In 1973, a fire in St. Louis changed American history — by destroying it

On July 12, 1973, a fire whose cause remains unknown tore through the sixth floor of the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. Multiple fire departments converged on the blaze. Inside, the heat was so intense that firefighters chose to retreat as their masks began melting to their faces.

The building was larger than some city blocks, yet its vast holding areas lacked alarm and sprinkler systems. The building burned for 22 hours, destroying an estimated 16 million to 18 million records — and annihilating 80% of the Army’s personnel files dating to 1912 to 1960.

“It's really important for people to understand that the National Archives didn't just give up after the fire and say, ‘Well, those records are burned, they don’t exist anymore,’” Jessie Kratz, historian of the National Archives, told St. Louis on the Air.