This Day in History: 1911-03-25

Triangle Shirtwaist Fire breaks out in New York’s garment district killing 146 young immigrant workers. The incident is long remembered as an example of the inhumane and unsafe working conditions that are all too common in history and also in the modern age. The owners had locked the doors to the stairwells and exits to prevent pilferage and unauthorized breaks. So many of the workers who could not escape the burning building jumped from the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors to the streets below. The reaction was one of disbelief and outrage.