On March 25, 1911, the Triangle Shirt Factory Fire occurred in New York City, killing more than 150 people:
A final catalyst transformed Jewish workers into an organized presence on the industrial scene. On Saturday afternoon, March 25, 1911, some eight hundred young women and several dozen young men were at work on the top floors of the ten-story Triangle Shirtwaist Company building. The firm’s owners had fudged on the strike agreement of the previous year, with its promise of Saturday half-days. Sanitary conditions also remained marginal, with piles of oil-soaked scraps lying under the sewing machines.(MORE)
