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1940 Rhythm Club Fire Trivia Quiz

On April 23, 1940, a fire broke out at the Rhythm Club in Mississippi. How much do you know about this terrible tragedy?

A multiple-choice quiz by jennika1978. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
jennika1978

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
264,019

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
312

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. How many people were killed in the Rhythm Club fire? Hint

223

400

209

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Question 2 of 10

2. What was the name of the bandleader of the group playing that night? Hint

Count Bassie

Duke Ellington

Walter Barnes

Cab Calloway

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Question 3 of 10

3. What was used for decoration that fueled the blaze? Hint

Dried flowers

Spanish moss

Paper streamers

Strings of lights

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Question 4 of 10

4. What was the address of the Rhythm Club? Hint

12 Bourbon Street

66 Wildfire Drive

1132 S. Missouri Avenue

1 St. Catherine Street

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Question 5 of 10

5. The windows had been boarded up to prevent entry without paying admission.

True

False

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Question 6 of 10

6. In which Mississippi town was the Rhythm Club located? Hint

Meridian

Jackson

Natchez

Biloxi

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Question 7 of 10

7. Who wrote the song "The Natchez Burning" about the fire? Hint

Cab Calloway

Howlin' Wolf

John Lee Hooker

Leonard "Baby Doo" Caston

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Question 8 of 10

8. Blues artist Arnold "Gatemouth" Moore was one of the few survivors of the fire.

True

False

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Question 9 of 10

9. What was the name of the song that Walter Barnes and his band performed while the fire burned? Hint

Jody

Annie

Marie

Julie

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Question 10 of 10

10. The Rhythm Club fire is the second largest fire in a nightclub in U.S. history. Which of these disasters was the largest to date? Hint

Cocoanut Grove

The Station

Happy Land Social Club

Epitome Nightclub

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. How many people were killed in the Rhythm Club fire?

Answer: 209

This is an approximation. The exact number is unknown, but this is the most commonly cited number. All of those killed were African Americans. Several were school children, as young as sixth graders! Many others were severely injured. It was said that every black family in town lost someone due to the fire.

2. What was the name of the bandleader of the group playing that night?

Answer: Walter Barnes

All but two of the bandmembers were killed in the fire. Walter Barnes and his Royal Creoleans were from Chicago, and had been a resident band at Al Capone's Cotton Club in Cicero, Illinois.

3. What was used for decoration that fueled the blaze?

Answer: Spanish moss

It is believed that a carelessly tossed cigarette ignited the moss.

4. What was the address of the Rhythm Club?

Answer: 1 St. Catherine Street

The Rhythm Club was a corrugated iron building that had been converted to a night club three years earlier. A marker has been placed on the site to honor the memory of the victims.

5. The windows had been boarded up to prevent entry without paying admission.

Answer: True

Locked entrances and exits have played a part in pretty much every major fire disaster involving theaters and nightclubs. The practice is now illegal for obvious reasons.

6. In which Mississippi town was the Rhythm Club located?

Answer: Natchez

Natchez has more antebellum homes than any city in the United States. Thanks to the website www.visitnatchez.com.

7. Who wrote the song "The Natchez Burning" about the fire?

Answer: Howlin' Wolf

Actually, all of these artists wrote songs about the fire. Cab Calloway did "We the Cats Shall Hep You", John Lee Hooker did "Natchez Fire", and Leonard "Baby Doo" Caston did "The Death of Walter Barnes". http://www.poetryetcetera.com/rhythm_night_club_victims.htm

8. Blues artist Arnold "Gatemouth" Moore was one of the few survivors of the fire.

Answer: True

Moore earned the nickname Gatemouth because of his loud singing and speaking voice. He died in 2004 at the age of 90.

9. What was the name of the song that Walter Barnes and his band performed while the fire burned?

Answer: Marie

They continued to perform to attempt to calm the patrons.

10. The Rhythm Club fire is the second largest fire in a nightclub in U.S. history. Which of these disasters was the largest to date?

Answer: Cocoanut Grove

492 people died in the Cocoanut Grove fire in 1942. 87 people died at Happy Land, an unlicensed social club that was deliberately set on fire in 1990. 100 people died in The Station fire in Rhode Island during a performance of the band Great White. The Epitome Nightlcub did not catch fire, but 21 people died there in a stampede after police tried to break up a fight. Both the Station and the Epitome disasters occurred in 2003.

Source: Author jennika1978

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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