1910s-1950s
Today in Labor History February 5, 1917: U.S. Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1917 over President Wilson’s veto. Also known as the Asiatic Barred Zone Act, it was one of many anti-Asian laws passed by Congress between the 1860s and World War II. However, there were plenty of other xenophobic, nativist and anti-left immigration laws, too. The Immigration Act of 1903 specifically barred Anarchists and epileptics. The Immigration Act of 1882 specifically barred lunatics, idiots and prostitutes. And the Immigration Act of 1918 and the Sedition Act of 1918 came at the beginning of the First Red Scare. Thousands of Anarchists, Communists, Socialists and labor leaders were executed, imprisoned as a result of these laws.
Today in Labor History February 5, 1958: The U.S. Air Force lost a Mark 15 thermonuclear bomb in the water near Tybee Island, near Savannah, Georgia. The B-47 bomber was on a simulated combat mission. It collided with an F-86 fighter plane, midair, and jettisoned the bomb in order to make an emergency landing without detonating it. Sources vary on whether it was a “dummy” bomb, or if it had a plutonium core. If it was a “dummy” bomb, it still carried 400 lbs of conventional high explosives, enough to do considerable local damage. However, Assistant Secretary of Defense W.J. Howard, told Congress that the Tybee Island bomb was a “complete weapon, a bomb with a nuclear capsule” and one of two weapons lost that contained a plutonium trigger.
1970s-1980s
Today in Labor History February 5, 1975: Riots broke out in Lima, Peru after the police went on strike the day before. They were protesting against the Revolutionary Government of the Armed Forces, which had taken power in 1968. Over the past several years, the government had introduced several nationalist and left-wing reforms. However, when they expropriated virtually all of the media, street demonstrations erupted.
The police demonstration began on February 1, 1975. By the next day, it had spread to other police stations. When the government ignored their demands, they went on strike on February 5. As a result, there was a dramatic increase in crime and traffic congestion. That evening, armored units of the Army violently quashed the strike with machine guns and tanks. At first, people were too scared to leave their homes. However, over time, gangs and opposition groups formed mobs and began looting. One of the main groups involved was supposedly the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA). The group was originally an anti-imperialist, socialist organization. However, by the 1980s, it had become a mainstream center left party, under the leadership of Alan García. Overall, 16 soldiers loyal to the government died in the riots and 70 cops and opposition members died.
Today in Labor History February 5, 1985: The Third Punic War, officially ended, only 2,131 years after it started in 149 BCE. Ugo Vetere, mayor of Rome, met with Chedli Klibi, mayor of Carthage, to sign the treaty. Fighting only lasted 3 years, but no treaty was signed ending the war until 1985. No one knows how many Romans died in the war, but an estimated 450,000 Carthaginians died.
1990s
Today in Labor History February 5, 1994: A jury convicted Byron De La Beckwork of murdering civil rights leader Medgar Evers, only 31 years after the fact.
Today in Labor History February 5, 1997: A 48-hour General Strike occurred in Ecuador, culminating a month of street demonstrations against the government’s economic adjustment plan. 20,000 indigenous people and peasant farmers set up roadblocks on the country’s main highways in support of the strike. The strike helped bring down President Bucaram.
2000s
Today in Labor History February 5, 2000: Russian forces massacred at least 60 civilians in a suburb of Grozny, Chechnya. Overall, the Siege of Grozny lasted from December 25, 1999 to February 6, 2000. Over 360 Russian troops died in the fighting, as did up to 2,000 Chechnyan soldiers. However, as many as 8,000 civilians also died.
Today in Labor History February 5, 2021: Police rioted in Mexico City as they tried to break up a demonstration. Cyclists were protesting after a bus ran over another cyclist. Eleven cops were arrested.