Labor History

Today in Labor History January 11, 532: One of the first documented sports hooligan riots escalated into a full-scale revolt against Emperor Justinian I in Constantinople. The Nika Riot began as a quarrel between fans of two different chariot teams, the Blues and the Greens. Over the course of a week, participants burned down nearly […]

1800s Today in Labor History January 10, 1859: Anarchist Spanish educator Francisco Ferrer was born. Ferrer started the first Modern Schools in Spain and inspired hundreds more to be created throughout the world. He opposed the Church’s monopoly over education and created Spain’s first secular, co-educational schools. In 1909, a kangaroo court convicted him of

Today in Labor History January 8, 1811: Charles Deslondes led an unsuccessful slave revolt on the east bank of the Mississippi River near present day New Orleans. Around 125 enslaved men marched from sugarcane plantations on the German Coast toward New Orleans. They collected more men along the way. Up to 500 slaves participated in total, making it the largest slave insurgency in U.S. history. On

1910s-1920s Today in Labor History January 7, 1919: Argentina’s “Bloody Week” (AKA Tragic Week) began in Buenos Aires. Workers were demonstrating for the 8-hour work day. The authorities opened fire, killing four and wounding 30. Clashes with the authorities on the day of the funerals left another 50 dead. In response, they called for a

Today in Labor History January 6, 1839: The Night of the Big Wind, the most damaging storm in 300 years, hit Ireland and the UK. It damaged over 20% of the houses in Dublin. 42 ships were wrecked. Hundreds of people died. Carl Sandburg Today in Labor History January 6, 1878: Author-poet Carl Sandburg was born on