Disastrous Parties Throughout History

TLDR From a party gone wrong in ancient Rome to modern-day music festivals, history is filled with disastrous parties that have resulted in accidents, scandals, and even death. These events serve as cautionary tales and reminders of the consequences of excess and poor planning.

Timestamped Summary

00:00 The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and his aides held numerous parties during the lockdown that appeared to break COVID rules, resulting in a disastrous impact on his standing and the government's performance in the polls.
05:15 A hunting party in the Black Forest in 1908, attended by Kaiser Wilhelm II and his friend Count Dietrich von Hülsen Heisler, turned disastrous when the Count, possibly as a joke or due to mental strain, dressed in a pink tutu and ballet tights, performed a dance, and then died of a heart attack.
10:16 The disastrous Fire Festival in 2017, founded by con artist Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule, promised luxury and Instagram-worthy experiences but ended up leaving attendees stranded in poor conditions with cheese sandwiches, leading to widespread Schadenfreude and criticism of the Instagram generation.
14:56 The disastrous Fire Festival in 2017, founded by con artist Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule, promised luxury and Instagram-worthy experiences but ended up leaving attendees stranded in poor conditions with cheese sandwiches, leading to widespread Schadenfreude and criticism of the Instagram generation.
19:15 The Blood Feast of Roskilda in 12th century Denmark involved a party where rival claimants to the throne were invited, resulting in one king being killed and another becoming the ruler.
24:14 The Mamluks are trapped and wiped out in a narrow passageway by the Albanians at a party, but one of them manages to escape on his horse and becomes the only survivor.
29:33 Elegabalus played cruel pranks on his guests, such as deflating their air pillows while they were dining and replacing beautiful courtesans with withered old crones, and even went as far as letting lions, leopards, and bears into their rooms while they were drunk.
34:19 The Black Dinner was a children's party where the 6th Earl of Douglas and his younger brother were beheaded after a fake trial, organized by a Douglas family member, in order to gain wealth and titles.
39:17 Charles VI of France becomes obsessed with the idea that one of the powerful magnates is out to get him, leading to a disastrous party where guests dress up as trees coated in pitch and wear masks, dicing with death in the darkness.
44:26 During a party celebrating the nuptials of the queen and her lady-in-waiting, six revelers dressed as trees coated in pitch and wearing masks start dancing and shouting obscenities, leading to a disastrous accident where one of the revelers catches fire and dies, while the others suffer severe burns and eventually die, causing the king to spiral further into madness.
49:24 The most disastrous party in history is Alexander the Great's party in Persepolis, where he and his companions, including a courtesan named Teis, burn down the palace in a drunken state, symbolizing hubris and becoming a template for future disastrous parties.
54:44 The party organized by the Shah of Iran in 1971 to celebrate the 2,500th anniversary of Persia, which was later seen as a symbol of the Shah's regime's hubris, was extravagant and exaggerated in its cost and details, with claims such as flying in 50,000 songbirds from Europe, but many of these claims were made up to besmirch the Shah and attack the institution of monarchy.
Categories: History

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