On this day in 1814, eight people die in the London Beer Flood.

The London Beer Flood was an accident at Meux & Co’s Horse Shoe Brewery, London, on 17 October 1814.

It took place when one of the 6.7 m wooden vats of fermenting porter burst. The escaping liquid dislodged the valve of another vessel and destroyed several large barrels: between

580,000 and 1,470,000 litres of beer were released in total.