Today in Labor History December 15, 1792: The U.S. Bill of Rights was adopted. It promised freedom of speech, religion, the press, and “the right of the people peaceably to assemble. It also included the right to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
1800s
Today in Labor History December 15, 1869: Rebels proclaimed the Republic of Ezo in the Ezo area of Japan (now called Hokkaido). It was the first attempt to establish a democracy in Japan. However, they only allowed the samurai caste to vote. The Republic existed for only 5 months before the Empire of Japan conquered it.
Today in Labor History December 15, 1882: The women tailors union, first women’s trade union in Australia, was formed on this date.
Today in Labor History December 15, 1890: The U.S. military arrested Lakota leader Sitting Bull for failing to stop his people from practicing the Ghost Dance. During his arrest, one of his men, Catch the Bear, fired at Lieutenant “Bull Head.” He turned and shot Sitting Bull. Both men died. The people living in Sitting Bull’s camp fled to the Pine Ridge Reservation. On December 29, 1890, the 7th Cavalry caught them at Wounded Knee on and slaughtered nearly 300 men, women and children.
Today in Writing History December 15, 1905: The Pushkin House was established in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to preserve the cultural heritage of Alexander Pushkin, (6/6/1799–2/10/1837). Pushkin was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era. Pushkin was influenced by Enlightenment writers and thinkers, like Diderot and Voltaire. He spoke out in support of social reform. He wrote poems, like “Ode to Liberty,” leading to the government exiling him from the capital. In 1920, the Pushkin House was renamed the Institute of New Russian Literature. Its main objective was preparing authoritative “academic” editions of works by Pushkin, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, and others.
Today in Labor History December 15, 1914: A gas explosion at Mitsubishi Hōjō coal mine, in Kyushu, Japan, killed 687. It was the worst mining disaster in Japanese history. The explosion was caused by a spark igniting methane and coal dust. The blast was so powerful, it sent the cage (shaft elevator) shooting out of the shaft. In Japan, miners’ wives worked with them in the mines. Consequently, 20% of those who died were women.
1940s
Today in Labor History December 15, 1941: German troops murdered over 15,000 Jews at Drobytsky Yar. The temperature was −15 °C (5 °F). They threw children into pits alive, to save bullets, assuming that they would quickly freeze to death.
December 15, 1941: The AFL labor union pledged not to strike in any defense-related industries for the duration of the war.
Today in Labor History December 15, 1944: Glen Miller, American big band leader and World War II Air Force Major, disappeared forever over the English Channel during a routine flight. Numerous conspiracy theories abound about him being assassinated by Eisenhower, or dying from a heart attack in a brothel. In all likelihood, it was just his carburetor icing over. The day after he left on his final flight, a bomb destroyed his office, killing over 70 of his officemates. Miller only recorded for 4 years before his death. In that time, he scored 69 top-10 hits. This is more than Elvis (38) or the Beatles (33) got in their entire careers.
1960s
Today in Labor History December 15, 1965: In an attempt to outdo their patriotism during World War II, the AFL-CIO pledged its “unstinting support” for the U.S. war effort in Vietnam.
1970s
Today in Labor History December 15, 1970: Polish youth and workers torched the Gdansk Communist Party headquarters and quietly watched it burn. Elsewhere in Poland, ZOMO riot police shot miners striking at “Manifest Lipcowy” mine in Jastrzebie, Upper Silesia, wounding four.
Today in Labor History December 15, 1973: The American Psychiatric Association voted to remove homosexuality from its official list of psychiatric disorders, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. In the 1950s and 1960s, some therapists used aversion therapy to “cure” male homosexuality. Like in Anthony Burgess’s masterpiece, “A Clockwork Orange,” they would show patients pictures of naked men while giving them electric shocks or drugs to make them puke. In the 1973 vote, 5,854 members voted to remove homosexuality from the DSM, while 3,810 voted to retain it. In a
compromise, they agreed to remove homosexuality from the DSM. However, they replaced it with “sexual orientation disturbance” for people “in conflict with” their sexual orientation. They did not completely remove homosexuality from the DSM until 1987.