad Here: ua-cam.com/video/qP4JTXBiiQ4/v-deo.html
Sad to see no mention of how this affected the MB codriver, John Fitch’s life. He went on after this to be an advocate for motorsport racing. He directly had a hand in designing in safety to Limerock in CT, and also designed those cute yellow “Fitch Barriers” full of sand or water at dangerous places to absorb speed. These barriers are usually placed at offramps. Jack Ryan’s wife crashed jnto these with her 911 in Patriot Games. Great video.
Thank you for sharing this!
It's a 10 minute lesson, not a PhD dissertation.
@@kennethcurtis1856 ok
there are other videos about the crash of '55, the first video to introduce me to this event was the animated short.
You remind me of my eighth grade history teacher from forty years ago. He used to lecture with he same kind of energy that you have. He made history both interesting and exciting just like you do.
A R
I totally agree! 👍
He reminds me of a History Professor I had in College
A R history isn’t boring, it’s all in presentation and what events you choose
I have heard tell that mostly history is made boring due to "controversy". I like it warts and all.
Mr Anthony in high school 35 years ago. He liked to be call “Mad Anthony” lol
He’s probably long past by now.
Rest in piece my favourite teacher ever
I had the great pleasure of being taught in the 70's by a teacher by name of Mr Jackson who made history lessons both exiting and interesting. On one occasion, he entered the classroom. With his usual phrase, "be seated scholars," perched himself upon the front of his desk, lit his pipe,(as usual,) threw the match in the waste bin and 'WHOOSH a surge if flame. A class of shocked students then had a masterclass of theatre when he pointed his pipe at us and commenced; "The great fire of London started....... " whilst the bin burned away merrily." He regularly staged battles with pupils fighting with wooden rulers as swords and we once raided the adjacent classroom on a viking raid, pillaging as we went. At age 11 this was fun. He is the man who fired my interest in history. He taught with a passion for his subject, the same as I sense in you sir.
While living in Germany in the late 50's and early 60's I actually saw one of the Mercedes 300SLR vehicles, and instantly and eternally fell in love with it. To this day I still feel it is the car I would most dearly love to own.
Yes, especially the one with the race number 722-the car driven by the late Sir Sterling Moss to win the 1955 Mille Miglia race. Although having the street version driven by Mercedes race team manager Rudolph Uhlenhaut for his personal use would be nice, too.
It was one of the most truly beautiful automobiles of all time. I very much understand.
@@PaulZink - I am fortunate to own both of those fine cars - in 1:18 scale diecast made by CMC Models of Germany. If you are not familiar with the brand, they are high end, extremely detailed pre painted and built from more than 1,500 individual parts! I had Stirling sign #722 for me as well as a re print of the 1955 Mille Miglia poster, "Overwhelming Victory of Mercedes Benz." I had John Fitch sign the poster also, as he won the Standard Sports Class in a 300 SL, and Stirling of course won the Sports Racing Class in the 300 SLR. The poster and the car are two of my most prized motor racing artifacts, particularly since both men have passed on. They are gone, but my memories are vivid about conversations with both of these men at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut. RIP John and Stirling.
Mercedes sold one of them (an SLR) recently to the public, making it the most expensive car publicly sold thus far (over $125 million)... the money will go to charity.
@@rsr789 - It sold for $143 million and the proceeds went to a scholarship foundation for engineers. The buyer remained anonymous.
Being a huge racing fan I’ve known of this tragedy and you did a fine job telling it. Thank you for keeping stories alive with your concise and factual episodes.
He's so much better than most UA-camrs, who go way too long and state a lot of incorrect information. I saw a video about the history of Porsche the other day that had more wrong information in it than correct information!
These days there is endless content to be enjoyed. But the thrill of your good story telling skills keeps me coming back as one of my favorite youtube channels.
Thank you History Guy for traditional good stories.
His description brought tears to my eyes even this many years on and the fact I wasn't born for another 10 years. I do think it's unfair to blame Mike Hawthorn; it wasn't his fault he was called in and nor his fault the car behind didn't have disk brakes as he did. Racing was dangerous back then; and even in the 70's and early 80's I don't think a year went by without a driver or drivers being killed at Le Mans. But each accident no matter how sad had made the sport and the cars we drive today that much safer. So their sacrifice is not in vane.
Frenchmen here, history degree too, my father is a big fan of F1 and Le Mans is mythical in motorsport, but i never even heard about this accident. Thanks for all your work, i love the whole channel. So many out of mainstream history topic, its so refreshing.
You did an excellent job of conveying the drama without depending upon a moment of newsreel footage of the carnage.
The carnage was horrific, it takes a strong stomach to view it.
I used to live in Le Mans and go to the 24h. It's really an incredible race, so very interesting to watch, and to race for the pilots. When you go there, you immediately see that this isn't a regular track. The accident is not forgotten there. There is a monument in memory of the dead and everything is very secured now.
a person complained to Gaston Chevrolet(ca. 1910)about the quality of automobile braking systems,,,,,,,,,,,
Gaston's response was,,,,,,
"I make them go, I do not make them stop".
jeffrey mcfadden Enzo Ferrari quoted him when jaguar brought disc brakes le mans
I'm fairly certain that the quote belongs to Gaston's older brother Louis, who was the engineer behind the Frontenac and Monroe racing cars and the original Chevrolet street car...which was NOT part of GM. GM was the brainchild of Bill Durant, who bought out David Buick and Ransom Olds' names and companies and then pretty much forced Louis out, leaving his name behind too. Gaston was killed at the Beverly Hills board track not long after he won the Indy 500 in 1920; Louis began manufacturing racing parts, including the famous Fronty (Frontenac) DOHC head that bolted onto a Model T engine and almost doubled its horsepower. But don't accuse the Chevrolet brothers of any involvement in GM, Branon; that happened after they were gone. The original Chevrolet road car was a fabulous machine, I think the first production car with a V-8 engine; it only became a mass-produced car meant to challenge Ford after Durant took it over.
"Good brakes encourage bad driving"
And bad brakes encourage DEAD driving!
And GM cars just shut off when a bump is hit in the road.
The concept of your show Being 15 minutes long or shorter is sheer genious.Enough time to build interest yet short enough to not lose interest.
Thank you again for an interesting video. Thanks also for not showing the horrific pictures of the crash. I like that you use metric units too make it understandable to the rest of the world.
The accident is something that myself a racing fan has been aware of since my youth. You did an admirable job of describing it.
This channel deserves more subs!
Lol, actually... I'm one of your subs.
It's an awesome channel just not that many history hounds
*Bow ties are cool!* - Doctor Who.
They need to keep putting it in the "suggested for you" feed... that's how I found it yesterday.
Let's face it, UA-cam can really contribute greatly to the success of a channel by putting it in the suggested for you category.
We need more intelligent channels like this instead of the drivel, pablum , morons , narcissists, garbage , and insanity that's out there .
He got another sub, Interesting and well put together, a rare thing on You Tube.
History is interesting, but the way you tell it makes it fun and entertaining......thank you, keep up the great work.
I wish my father was still alive. He would enjoy watching your channel with me. You are one my favorites. Top 5 for sure.
Mercedes retired from motor racing after this tragedy. They didn't participate again until 1989.
When they won again, in the 1989 Le Mans. I was there as a teenager to watch them, although I was cheering on the Jaguars.
You were absolutely correct. This accident was not known by me nor any of my many racing- fan friends. Well done.
That you for covering this forgotten terrible accident. I cannot even imagine being in the crowd witnessing something like this, and just how many people died later from their injuries given that era's patient care.
You guys never cease to pique my interest! Your love of history and writing abilities are both above par! Salute to you and condolences to all the souls who perished that day.
You're a man of many hats.... Literally
Love the way you tell history, it's so energizing and pulls you in, my mind was in a total "dreamscape" listening to you tell of this unfortunate event.
Well spoken, articulated and told. You do history the justice it deserves, sir.
I just wacthed a short animated film about it.
It's titles "le mans 1955: Deadly Competition"
UA-cam's algorithm did a good!?
(Same)
DOICES me too
Yes for once UA-cam algorithm served us well.
Me too
same here :)
You are a great presenter 'History Guy'. I appreciate your work. Thank You.
I appreciate how these episodes share a developed backstory. Another excellent episode.
In my entire life of school all over the states an elsewhere, I don't recall a teacher teaching anything. You sir are one who has,an I thank you.
Excellent presentation...indeed , tragedies such as the one at the 1955 Lemans need to be remembered...spectators at racing events need to know the potential dangers.
As a fan of motorsport, I must thank you for this excellent video on a very tragic and important moment in our sport.
Excellent coverage of this most famous endurance race ! The tragedy is ingrained on my memory, even though I wasn't born until 2 years later, The reason being , this motor race was often mentioned during conversations at home, and history lessons at school, Being from a sporting family, Motor racing was never far from the dinner table.
83 dead and 120 injured? Jesus how have I never heard of this? That’s insane.
Snap
Brilliant work sir, I remember researching this many years ago and was truly surprised by the impact it had on racing. Great job telling a very challenging story. Matching safety with the speeds these cars achieve has, and always will be, a deicate balance.
The chain reaction was caused when Hawthorn pulled in front of the Healey then slowed down to pit. Everything else was a result of this action. Sadly
I love how eclectic your bits of history are. From LeMans to airships, warships to individuals. Kudos sir.
Really glad to see your channel taking off. You're doing a service to the Internet. Thanks much!
I appreciate the variety of historical topics you post about
Thanks for a great description of this tragic moment. I’ve heard the story before, and seen the film (ugh!), and you did great job of summarizing it all.👍
This Channel deserves to be remembered.
Seeing those cars now, with the driver's heads totally exposed like that, makes me shudder. It's hard to believe we once didn't think at all about safety.
There’s a quote from Jackie Stewart, 3 time Formula One World Champion who raced in the 60’s and 70’s. He said, “When I was in F1, sex was safe and motor racing was dangerous.”
Tells you a lot I think.
I’ve been interested in history and military history and racing (motor sports and skiing)and my grandfather was the editor of The Atlantic Monthly from 1928-1966 and publisher of the Atlantic Little Brown from 1969-1989 and he loved racing as well (he also drove ambulances in WW1 with the American Field Service)while I was in prep school in pomfret CT I would visit him and also in the summers we would fly fish but i became addicted to motor sports when I would watch F-1 and LeMans as well as the 24 hours of Daytona and Sebring but he watched the prewar silver arrows and Auto Union and of course Bugatti’s so this story was something I remember from around 8 years old and I’m aware of the impact it had not only on racing but automotive safety as a whole,love your channel and your Officers Hat collection as well,keep it up and god bless you for keeping history alive in a time where it seems so few young people care,thanks again.
A tragedy, yet we learned so much from it and saved so many lives with new measures of safety, not only in motor sports but automobiles in general.
As a car enthusiast, this piece of history actually hits me pretty hard. I know this was posted almost a year ago, but somehow I am just now seeing this. Thank you sir, for posting this. Some people do not understand auto racing, but it is because of this, and a few other notable racing crashes, that made both race tracks, and cars, safer.
I worked EMS at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for 10 years and something like Lemans was always in the back of my mind.
Negative Nancy
Thanks for looking out for the racers and fans. I thought the IRL came close to a Le Mans type accident a few times. Those sleds were airborne too often.
I volunteered at MidOhio every summer. At the bigger races I had similar thoughts. I tried my best to station myself so that wreck debris had no chance to get there. With current safety barriers I was in a greater risk of injury from a drunk fan than from the cars.
I grew up in West Lafayette, so while I never saw the 500 like you did, it was very much a part of my life, too.
I am addicted to your channel. There may have to be an intervention. The airshow disaster of 1951 in Flagler, Colorado was a pivotal event in changing airshow safety regulations in the US. Possibly a worthy subject. Thank you so much for the time and effort you must put into this.
That is a great topic! Thanks!
I remember a saying I picked up in the USN. It stated that maritime law was written in blood. I guess racing regulations are written in blood as well.
Aviation has a similar saying as well.
That was the very phrase I was going to use. NASCAR requires full face helmets and the HANS device due to Dale Earnharts death.
Wolfshead009. The one I heard is, "The FAA regulates by body count".
Stated in another way: Every regulation has dead people behind it. Be it safety regulations of mines, railroads, dams, aircraft, medical devices, medications, electricity, buildings, steam boilers, fires, automobiles, motorcycles and many many others.
Railroad rule books are also written in blood.
As a avid watcher of your video’s who also happens to be a professional race car fabricator for the past 40+ years you finally brought my two loves together in one video, unfortunately it’s about the one disaster that not many know about and in all honesty should have and could have been avoided but that’s what happens when ego gets in the way of reality!
I like, I wish you did include how the magnesium construction of the Mercedes 300 SLR actually was a major factor on how many were killed or injured. Because as the safety crews arrived and not being trained in the dangers of a magnesium fire they started dousing the flames with water. Along with how this accident actually caused Mercedes Benz completely pull out of motorsports and wouldn't have another factory racing team until 2010
Michael Loeffler Yes, the gas tank fire ignited the magnesium.
Not entirely true - they re-entered sportscar racing in, I think, 1988 when they re-badged Peter Sauber's C9 as a Mercedes
It was backed by Mercedes but it wasn't a factory racing team. In the late 1970's they actually developed the 450SLC 5.0 mercedes with the goal to use it for rally racing but pulled out of having a factory team because during development Audi released the Quattro cars which outdated all the RWD cars quickly. Though some teams still ran the 450SLC 5.0. And AMG were building and racing cars off of Mercedes since the early 70's with Mercedes support, but still weren't a factory sponsored team.
@@spoonified52 what about the clk super touring ?
Bee Mail they were Mercedes backed and supported teams but not on factory Mercedes teams
You hit the nail on the head with this one History Guy. I remember it being on the radio news hour. It was a horrible year for my family, but nothing like the horrors of that accident. It truly changed everything. Even the French caved and put up barriers and pulled spectators back into stands. It is still the most dangerous kind of racing, but nothing like it was.
You are the maestro of history sir.
I am so glad to find this channel! I love history, thanks for your research and great presentation. Rivals big brother, History channel.
Did the "5 minute" part of your name cause peoples' heads explode because your videos were longer? Great video!
Bloody hell, and there is TAOFLEDERMOUSE of exotic and obscure shotgun projectile fame
If the internet is vast, UA-cam is a small world after all
Nightdare right, could have guessed he's into history. Alot of us gun freaks are.
@@whiskeyx-ray4483 how about modern history? Today a cop died and four were injured. But don't dared knock your 2nd Amendment and your well organized mulitia.
shit does vsauce watch this guy too,?
Carol Bates next time somebody is shooting someone, you guys be sure to riot, block traffic, yell and call them horrible names. That should solve the problem.
The lava lamp is awesome , peace, love dove ,I truly do appreciate all of your studio collectables, there is so much history behind us that truly deserves to be remembered ,thank you and the history lady for all of your sharing of knowledge!
Wow, I've never even heard of this before. Certainly taught me something.
I love how absolutely in depth you go on your subjects. If I were to do the same thing, I would have simply explained the incident and investigation, but you went back to the start of the Le Mans tradition, and explaining everything about the cars yet still staying on track. Extremely impressed with your love for the work.
Hi I really like your videos, the up beat balanced and respectful way you cover interesting but obscure events cheers me up.
I like this History Guy, he picks some very interesting subjects that deserve to be remembered.
it's hard to thumbs up a video about 83 people dying.... good vid, though.
I've read it was actually closer to 100 than 83. Some of the walking wounded suffered collapsed lungs and other injuries associated with an explosion and died at the hospital a day or two later. Still nobody knows the exact figure.
Well Spoiler Alert! Stay away from the Titanic videos and any starting with “WW...”.
@@gkess7106 ?
It means you like the content, not liking the fact people died. Most normal people don't like that.
@@leoortiiiz The pass is given by a black person, I'm just selling it....means exactly what to you?
Wow. What a tragedy! I had never heard of this wreck. Terrible.
Great video! As a huge Motorsport fan I was thrilled to see this video. I'd love to see a video about motorcycles or motorcycle racing. Might I recommend doing a video on the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy (aka TT)? BMW Motorrad has some fascinating history too
I have heard of this, but not much detail. Thank you for your in depth coverage of this subject!!
Oh, sorry! I didn't realize this was a black tie event. Love your channel. I agree you bring these lectures to life, much like my old history instructor in college, "Bloody Mary Engelbright."
Always good videos. I've never heard this sad story. Very well told with much respect to those who died. Always great History Guy, and Wife. Maybe we should include her in there a bit more. God Bless.
I too love history. While I know most of the stories told on you channel, I love the way you concisely tell the stories yet include much of the important details. My experience is that most historians, like myself, get caught up in the details and loose their audience early on. I love your videos, keep up the good work.
This I knew a great deal about but I clicked anyway cause Mr. Guy was gonna teach me something. I had never seen pics of the car models involved other than the grainy 1955 footage I had seen 30x. Outstanding!
Excellent. Love motorsports.
Perhaps you can touch the subject of Reno air race catastrophes. I was present when Miss Ashley 2 crashed. Sad day.
I moved to Reno in 2010, so that was my 1st year. I was out there in 2011, the day BEFORE the 'Galloping Ghost' crash. The USAF Thunderbirds were only scheduled to perform on that 1 day, if I'm remember correctly. I didn't want to miss it. I heard that they lost 3 pilots during the 2007 races. Was that the year 'Miss Ashley 2' crashed?
Javier 86 did you see the Gray Ghost, P 51 Mustang crash, I met him 1 day before it happened
Thank you for doing an episode on this racing accident. You are right not many people remember this bit of history. I myself only read about it when I was in my 20's. It is history that should be remebered as is all history. Love the channel and keep up the great work.
Wow! Your diversity in content is amazing! Bravo! (I coulda/shoulda been a history guy!!). Love it!
I love your channel. When I was in school as a child I hated history class, now I can't get enough. I look forward to the end of a long work day when I can kick back and learn something new. Keep up the good work! 👍
I’ve seen the black and white footage countless times and yes it was horrific. I believe the next big push for safety came in the sixties and that would make another good history video.
I have watched many of your videos and have enjoyed them all. Having been an avid sports car racing fan my whole life I was already very familiar with this particular accident. That being said you did this subject justice, I will forgive you the few small things that could have been mentioned for the vast amount that you did say and get completely 100% accurate. Thank you for shedding light on this often obscured piece of history and for giving it the treatment it deserves. You now have a new subscriber.
I literally just watched a documentary on the Le Mans crash. Thanks for doing this! Seriously one of the most terrifying things I've ever seen.
For those interested there is video of the disaster, But its not for the faint of heart.
TpzBla FACT
I have become a dedicated fan of The History Guy! I consider these episodes mini masterpieces of instruction. This teacher invites us to construct meaning and significance from the events of the past that "deserve to be remembered". I applaud the scholarship and enjoy the style. Bravo!
Accurate, but you missed entirely the effect of the magnesium body parts had on the disaster. They burned white hot and the fire was made worse when water was applied.
@cromwell2007 Nobody died in the grandstand, so far as I know. The death zone was almost entirely in the standing room area in front of the grandstand. (In addition to the spectator killed by the AH, someone got run down and killed in the pits, too, across the road. A gendarme?) And the magnesium wasn't important, either. Fire wasn't much of an issue. Most of the Mercedes' body shell landed on the bales of hay in front of the standing area, not in the crowd, and while they had trouble putting the fire out, nobody was located there. It was the engine, axles. and other non-combustible shrapnel that did almost all the killing.
Magnesium alloy is extremely flammable.
@@thevmanvj Reading comprehension: FAIL. It wasn't fire that killed the spectators, it was shrapnel and larger pieces of flying metal.
This was interesting, thank you for the addition! My guess is maybe he left it out due to time? Just a guess, je ne sais pas.
From the time I first heard of this accident, in the late 1960's, I have heard that the magnesium parts burned fiercely, killing dozens. Several accounts included that aspect. But the grape shot-like shrapnel definitely was the primary killer. This video provides the most comprehensive coverage of the accident I have encountered.
Thank you for creating this channel. This has become my favorite channel. I enjoy listening to your excellent narration and for keeping history alive. Once again, Thank You for what you do!
I love this channel sooooo much
This caught my full attention immediately since the catastrophe has been widely referenced in many publications but a comprehensive breakdown of the event has not been forthcoming. Thank you for helping illuminate this event so we can hopefully continue to improve safety at these events and at lesser ones which also need good sense to reduce risks.
There is film footage of the mercedes engine careening though the crowd. What a horror.
I'm surprised I haven't found your channel sooner! I watched a few of your videos and I like what I saw!
on the subject of the video, its amazing how far safety in racing has come since this horrible disaster, not just in auto racing, but in other sports as well, such as drag racing, F1 powerboat racing, offshore powerboat racing, etc
race cars nowadays have, depending on the type of vehicle being driven, roll cages, on board fire extinguishers, and other safety features as well as racers of all stripes having to wear protective suits, a HANS device, and helmets.
That was worse than the similar disaster at Farnborough air show in 1952 that killed 31.
Thank you for an EXCELLENT recounting of this small slice of history. I am eagerly learning a great deal of history I did not know.
4 horse power lol what a time to be alive
Algernop Krieger Blistering!
Jacob Zondag They used to think that the speed would kill the people because they wouldn't be able to breathe.
Damn kids and their flying machines
I would love to race with those cars
My electric toothbrush has more hp.
Thanks for not including the footage. The story is sad enough without that shocking few seconds of coverage.
My mother and father were at the race. They went to get a beer. The accident happened where they had been standing moments before. My father was on Montgomery's staff at NATO at the time. He retired a few years later as a 2 star general (air force). I was in school in Switzerland at the moment.
5:58 OMG I am in love with that car it is beyond beautiful
Thank you very much for what you do! I have only come across your videos very recently, while being stuck home from work with a bad cold. I CANNOT wait to see what gets covered next! Not only have I gained knowledge I didn't have before, but I've even learned new things about subjects I already considered myself well-versed in! You're able to mix the entertainment and the educational materials so beautifully, you'd almost not know you were learning something! Well done, sir! PLEASE continue your amazing work!
Great stuff! Could you pls make a video of the Ramstein (Germany) air show disaster on 28th August 1988?
Got here via watching a snippet of Steve McQueen’s film about LeMans. THIS was extremely interesting. And informative. In short, what we’ve come to expect from The History Guy! Thanks for posting.
Thanks love it!!!
Great channel. Thank you History Guy!
The 1955 Le mans disaster is a very important crash. However, I would argue, that the single most important crash as far as driver safety goes would be the 1966 Spa-Francorchamps crash of Jackie Stewart. Even with all of the modifications after the La Mans crash, about two thirds of all Formula One drivers died before retirement. As a result of the 1966 crash only one F1 driver has died while racing F1 this century. It may be worth a follow up episode.
Ayrton Senna in 1994 and Jules Bianchi just a couple years back.
@@philgiglio9656 don't forget Roland Ratzenberger who died the day before Senna at Imola.
@@bazonka1...that was practice not racing: trivial point true, since he is dead. His first race IIRC.
Nikki Lauda
@@UrMomsChauffer except Nikki Lauda isn't actually dead.
Another fantastic history lesson! I recently saw a YT video on this very subject that had actual videos of the crash.
In addition, the early days of automobiles saw, as mentioned, increases in horsepower but the roads themselves were not in very good shape to handle the faster cars.
The ones who are still looking for someone to blame need to get a grip on reality!
Thank you for covering this, and so many other little known bits of history. The MB 300 SLR photo frequently shown in the video is of the Fangio/Kling driven team car (#19)...the car following Levegh's #20. Thank you again!
Haven't watched the video yet, just wanted to chime in here and say that I really like the new name. It definitely suits the channel these days, certainly better than the old one. It's a great tagline and an even better channel name!
ProgHead777 what was the old one?
I've read of this story, and I've seen video treatments of this. But you provided a key detail I'd never heard of before, and it's an important one. A rule change. Most people don't really care about the technical racing rules, but they often have consequences far beyond that which is intended. A rule change or a series of follow-on rule changes can do great things, bad things, or, as in this case horrible things. Good job.
Didnt the magnesium car catch fire which was exasperated by the water being used to fight the fire? Or am I thinking of another racing crash?
Justin Pipes You're correct. If I recall rightly, they basically had to wait until it burned itself out which severely hampered rescue and treatment of the victims.
Yes, the car burned for hours.
The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered I know you're into aviation history... especially airplanes having to ditch... I look forward to the day you do a video on the 767 that ran out of fuel in Canada, mid flight. If I remember they were converting from imperial to metric units and the airplane only took on half the fuel it was supposed to.
UH1 helicopters are also made of magnesium...its light and strong :but it WILL burn. Thats the reason a lot of B29's crashed when the top cylinder of the back row of the R3350 engine overheated and caught fire...burning through the main spar and causing the wing to fall off.DAN GIURNEY'S AAR eagle that won at Spa was also made of magnesium. The VW also had a magnesium engine; thats why I ALWAYS carried a fire extinguisher in my Type II camper.
Phil Giglio: That fire extinguisher is a good idea in a vehicle, but it wont have much effect on a Class D fire, which is burning metals. You probably had a CO2 extinguisher, they were very common, which is Class B & C, good for burning liquids and electrical fires. Then they came out with dry chemical extinguishers which are rated ABC. These have become the d-facto extinguishers nowadays in that they can handle most types of fires the general public would face. But Class D fires are thankfully few. They become so hot so quickly they can actually burn underwater! The reaction splits the water molecule which provides the oxygen it needs to burn. If their is enough magnesium it can burn through steel and even concrete. For Class D you need to smother it in sand.
I've been a Nascar dedicated fan since 1978-79. Always watch other racing her and there. Got back into F1 racing last year and have not missed a thing since then. Your absolutely correct in stating this race should be remembered. Interestingly I'm a Silver Arrow fan, more now knowing this race history.