Today is the anniversary to the Hartford Circus Fire. It took place in 1944, shortly after D-Day. Not only was America dealing with the loss of soldiers on both fronts, but also here at home. The war directly effected the fire: there were no waterproof materials available for manufacturing tents, so old ones were dragged out and received a nice new coating of parrafin and gasoline to make them waterproof.
If you grew up in Connecticut, you knew someone effected by the fire. I used to work with a nurse that had been a student nurse in 1944 and was on duty the day of the fire. Where my uncle worked they came around asking for blood donors that afternoon.
Also because most adults were tied up in war production, most of those killed or injured were under age 15.
Here is a basic overview: