Episode 21: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire killed 146 workers in 1911 and became a defining disaster in workplace safety history. In this episode, CC and Kitty cover the locked exits, the garment workers’ fight for labor reform, and the aftermath that forced New York to act. The fire broke out near closing time at the Triangle Waist Factory in New York City. Many of the workers were young immigrant women in the garment industry, working under dangerous conditions in a building with limited ways out. This episode also looks at the history before the fire: the rise of ready-to-wear clothing, the shirtwaist industry, Clara Lemlich, the Uprising of the 20,000, and the workers who had already been fighting for safer conditions before March 25, 1911. After the fire, Harris and Blanck were indicted and later acquitted. Public outrage continued, and the disaster helped push major reforms in factory inspection, fire safety, working hours, and labor protections. This is not just a story about a burned building. It is a story about 146 people, the conditions that trapped them, and the safety rules written after they were gone. Subscribe for weekly disaster investigations. Links: https://linktr.ee/WreckageAndRuins Playlist:    • Wreckage & Ruins   SOURCES: https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/shi... https://lithub.com/a-brief-history-of... https://aflcio.org/about/history/labo... https://www.history.com/articles/tria... https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexpe... https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexpe... https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/.... https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexpe... https://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/... https://shc.stanford.edu/arcade/publi... https://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/... https://www.famous-trials.com/triangl... https://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/.... https://www.dol.gov/general/aboutdol/.... https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tamm... Triangle: Remembering the Fire on HBO