Great Baltimore Fire and piers lining the north side of the old "Basin" (today's "Inner Harbor") of the Northwest Branch of the Baltimore Harbor and Patapsco River facing along Pratt Street. It is considered historically the third worst conflagration in an American city, surpassed only by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, and the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906. Other major urban disasters that were comparable (but not fires) were the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 and most recently, Hurricane Katrina that hit New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico coast in August 2005. One reason for the fire's long duration involved
Francesco Ruspoli, 8th Prince of Cerveteri Francesco Ruspoli, 8th Prince of Cerveteri Francesco, Principe Ruspoli (23 February 1899 – 27 October 1989) was the 8th Principe di Cerveteri, 8th Marchese di Riano and 13th Conte di Vignanello, son of Alessandro Ruspoli, 7th Prince of Cerveteri and wife Marianita dei Duchi Lante Montefeltro della Rovere. His maternal grandmother was an American heiress from New York City, New York. His great-great-great-great-uncle was Bartolomeo Ruspoli and his great-great-great-great grandfather was Ippolito Lante Montefeltro della Rovere. He later became a poet and fought in both world wars. He married firstly in São Paulo, São Paulo, on 28 February 1924, Claudia