March 4, 1908 USA, Ohio, Collinwood, Lakeview Elementary School: a fire at around 9:30 a.m. destroyed the wooden structure in Collinwood, a city of 8,000 people 7 miles northeast of Cleveland; 174 children and two teachers were killed

March 18, 1937 USA, Texas, New London: explosion in a school building due to a gas leak in the heating system; 280 children and 14 teachers died

December 1, 1958 USA, Chicago, Fire at "Our Lady of the Angels" school, 92 pupils and 3 nuns died