Black Hole of Calcutta
Black Hole of Calcutta, a military jail. During the struggle between Great Britain and France for control of India in 1756, Siraj-ud-Daula, the Muslim nabob (deputy ruler) of Bengal, attacked the British and captured Fort William at Calcutta (now Kolkata). On the evening of June 20, he placed the British prisoners in the fort's jail, a room measuring about 18 by 14 feet (5.5 by 4.25 m). The heat was intense, and the room had only two small windows. According to the account of a survivor, 146 men were placed in the "Black Hole" and only 23 lived through the night. Some historians think that the number of prisoners involved is exaggerated.