Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Remembered

March 25, 2011 / no comments / 1507 views
Bodies from the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in 1911 (Photo: Library of Congress)

Bodies from the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in 1911. (Photo: Library of Congress)

Friday March 25 marks the centennial of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire—a catastrophic event that killed 146 young immigrant workers in Manhattan. The garment workers, mostly Jewish and Italian women aged 16-23, burned inside the building at 29 Washington Place or jumped to their deaths, because the factory doors were locked and fire department ladders only reached to the sixth floor. This devastating incident led to the creation of workplace safety regulations, galvanized the union movement and became an iconic moment in New York history that continues to symbolize the need for immigrant and workers’ rights.

The fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory on March 25, 1911 (Photo: Library of Congress)

The fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory on March 25, 1911. (Photo: Library of Congress)

Crowds outside the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (Photo: Library of Congress)

Crowds outside the morgue after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. (Photo: Library of Congress)

Firemen at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (Photo: Library of Congress)

Firemen at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. (Photo: Library of Congress)

Horse-drawn fire department workers on the way to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory (Photo: Library of Congress)

Horse-drawn fire department workers on the way to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. (Photo: Library of Congress)

New York
About Feet in 2 Worlds
Feet in Two Worlds brings the work of immigrant and ethnic media journalists from communities across the U.S. to public radio and the web. Since 2005, this award-winning project has expanded the diversity of voices and stories on public radio by presenting the work of journalists representing a broad spectrum of immigrant communities including Arab, Bosnian, Brazilian, Chinese, Haitian, Indian, Irish, Latin American, Pakistani, Polish, and Russian immigrants. Feet in Two Worlds reporters appear on nationally-distributed public radio programs including PRI’s The World, Studio 360, and The Takeaway, American Public Media’s Marketplace and NPR’s Latino USA, as well as on public radio stations WNYC, New York Public Radio, and WDET in Detroit.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *