History: (3) Nineteenth-Century Building Laws: The great changes in societies in Europe, the Industrial Revolution, the end of slavery in the United States, and immigration to the United States brought about the enactment of a number of building laws during the nineteenth century. Baltimore passed its first building code in 1859. The Great Baltimore Fire occurred in February, 1904. Subsequent changes were made that matched other cities. In 1904, a Handbook of the Baltimore City Building Laws was published. It served as the building code for four years. Very soon, a formal building code was drafted and eventually adopted in 1908. (3. 1) France: In Paris, great blocks of apartments were erected under the Second Empire (1852-70) . The height of buildings was limited by law, so they were usually five or six stories at most. (3. 2) Germany and Austria Germany and Austria generally followed the French plan. (4. 3. 3) United Kingdom: The most important statutes of this kind in the United Kingdom were the London Building Act of 1844 and the Public Health Act of 1875. The Metropolitan Buildings Office was established in 1845 to enforce building regulations