Mrs. Lillian Kirchgasler, the first contestant, was the hospital nurse for the 'Fischer quintuplets' (born 14 September 1963, in Aberdeen, South Dakota), the first known surviving set of American quintuplets. They consisted of one boy and four girls (three of the girls are identical: Magdalene, Margaret, and Catherine).
Gordon MacRae and Sheila MacRae were performing a show at the Waldorf Astoria's 'The Empire Room', one of the largest and most lavishly adorned spaces in the Hotel.