| During a performance of William Shakespeare's Henry VIII on this day, the thatch of the Globe Theatre was accidentally alighted by a cannon set off to mark the king's entrance onstage. The theatre, built by Cuthbert and Richard Burbage, was destroyed within the hour. The primary showcase for the plays of Shakespeare and his group of fellow actors, the Chamberlain's Men, it was rebuilt within a year of its destruction and continued to operate until ... |