June 29, 1613

On this day in history in 1613 Shakespeare's Globe Theater burned down during a performance of Henry VIII. During the production cannons were fired, however they did not use cannon balls but rather gunpowder that was held down by wadding. It was this burning wadding that caught fire to the thatched roof of the theater. The entire theater burnt down in about an hour. Ever resilient the Shakespeare company build a second Globe theater directly upon where the first had been. Although it was the same in shape and size it was more exquisitely decorated. Also, because they could now afford it, they made sure to install a tiled roof instead of a thatched one!