Today In History - March 25, 1911 - Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, NYC

[+ azdr0710]

146 mostly young, poor, female immigrants killed....put spotlight on worker safety and industrial conditions.....

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/triangle-shirtwaist-fire-in-new-york-city

https://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/

if you have access to PBS videos, an excellent "American Experience" episode was made several years ago....short preview:

https://www.pbs.org/video/triangle-fire-chapter-1-0evstz/

the building still stands now as the Brown Building, part of the campus of New York University in Greenwich Village

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Building_(Manhattan)

 

Edited March 26, 2022 by azdr0710

[CuriousByNature]

One of the survivors only died about 20 years ago, I think.  She was well over 100 years old - maybe 110 or so.

[Merboy]

Yes I recommend the book by David Von Drehle...Triangle. 

and I heard the PBS documentary was very good, i must see it.

It was really a big turning point in the fight for immigrant rights, worker's rights, women's rights, and labor unions... and I believe Frances Perkins, future Secretary of Labor, was so horrified by what happened that this was also a big focus for her in the 20 years before she joined FDR's Cabinet.

It was a major news story for 1911, and a very horrible tragedy that stunned all of New York City.

Many of the girls were very young and of Italian or Jewish descent.