The fire began on Sept. 2, 1666, and raged for four days, devouring more than 13,000 wooden buildings, including most of the city's churches. Death toll figures range from six to 16 or perhaps a few dozen; that is for bodies recovered, and some archaeologists are convinced that the fires burned so hot (more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit by some estimates) that they would have incinerated some unlucky people.

Most historians think that the fire began in Pudding Lane. One man who owned a bakery in that lane was Thomas Farriner. His house was the first to go up in flames during the great fire. New research of contemporary sources such as journals has convinced University of Leicester Professor of Early Modern Literature and Culture Kate Loveman, that Farriner's employee Thomas Dagger was the first to notice the blaze.

In fact, Dagger did more than that. He woke up the Farriner family and helped them escape their building home.

The Farriners survived (and went on to rebuild their business), as did Dagger, who later set up his own bakery and lived a life of marriage with children. However, until now, his role in the early hours of the fire has remained in the background.

The name and actions of Dagger will be one of several on display at the Museum of London in a new exhibit on the Great Fire.