1922 - "KNICKERBOCKER" SNOWSTORM
Snow is common feature of winters in DC, but rarely more than a few inches at a time. 1922 was an exception with dramatic consequences.
January 28, 1922, hundreds of Washingtonians fought their way through the greatest snowstorm in the federal capital's history to attend a show at the Knickerbocker Theater, which was at the time the city's largest and most modern movie theater. What no one knew was that the theater's flat roof was tremendously burdened by the weight of the heavy snow. During the intermission, the roof collapsed and crashed down upon the crowd. 98 people lost their lives, with some of Washington's prominent politicians and business owners among the casualties. The disaster ranks as one of Washington's worst in history, and the snowstorm still holds the record for Washington's single greatest snowfall with 28 inches of snow.
