Historical eventSeptember 51887

Exeter Theatre Royal fire

A fire that killed 186 people broke out at the Theatre Royal, Exeter, England.

Everything on September 5Original source

In context

When
Monday, September 5 1887139 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
19th century · 1880s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

Russia, Greece and some other countries used the Julian calendar into the early 20th century, so local records may show a date up to 13 days earlier.

At a glance

Dates: From 1887-09-05.

Place: Theatre Royal, Exeter, United Kingdom.

Type: conflagration.

What happened

On 5 September 1887, a fire broke out in the backstage area of the Theatre Royal in Exeter, England, during the production of The Romany Rye. The fire caused panic throughout the theatre, with 186 people dying from a combination of the direct effects of smoke and flame, crushing and trampling, and trauma injuries from falling or jumping from the roof and balconies.

September 5 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1887Exeter Theatre Royal fire
  2. 1990Sri Lankan civil war
  3. 1991Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989
  4. 1996Hurricane Fran
  5. 2005Mandala Airlines Flight 091
  6. 2006Waziristan Accord
  7. 20122012 Afyonkarahisar arsenal explosion
  8. 20202020 California wildfires
  9. 2021Alpha Condé
  10. 20222022 Luding earthquake
  11. 2022Liz Truss

Also in 1887

  • July 26L. L. ZamenhofL. L. Zamenhof (pictured) published Unua Libro, the first publication to describe Esperanto, a constructed international language.
  • June 23Parliament of CanadaThe Parliament of Canada passed the Rocky Mountains Park Act, creating Banff National Park in Alberta as the country's first national park.
  • April 28Prussian Secret PoliceA week after being arrested by the Prussian Secret Police, French police inspector Guillaume Schnaebelé (pictured) was released on the or…
  • October 18Johannes BrahmsJohannes Brahms (pictured) conducted the premiere of his Double Concerto, composed for violinist Joseph Joachim and cellist Robert Hausmann.

Everything we record for 1887 →

Sources

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“Exeter Theatre Royal fire”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/exeter-theatre-royal-fire-1887-september-5, accessed October 28, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Exeter Theatre Royal fire happen?

September 5 1887 — 139 years ago, on a Monday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

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