The year was 1934. The venue, a dark and dusty corner of a large garage in Long Beach, California.
What would ensue would go down as the fight of the year, perhaps of a lifetime. The battle drew hundreds over several days and news outlets from around the nation.
The only issue – the competitors were a black-widow spider and a significantly larger scorpion.
Hundreds gathered in a Long Beach garage over four days in 1934 to watch a battle of epic proportions (stock image)
A black widow spider had captured a scorpion in its web, and the deadly arachnid was battling to be free (stock image)
The fight began on August 22, with the scorpion taking the first swing. The deadly creature lunged towards the spider, but became tangled in her web, Slate reported.
Not long after, the scorpion was tightly bound and unable to move its body – though its stinging tail was still thrashing wildly.
A reporter for United Press arrived on the scene the next day, at which point the garage owner, C.A. Pastorius had 3:1 odds on the spider taking out the scorpion.
Over the next few days, spectators began to arrive in droves.
Betting increased, with the odds always favouring the spider despite the scorpion’s desperate attempts to get free.
As the spider began to carefully weave its tail around the scorpion’s deadly stinger, the odds increased. Some were taking 4:1 on the spider, others running bets at 5:1.
Perhaps taking too much comfort from the audience’s confidence, the spider then made a silly error.
Days into the high-stakes battle, the widow swung her web too close to the scorpion’s foreclaw, and in a last ditch attempt at saving its own life, the scorpion latched on.
Pictured: An article on the high-stakes battle written in 1934
Punters filled the garage and the odds on the spider steadily increased, despite the scorpion managing to snare the arachnid for a short period of time (stock image)
A shocked audience watched on in horror as the favourite became stuck in what seemed an impossible position.
The two arachnids, each as fearsome as the other, had finally connected, but neither was in a position to deliver the final, fatal blow.
On day four, the black widow spider broke free, sacrificing a leg in the impressive escape.
The enthralled spectators immediately raised the odds – the spider was now 20:1 to take out the scorpion.
But the arachnid was again thwarted, when the scorpion used the last of its strength to break its stinger free of its silk bindings.
In a tie breaker nobody expected, the creature came towards the spider – when both were doused in chloroform and killed together.
City Prosecutor John K. Hull turned to the shattered audience: ‘I’m sorry, boys,’ he said, ‘but the humane society has complained about the show.’