Buzz
Throughout the ages, numerous riots have erupted due to reasons such as discrimination, social and political divides, economic hardship, sporting rivalries, and alcohol-fueled chaos, among others. However, some riots have been triggered by peculiar incidents involving unexpected groups, escalating into destructive and sometimes fatal events, resulting in some of the strangest riots ever recorded.
10. The Night Disco Was Destroyed
During the late 1970s, disco music faced significant backlash from a vocal and passionate group of critics. Among them was Steve Dahl, a Chicago rock radio DJ, who gained fame for his anti-disco campaign, famously declaring 'Disco Sucks.' Capitalizing on Dahl's popularity and the widespread disdain for disco, Mike Veeck, son of the Chicago White Sox owner, proposed a promotional event called 'Disco Sucks Night.' On July 12, 1979, attendees could enter the doubleheader game against the Detroit Tigers for just 98 cents, provided they brought a disco record. The highlight of the night was Dahl's plan to explode a mountain of disco records.
Veeck anticipated a modest turnout and arranged security for approximately 35,000 people. However, he grossly underestimated the public's animosity toward disco. Over 60,000 fans flooded the stadium, with some resorting to climbing fences and using ladders to gain entry.
The first game saw the crowd in a boisterous mood. Although the Tigers emerged victorious, it wasn’t the game that ignited the chaos. The tipping point came when Dahl detonated the pile of records as planned. Following the explosion, spectators stormed the field, vandalizing the stadium. Despite efforts by Dahl and Veeck to restore order, the situation spiraled out of control. Rioters stole bases, dismantled batting cages, and set banners ablaze.
Remarkably, only one individual sustained injuries during the riot: a vendor who fractured his hip. Despite the widespread destruction, the event remained relatively non-violent. Veeck attributed this to the prevalence of marijuana use among the crowd. He contrasted it with the far more aggressive beer promotion in Cleveland in 1974, where beer was sold for 10 cents a cup, which had escalated into chaos.
A total of 39 arrests were made following the Disco Sucks riot. Veeck deemed the promotion a triumph, as it remains a memorable event even three decades later.
9. The Great Police Riot
Typically, the police are the first to intervene when a riot occurs. However, on June 16, 1857, in New York City, the situation was reversed when the police themselves became the rioters.
In 1857, New York City was under the leadership of Mayor Fernando Wood, who was infamously corrupt. The state, controlled by Republicans, sought to increase its influence over the city, which was led by a Democrat. To address these tensions, the state established the Metropolitan Police Force, granting them jurisdiction over New York City, Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Williamsburg. Mayor Wood resisted the decision and refused to dissolve the existing Municipal Police Force. As a result, two police forces operated simultaneously in New York during the spring of 1857, setting the stage for inevitable conflict.
Tensions escalated in June when officers from one force seized criminals apprehended by the other. The situation turned violent on June 16 when the Metropolitan Police attempted to arrest Mayor Wood at City Hall. A clash erupted between 800 Municipal officers and 50 Metropolitan officers, leading to brawls in the hallways and outside City Hall. Over 50 individuals were injured during the riot.
On July 2, Mayor Wood finally dissolved the Municipal Police Force. The New York Supreme Court affirmed the Metropolitan Police Force's authority over the city, and the militia was deployed to support them. Just two days after the disbandment, the infamous Dead Rabbits riots, later portrayed in Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, erupted in the Five Points district.
8. The Old Price Riots
In December 1808, a devastating fire engulfed the Covent Garden Theatre in London, reducing the structure to ashes and destroying numerous costumes stored inside.
The theater's owner immediately began reconstruction efforts. The expenses of rebuilding and purchasing new costumes were substantial, prompting the manager, John Philip Kemble, to raise ticket prices modestly upon the theater's reopening nine months later. For instance, one section's ticket cost rose from six shillings to seven shillings.
The unrest began on the opening night during the performance of Macbeth, with Kemble in the lead role. Protesters disrupted the show by clanging pans and creating noise. These demonstrations, which included multiple riots, continued for two months. The situation worsened when the theater owner brought in boxers to enforce order, leading to increased violence.
The riots finally subsided when Kemble agreed to reduce the prices and issued an apology for both the price hike and the decision to employ boxers.
7. The Lincoln Prison Riot Of 2002
Prisons are inherently volatile environments, and riots are an unfortunate reality when dangerous individuals are confined with little to occupy their time. What’s astonishing, however, is the trivial trigger behind one of England’s most severe prison riots in the last two decades.
On October 23, 2002, inmates discovered that their hot lunch had been replaced with sandwiches. Angered by the menu change, a group of prisoners overpowered a guard and seized his keys. Using the keys, they unlocked cells and freed more inmates, overwhelming the facility. It took 550 prison and police officers eight hours to quell the riot, which was ignited by the sandwich dispute. The incident resulted in damages of £3 million, 35 injuries, and one prisoner’s death from a drug overdose. Six inmates were sentenced to nine years for their involvement.
Surprisingly, this wasn’t the only prison riot sparked by a sandwich-related incident. In August 2013, a riot at Riker’s Island left 11 inmates and one correctional officer injured. The conflict began when a gang member wanted to make grilled cheese but lacked a hot plate. Another gang, which had the hot plate, refused to share, leading to the outbreak of violence.
6. The Leicester Balloon Riot
In 1862, British aeronaut Henry Coxwell and meteorologist James Glaisher embarked on a daring hot air balloon journey to the stratosphere to conduct experiments. The expedition nearly ended in tragedy: Glaisher lost consciousness, and Coxwell had to use his teeth to open the valve cord to descend. Despite the peril, both survived, becoming the first to reach the stratosphere and cementing Coxwell’s fame.
Two years later, on July 11, 1864, Coxwell was set to showcase his largest and newest balloon, The Britannia, at the Order of Forester’s fete in Leicester, UK. As he prepared for the launch, a rumor spread among the 50,000-strong crowd that the balloon wasn’t his biggest or newest. Impatience grew, and the crowd stormed Coxwell’s setup area, demanding an immediate launch. Ticket holders for rides also grew unruly. The surge of people damaged the balloon and basket. Coxwell pleaded for space, but when ignored, he began deflating the balloon.
The crowd, eager to see the balloon ascend, reacted angrily to its deflation. They vandalized the balloon, cutting it apart and setting the basket ablaze. Coxwell was attacked but was miraculously rescued by a lone policeman. Tragically, another man was mistaken for Coxwell and had his coat torn to shreds. Pieces of the balloon were sold as souvenirs, while others paraded the remnants through the town, passing the house where Coxwell had taken refuge.
The riot was denounced by The London Review of Politics, Society, Literature, Art and Science and Coxwell himself, who labeled the townspeople savages. The locals, however, blamed outsiders for the chaos.
5. The University Of Paris Riot
On March 6, 1229, Shrove Tuesday (also known as Mardi Gras), students from the University of Paris were celebrating at a tavern. The evening ended in a dispute over the bill, sparking a brawl that resulted in the students being assaulted and ejected. The following day, Ash Wednesday, a large group of students returned, forcibly entered the tavern, assaulted the owner, and set the establishment on fire. They then spilled into the streets, vandalizing several shops before the riot was quelled.
At the time, University of Paris students, who primarily studied theology, enjoyed the protection of the Catholic Church and were exempt from French royal law. This privilege angered Parisian citizens, who pressured the king to take action. The king eventually allowed his soldiers to raid student residences, and several students were killed by the aggressive guards.
The university’s faculty demanded justice from the king for the raid, and when their demands were ignored, they initiated a strike. The strike persisted for two years, ending only when the pope, an alumnus of the university, intervened and issued a papal bull titled “Parens Scientiarum” (“Mother of all Sciences”). This decree affirmed that the university was subject solely to Church law. Following its issuance, the faculty resumed teaching.
4. The Boston Massacre
One of the defining moments of the American Revolution was the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770. While the incident itself was not extraordinary as a riot, its origins were surprisingly minor and seemingly trivial.
The riot reportedly began when apprentice wig-maker Edward Gerrish confronted British Captain Lieutenant John Goldfinch, accusing him of failing to pay a debt to his employer. A British soldier struck Gerrish from behind, knocking him to the ground. Gerrish rallied his friends, who then surrounded Boston’s Custom’s House, guarded by British troops. The crowd pelted the soldiers with snowballs, prompting the soldiers to open fire, killing five and injuring six others.
Patriots such as Paul Revere and Samuel Adams leveraged the Boston Massacre to galvanize support for the American Revolution. Remarkably, the entire incident stemmed from a dispute over a wig-maker’s unpaid bill.
3. The Toronto Clown And Firefighter Riot
In July 1855, S.B. Howes’ Star Troupe Menagerie & Circus arrived in Toronto, Ontario, for a multi-day performance. On the evening of July 12, several clowns visited a tavern rumored to double as a brothel. The tavern was also a popular spot for the Hook & Ladder Firefighting Company, a volunteer firefighter brigade.
Both groups were known for their rowdy behavior; the clowns were responsible for assembling and dismantling the circus tents, while the firefighters had a reputation for frequent brawls. A dispute erupted between the two groups, with conflicting accounts of the cause—some claimed a clown cut in line, while others said a clown’s hat was knocked off. Regardless of the trigger, a fight broke out, leaving two firefighters severely injured. The firefighters retreated, and the clowns emerged victorious that night.
At the time, Toronto’s Orange Order, a Protestant fraternal organization, wielded significant influence, ensuring its members secured jobs, including many firefighters and police officers. News of the clash spread among the Orangemen, and the next day, they confronted the circus performers. Chaos ensued when the Hook and Ladder firefighters arrived. Tents, including the main big top, were torn down and set ablaze. Wagons were overturned and destroyed, and the clowns were brutally beaten.
The police chief, also an Orangeman, delayed dispatching officers to the scene. When they finally arrived, the officers did little to assist the circus, merely observing the destruction and violence. The riot only subsided when the mayor intervened, personally stopping a firefighter who intended to kill a clown with an axe. The militia was called in, and the circus performers were allowed to salvage what remained of their belongings.
This riot became a pivotal event that spurred police reform in Toronto.
2. The New York Doctors Riot
In late 18th-century New York City, there were no regulations governing how bodies were obtained for medical students’ anatomy practice. This lack of oversight unsettled many, as the idea of dissecting corpses was already disturbing to the general public. Tensions escalated when rumors spread that medical students were exhuming bodies from cemeteries. These fears and frustrations culminated in a violent outbreak on April 16, 1788.
Multiple accounts exist about the riot’s trigger, but all involve a severed arm and a group of boys playing near New York Hospital. In one version, the boys spotted an arm hanging from a window to dry. In another, they climbed a ladder and peered inside, where a medical student waved at them using the severed arm. A third version claims one boy saw the arm and was told by a student it belonged to his recently deceased mother. The boy allegedly informed his father, a mason, who then exhumed his wife’s coffin only to find it empty. Enraged, he led a mob to the hospital.
When the mob stormed the hospital, most staff and medical students fled, but a few remained to safeguard the specimens. Upon breaking in, the rioters discovered three fresh bodies, one of which was being boiled, along with male and female body parts displayed. Horrified by the sight, they dragged the specimens into the street and set them ablaze.
The mayor and sheriff arrived, and the remaining hospital staff were taken to jail for protection. The crowd dispersed temporarily but regrouped the next morning to search for more bodies. Hundreds gathered at Columbia University, forcing their way inside. However, the bodies had been removed the previous night. The mob then raided doctors’ homes, but no additional bodies were found.
Frustrated, a crowd of around 5,000 armed with bricks, rocks, and timber surrounded the jail where the doctors were held, demanding their release. When someone attempted to break in, a guard killed him, further enraging the mob. Militiamen were called but instructed not to fire—until Secretary of Foreign Affairs John Jay (later the first Chief Justice) was struck by a rock and Revolutionary War hero General Baron von Steuben was hit with a brick. The militia then opened fire, resulting in the deaths of three rioters, three militiamen, and approximately 20 people in total.
Following the riot, laws were passed to regulate the legal acquisition of cadavers, and stricter penalties were imposed for grave robbing. Interestingly, this was not an isolated incident; between 1765 and 1854, 17 similar riots occurred in cities like New Haven, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Philadelphia.
1. The Keene Pumpkin Fest Riot
Certain events, like large sports gatherings, political demonstrations, and Guns N’ Roses concerts, are often seen as potential riot hotspots. However, a pumpkin festival in Keene, New Hampshire? Surprisingly, that’s exactly where a riot erupted in October 2014.
The Keene Pumpkin Festival, an annual event near Keene State University, is typically peaceful. However, on October 18, 2014, rowdy students caused chaos. A car was flipped, and fights broke out. SWAT teams armed with nonlethal weapons, such as pepper spray-filled paintballs and sponge bullets, were deployed to control the rioters. In retaliation, the crowd hurled liquor bottles and even billiard balls. The riot lasted 12 hours, left 30 injured, and resulted in numerous arrests. The city blamed college students and outsiders for the unrest.
Keene, New Hampshire, had previously gained national attention when it acquired a BearCat mine-resistant armored vehicle after 9/11. The police claimed the small town of under 25,000 needed such a vehicle because the Pumpkin Festival could be a terrorist target. This decision made Keene a symbol of police militarization in the U.S. Some believe the aggressive police response may have intensified the riot.
