1932 USA, Steam Train Crash, Roosevelt Hoover Train Collision, Iowa State Fair

1932 USA, Steam Train Crash, Roosevelt Hoover Train Collision, Iowa State Fair

The great train crash that saved the Iowa State Fair

Connolly’s idea? Lay a section of railroad track in front of the grandstand and create a head-on collision of two locomotives, causing an earth-shaking fireball explosion the likes of which no one had ever seen. No kidding.

The Fair got on board. Connolly bought a couple of old trains that were headed for the scrap heap, laid down some tracks, and set the trains on a crash course.

The prospect of witnessing of a huge train wreck was too much for anyone to pass up. The first explosion in 1896 was so successful that they did it again in 1922 and 1932. Each time, the Fair drew between 40,000 and 70,000 paying visitors—huge crowds for any event in that era.
https://juiceboxinteractive.com/blog/creating-an-iowa-state-fair-spectacle/