The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Remembered

It was March 25, 1911 when the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire killed 146 garment workers. It was considered the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of the city of New York. Today, we remembered the 100 year anniversary of the tragedy.

Most of the victims were recent immigrant Jewish and Italian women aged sixteen to twenty-three. Many of the workers could not escape the burning building because the managers had locked the doors to the stairwells and exits. People jumped from the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors. The fire led to legislation requiring improved factory safety standards and helped spur the growth of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union, which fought for better working conditions for sweatshop workers.