5. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was one of America’s most fatal industrial accidents. It also became a lightning rod for worker rights, immigrant rights, and women’s rights. One hundred and forty-five of the factory’s 600 workers perished in the fire, most of the fatalities of which would have been preventable if it weren’t for the terrible decisions of management and the shoddy safety equipment of the factory.
When a small fire broke out in a wastebasket in the factory, it likely didn’t seem like much of an emergency. They had a fire hose in the building, after all. Tragically, the belief in safety from that hose was ill-found, as it had been allowed to rust and was utterly inoperable. The fire quickly spread due to the cramped conditions and the vast quantities of textiles housed in the factory.
Management made the callous decision to lock the doors to prevent the workers from leaving their work. Many of the dead died from jumping out of windows to escape the flames. The workers were almost exclusively women and immigrants who did not speak English. The callous treatment of their lives by management became a focus for union organizing and women’s and immigrants’ rights.