Tuesday, July 28, 2026

Tuesday Morning in the Blogosphere


 






Vermont becomes first to sign executive order prioritizing local news - Rebuild Local News




Today in Labor History July 28, 2026

 

Troops, burned down a shantytown occupied by unemployed veterans


Women shoemakers in Lynn, Massachusetts created the Daughters of St. Crispin, the first national women’s labor union in the U.S. The union began with a strike of over a thousand female workers in 1860. By the end of 1869, it had a total of 24 local lodges across the U.S., the largest of which had over 400 members. Conventions of all the lodges were held annually in Massachusetts until 1872. The Name “Daughters of St. Crispin” was inspired by the contemporary men’s union of shoemakers, the order of the Knights of St. Crispin. Saint Crispin is the patron saint of cobblers, tanners, and leather workers. In 1870, a convention of the Daughters of St. Crispin unanimously adopted a resolution which demanded equal pay for doing the same work as men. – 1860


Harry Bridges was born in Australia. He came to America at age 19 and became a leader of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA). In 1937 he led several chapters in forming a new union, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), expanding membership to warehouse workers. He led the ILWU for the next 40 years. – 1901
A strike by Paterson, New Jersey silk workers for an eight-hour day and improved working conditions ended after six months, with the workers’ demands unmet. During the course of the strike, approximately 1,800 strikers were arrested, including Wobblie leaders Big Bill Haywood and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn. – 1913
General Douglas MacArthur, Major Dwight D. Eisenhower and their troops, burned down a shantytown occupied by unemployed veterans near the U.S. Capitol. 20,000 ex-servicemen had been camped out in the capital demanding a veterans’ bonus the government had promised but never given. Cavalry troops and tanks fired tear gas at veterans and their families and then set the buildings on fire. MacArthur and President Herbert Hoover said they had saved the nation from revolution. – 1932
Nine miners were rescued in Sommerset, Pennsylvania. after being trapped for 77 hours, 240 feet underground in the flooded Quecreek Mine. – 2002

Important Events From This day in History July 28

 

 

1932 "Bonus Army" World War I

1932 : Federal troops under the order of President Hoover forcibly dispersed the "Bonus Army" of (17,000 World War I veterans) who had gathered in Washington, D.C. on June 17th to demand money they weren't scheduled to receive until 1945. The troops under the command of General Douglas MacArthur and Major George S. Patton are ordered to charge into the veterans and were sent to destroy the temporary shacks in the Bonus Army's camps in Hooverville on the Anacostia Flats forcing the marchers out. By the end of the day hundreds of veterans were injured, and several were killed. The World War I Vets like every body else in the country were suffering with no jobs and money during these early years of the great depression and wanted the Service Certificates they had earned while fighting in World War I paid out early. More about the Bonus Army Protest

1914 World War I Begins

1914 : Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, by Gavrilo Princip, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, within one month countries across Europe had formed alliances and declared war on other alliances. The main alliances in the early period of the war were: Entente Powers or the Allied Powers: consisted of British Empire, France, Russian Empire, Italy, United States. Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria.

1920 Mexico Francisco Villa Surrenders

1920 : Francisco Villa the notorious bandit has surrendered unconditionally to the provisional government of Mexico.

1931 U.S.A. Monoplane Race

1931 : A race between two powerful monoplanes got under way today starting from New York, the race is to Istanbul over 5,500 miles away. They are also hoping to break the current long distance record of 4,912 miles non stop.

1945 Plane Crashes Into Empire State Building

1945 : A B-25 Mitchell bomber crashes into the into the 79th story of the Empire State Building killing 14 people. The freak accident was caused by heavy fog.

1956 U.S.A. Elvis Presley

1956 : Elvis Presley scores his second No. 1 hit with "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" following his April number 1 "Heartbreak Hotel."

1965 50,000 Extra Troops To Vietnam

1965 : President Johnson informed fellow Americans that he is adding 50,000 troops to the U.S. forces currently in Vietnam, for a total of 125,000 soldiers.

1972 UK Dock Strike Begins

1972 : 42,000 registered dock workers begin a national strike over container companies using cheap labor and concerns over compulsory redundancies. After one week the government under Edward Heath proclaimed a state of emergency which allowed the use of the British Army to unload cargo.

1976 China Earthquake Kills 1/4 Million

1976 : An earthquake measuring between 7.8 and 8.2 magnitude on the Richter scale flattens Tangshan, a Chinese industrial city with a population of about one million people. The quake killed an estimated 242,000 people in Tangshan and surrounding areas making the earthquake one of the deadliest in recorded history.

1978 Lebanon Syrian Attacks

1978 : The United States, Canada and Great Britain have advised nationals to leave Lebanon as quickly as possible due to increased Syrian attacks on Lebanon Christians and are leaving only a skeleton staff in their Embassy.

1978 Gold Reaches $200.00 Per Ounce

1978 : The Price of gold has reached an all time high on the Bullion Market of $200.00 per ounce , investors usually invest in gold during monetary instability and the steady decline in the value of the dollar has sent many US investors into the gold market.

1982 Israel Attack West Beirut

1982 : Israel Bombers and fighters are blasting large area's of West Beirut attacking any area or building they believe may house PLO Palestinian Liberation Army Guerillas. After nightfall the PLO Guerillas returned fire on Israeli positions using rockets and mortar fire.

1999 U.S.A. Y2K Compliance

1999 : Federal Regulators from the SEC have given until August 1 for Brokerage firms to prove compliance with Y2K or a court order will be obtained to close them down on December 31st.

2004 U.S.A. John Kerry

2004 : The Democratic National Convention in Boston Nominated John Kerry Democratic Nominee For President.

2005 IRA Announces End Of Armed Struggle

2005 : The IRA has formally ordered an end to its armed campaign and has announced the republican organisation will follow a democratic path ending more than 30 years of violence. The announcement is received on all sides as an important way forward following the Good Friday Agreement signed in 1997.

2006 Haiti Former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune Released

2006 : Yvon Neptune was released from prison in Haiti on this day. Neptune was a former Prime Minister of Haiti and was held in prison for two years without ever being convicted of a crime. Neptune had denied the charges he was held on. He had been charged in connection to the killings of opposition to the ex-president of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

2008 Iraq Suicide Bombers

2008 : On this day three suicide bombings took place in Baghdad, Iraq, killing 28 people and injuring 90 people. The suicide attacks were carried out by female bombers and were aimed at disrupting a Shia Muslim pilgrimage to the Kadhimiya shrine.

2009 Tanzania Banking For Women

2009 : A bank opened in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania that was aimed at helping women with their savings. The bank, the first of its kind in Tanzania, made it easier for women to open accounts and encouraged the empowerment of women in the country.

2011 Bangladesh Bus Crash Kills Seventeen

2011 : At least seventeen people died and another twenty people were injured when a passenger bus crashed into a truck in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Survivors of the accident blamed the bus driver for the crash, stating that he was driving recklessly at high speeds.

2012 First Gold of the London 2012 Games Won

2012 : China's Yi Siling won the first gold of the London Olympic games in the women's 10m Air Rifle competition. Sylwia Bogacka won the silver medal while China's Yu Dan won the bronze.

2013 Brazil Pope Francis Holds Mass on Beach

2013 : Pope Francis held mass for over three million people who had gathered to hear him on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Pope Francis had been there on a five day trip to Brazil to visit a Catholic youth festival on his first foreign trip since he became the pope.


Monday, July 27, 2026

Jerry Holden Rest in Peace



Just learned former Los Angeles Times Supervisor Jerry Holden passed away. Unfortunately I currently have no further details.

Monday Morning in the Blogosphere


 

A hyperlocal news page falls victim to Facebook’s AI - Poynter

Today in Labor History July 27, 2026

 

Mary Harris “Mother” Jones with children and adults beginning their “Children’s Crusade”


William Sylvis (1828-1869), founder of the Iron Molders’ International Union and head of the Nation Labor Union, the first such organization in US history, died on this date. – 1869

Mother Jones gave her famous “The Wail of the Children” speech during the “March of the Mill Children.” The march began on July 7 in Philadelphia and ended at Teddy Roosevelt’s summer home in Oyster Bay, Long Island. They were demanding a 55 hour work week for children. – 1903
“After a long and weary march, with more miles to travel, we are on our way to see President Roosevelt at Oyster Bay. We will ask him to recommend the passage of a bill by congress to protect children against the greed of the manufacturer. We want him to hear the wail of the children, who never have a chance to go to school, but work from ten to eleven hours a day in the textile mills of Philadelphia, weaving the carpets that he and you walk on, and the curtains and clothes of the people.
Fifty years ago there was a cry against slavery and the men of the North gave up their lives to stop the selling of black children on the block. To-day the white child is sold for $2 a week, and even by his parents to the manufacturers.
Fifty years ago the black babies were sold C. O. D. To-day the white baby is sold to the manufacturer on the installment plan. He might die at his tasks and the manufacturer with the automobile and the yacht and the daughter who talks French to a poodle dog, as you can see any day at Twenty-third Street and Broadway when they roll by, could not afford to pay $2 a week for the child that might die, except on the present installment plan. What the President can do is to recommend a measure and send a message to Congress which will break the chains of the white children slaves.
He endorsed a bill for the expenditure of $45,000 to fill the stomach of a Prince who went gallivanting about the country. We will ask in the name of the aching hearts of these little ones that they be emancipated. I will tell the President that I saw men in Madison Square last night sleeping on the benches, and that the country can have no greatness while one unfortunate lies out at night without a bed to sleep on. I will tell him that the prosperity he boasts of is the prosperity of the rich wrung from the poor.
In Georgia where children work day and night in the cotton mills, they have just passed a bill to protect song birds. What about the little children from whom all song is gone?
The trouble is that the fellers in Washington don’t care. I saw them last winter pass three railroad bills in one hour, but when labor cries for aid for the little ones they turn their backs and will not listen to her. I asked a man in prison once how he happened to get there. He had stolen a pair of shoes. I told him that if he had stolen a railroad he could be a United States Senator. One hour of justice is worth an age of praying.
You are told that every American born male citizen has a chance of being President. I tell you that the hungry man without a bed in the park would sell his chance for a good square meal, and these little toilers, deformed, dwarfed in body, soul, and morality, with nothing but toil before them and no chance for schooling, don’t even have the dream that they might someday have a chance at the Presidential chair.
You see those monkeys in the cages. They are trying to teach them to talk. The monkeys are too wise, for they fear that then the manufacturers might buy them for slaves in their factories. In 1800 the workingmen had the advantage in percentage of the country’s wealth. To-day statistics at Washington show that with billions of wealth, the wage earners’ share is but 10 per cent. We are going to tell the President of these things. Tomorrow we meet in Madison Square and Thursday we start for Oyster Bay.”
United Mine Workers organizer Ginger Goodwin died. Goodwin was a migrant coal miner who found work in the Cumberland mines, arriving on Vancouver Island in late 1910. Goodwin was unhappy with the working conditions and management’s disregard of labor. Wanting change, Goodwin became an advocate for workers’ rights, organizing and promoting trade unions. Goodwin increased in stature to become a highly prominent leader in the labor movement but died suddenly under controversial circumstances that have not been settled to this day. It is widely believed that Goodwin was murdered in an attempt to stifle collective bargaining. His death inspired the 1918 Vancouver general strike on August 2, 1918, Canada’s first General Strike. – 1918

Important Events From This day in History July 27

 

 

1949 De-Havilland Comet First Flight

1949 : The 500-mile-an-hour jet engine De-Havilland Comet designed as a commercial jet airliner flew for the first time with a test pilot at the controls.

1909 U.S.A. Orville Wright

1909 : The world's airplane record for two men, was broken in a flight of one hour, twelve minutes and forty seconds over fifty miles and at a speed averaging about forty miles an hour by Orville Wright and Lieutenant Frank P. Lahm, of the army signal corps, as passenger.

1921 Canada Housing Shortage

1921 : Landlords in the city of Toronto are now charging prospective tenants $2.00 to view apartments in the city , this is in part due to the lack of accommodation available in the city.

1953 Korea Armistice

1953 : An Armistice has been signed between Korea and Generals of the United Nations this is not a peace deal but a truce to end 37 months of fighting.

1974 Impeachment Charges Against Nixon

1974 : The House of Representatives charges President Richard M. Nixon with the first of three articles of impeachment for obstruction of justice.

1986 Tough New Anti Smoking Laws

1986 : A bill is to introduced to ban smoking on all public transport including trains, planes, buses and coaches with large fines up to $500 for those who break the law.

1996 U.S.A. Nail Bomb Olympics

1996 : In Atlanta, Georgia, a nail-laden pipe bomb is exploded in Centennial Olympic Park during the XXVI Summer Olympiad leaving 2 dead and many more injured.

2000 Fiji George Speight

2000 : The Rebel coup leader George Speight who led the coup to overthrow Fiji's democratically elected government in May by taking Fiji's Indian Prime Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry, and members of his multi-racial government hostage for 8 weeks has been arrested and will possibly face treason charges. He was found guilty of treason and is currently serving a term of life imprisonment for his role in the overthrow of the constitutional government.

2002 Ukraine Fighter Jet Crash Kills 85

2002 : A fighter jet crashes into a crowd of spectators during an air show in Ukraine killing 85 people and injuring hundreds more.

2006 World Trade Organization Talks Break Down

2006 : The (WTO) World Trade Talks which had been started in 2001 break down with blame shared equally around the world. The United States blamed because it saw no point in continuing the talks if developing countries would not open markets to US Companies. European Union blamed for protectionism and of using deliberate delaying tactics during the talks. The Developing Nations because they want state subsidies and import tariffs slashed in the EU and US so they can sell more of their produce abroad. What this means in reality is that the G8 nations will now turn to bilateral and regional free trade agreements, abandoning commitment to help developing nations increase their share of the global market.

2007 Mexico Drug Money

2007 : After a ninety day period, the unclaimed money that was seized from an alleged Mexican-Chinese drug trafficker, Zhenli Ye Gon’s home became the state’s property. Once in legal possession of the large sum of money, $205 million, Mexican officials would use the money to fund drug treatment programs, police equipment, and drug prosecution efforts. Zhenli Ye Gon was arrested in the United States the same week the announcement came from the Mexican government.

2007 India Nuclear Pact

2007 : A nuclear pact between the United States and India is officially confirmed on this day. This is the first of such agreements in thirty years due to sanctioning from the United States.

2008 China / Taiwan Relations Improve

2008 : The Olympic Village in Beijing opened on this day, twelve days before the start of the 2008 Summer Olympics. The Olympic Village housed 16,000 athletes during the games.

2009 China / Taiwan Relations Improve

2009 : China’s president, Hu Jintao congratulated President Ma Yong-jeou of Taiwan after his win of the presidential election. This exchange marked the first time leaders of the two countries directly communicated in over sixty years. The exchange marked a positive step towards better relations between the two nations after the 1949 civil war separated Taiwan from China.

2011 Hollywood Producer Dies

2011 : Polly Platt, a long time Hollywood producer, died at the age of seventy-two of a moto neuron disease. Platt was nominated for an Academy Award for art direction in the film Terms of Endearment. Platt had also worked on such films as What's Up Doc?, Paper Moon, and The Last Picture Show.

2012 London Olympics Officially Open

2012 : The 2012 London Olympics were officially opened during the opening ceremony by Queen Elizabeth II. The opening ceremony featured many musical and theatrical performances meant to represent British culture and the Olympic spirit. At the end, possible future athletes were given the honor of lighting the ceremonial flame.

2013 State Funeral for Murdered Opposition Leader

2013 : A state funeral was held for the Tunisian opposition leader Mohamed Brahmi who had been killed by gunmen in an assassination earlier that week. There were protests following Brahmi's death. Another opposition leader, Chokri Belaid, had been killed earlier in the year and it was said the Brahmi was shot with the same gun.


Thursday, July 23, 2026

How A Hillside Strangler Nearly Went Free

 

My grandchildren wonder what this strange object could be?
 



The Big Bias in AI Is Economic - Second Rough Draft

Today in Labor History July 23, 2026

 

Unrest in Detroit



Northern Michigan copper miners struck for the 8 hour day, higher wages and union recognition. The strike continued until April 12, 1914. During the strike, 600 were arrested for inciting a riot, 500 for violating an injunction against picketing, and the Western Federation of Miners ( WFM) president, Charles Moyer, was shot, beaten and forced out of town. Also, on Christmas Eve, 1913, the women’s auxiliary of the WFM organized a party for miners and their families during which someone shouted “fire” causing a stampede that killed 73, mostly children. The identity of the crier was never determined, but many believe it was a member of the Citizen’s Alliance, a group used by the mine owners to attack strikers and crush their movement. The strike ended with the union being effectively driven out of the Keweenaw Peninsula. – 1913

Seven days of social unrest, including fighting with cops, anti-business and anti-government actions began in Detroit. By the end of the riots, 43 were dead, 2,000 wounded and 5,000 made homeless. It was the largest riot of the century, sparking additional riots throughout U.S. – 1967
Aluminum Workers International Union merged with The United Brick & Clay Workers of America to form Aluminum, Brick & Clay Workers. – 1981

Important Events From This day in History July 23

 

  

1976 First Cases Legionnaires Disease

1976 : 4,000 delegates from the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Legion met at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia for a four-day gathering. Several days after the event ended, many attendees became sick. By August 2, 22 people were dead and hundreds connected to the gathering were experiencing pneumonia-like symptoms. The cause was traced back to an aquatic microorganism bacteria at the hotel and the disease was later called Legionnaires disease.

1931 US Communist Crack Down

1931 : With the growing public discontent at high unemployment and the Government's failure to do anything a growing movement led by communist infiltrators to the US has meant the government is cracking down on communist activities including propaganda that is distributed to Negroes telling them to take control of the government and companies , Federal Agents have seized a large am mount of literature and is deporting the infiltrators back to Havana where most have come from.

1941 France Douglas Bader

1941 : Douglas Bader the British RAF fighter pilot who had lost his legs in a flying accident, was shot down over France and captured by the Germans. During his time as a POW, Douglas Bader made as much trouble as possible and escaped in August 1942, on his recapture by the Germans he was sent to Colditz Castle which provided a more secure prison. Before he was shot down he had claimed 22 German aircraft shot down which was the fifth highest total in the RAF. In 1956 the movie “Reach for the Sky” was based on The Story of Douglas Bader, Hero of the Battle of Britain.”

1945 Vichy Leader Treason Trial

1945 : Marshal Henri Petain, who had headed the Vichy government during World War II and had signed as head of state an armistice with Germany that gave Nazi Germany control over the north and west of the country, this left part of the country not under Nazi control including the resort town of Vichy which is where the administrative center was (hence the name Vichy Government). Marshal Henri Petain is put on trial for treason.

1952 Egypt Military Coup d'etat

1952 : A military coup d'etat in Egypt headed by Colonel Gamal Abdal Nasser's Society of Free Officers seizes control of the government. Following the revolution King Farouk I of Egypt abdicates. The revolutionaries redistributed land, tried politicians for corruption, and in 1953 abolished the monarchy. In 1954, Nasser emerged from behind the scenes, removed Naguib from power, and proclaimed himself prime minister of Egypt.

1957 Great Britain Bus Workers Strike

1957 : Bus drivers throughout Britain have now been on strike for the 5th day causing major disruption to commuters around the country and in some area's due to the frustration of the travelling public leading to violence.

1964 U.S.A. War On Poverty

1964 : President Lyndon B. Johnson began pushing for a War on Poverty requesting $962,000 from Congress for improving literacy, drug rehabilitation and employment programs.

1967 U.S.A. Detroit Riots

1967 : One of the worst riots in U.S. history breaks out in the heart of Detroit's predominantly African American inner city. By the time it was ended four days later on July 27th by 7,000 National Guard and U.S. Army troops, 43 people were dead, 342 injured, and nearly 1,400 buildings had been burned.

1974 Greece Constantine Karamanlis

1974 : Following a military coup seizing power in Greece in April 1967 Constantine Karamanlis had been in self imposed exile in France . On this day the military leadership has invited him back to form a new government hoping his popularity with both the Greek people and Turkish leadership will avert an all out war over Cyprus. Turkish forces invaded Cyprus 2 days earlier.

1975 U.S.A. Inflation at 9%

1975 : The Nations Consumer Price Index has been published today which shows that the yearly inflation is currently running at 9% , but in some areas such as the cost of food running at close to 1.5% per month and gas at whopping 3% with premium Gas prices reaching 60 cents per gallon.

1984 U.S.A. Vanessa Williams

1984 : Vanessa Williams, the first black Miss America, gave up her crown after sexually explicit photos of her appeared in the September issue of Penthouse magazine.

1984 Sellafield Nuclear Power Plant

1984 : A new government report confirms an increased incidence of Leukemia clusters in and around the Sellafield Nuclear Power Plant in Cumbria. The report led by Sir Douglas Black has confirmed the clusters but says to little research has been done to confirm they are related to the Nuclear Power Plant. A number of reports in later years did link the increase of Leukemia in the area to Sellafield but BNFL (British Nuclear Fuels) and the government continue to say that there is no evidence to support a link between Leukemia and nuclear power plants.

1986 UK Prince Andrew Marries

1986 : Prince Andrew married English commoner Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey which has recently celebrated it's 900 year old birthday in London.

1995 BP Agrees To Pay Back Taxes

1995 : In Alaska BP America has agreed to pay an additional $20 million in Back taxes to the state of Alaska , this is on top of an earlier settlement to the state in 1993 of $650 million.

2000 U.S.A. Tiger Woods

2000 : Tiger Woods today became the youngest player to win a career Grand Slam after winning the British Open at St. Andrews.

2003 Claims of Abuse By Clergy in Mass

2003 : The Massachusetts attorney general report claims clergy members and others in the Boston Archdiocese possibly sexually abused more than 1,000 children over sixty years.

2005 Egypt Terrorist Attack Sharm al-Sheikh

2005 : A number of bombs have been exploded in the Egyptian resort of Sharm al-Sheikh by Terrorist attacks. The latest figures indicate nearly 100 are dead including tourists staying at a Hotel that was targeted, and many more injured.

2006 Germany Doctors Strike

2006 : Doctors in Germany continued rolling strikes with demands for better working conditions and higher wages. This strike affected up to 700 hospitals in Germany for over a month. Nearly 70,000 doctors alternated protests while still providing basic emergency care for patients in the country.

2007 Spain Bank Robber Caught

2007 : The most wanted criminal in Spain was caught on this day. The man was accused of armed robbery of more than thirty banks in Spain and killing at least three police officers. He was arrested in Figueira da Foz, Portugal while planning another bank robbery.

2007 U.S.A. United States Veterans

2007 : A coalition of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans sues the United States government on claims that they have been denied mental health care and disability payments. The group claimed that the Department of Veteran Affairs would purposely mislabel soldiers experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder so the government would not have to pay for treatment.

2008 Japan Earthquake

2008 : An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 hit Japan on this day. The earthquake hit the main island of Honshu and caused landslides, power outages, fires, and injuries.

2009 Iceland Applies For EU Membership

2009 : The country of Iceland submitted its formal bid to join the European Union on this day. Iceland’s economic collapse in 2008 spurred Iceland’s leaders to finally move forward on joining the European Union, hoping that the organization would provide more economic security.

2011 Singer Amy Winehouse Found Dead

2011 : Eclectic singer Amy Winehouse was found dead in her London apartment. The cause of death was unknown but Winehouse had suffered from alcohol and drug addiction for years prior to her death. Fans paid tribute to her and gathered around her home, while friends and family grieved the loss of a talented singer with a unique voice.

2012 First US Woman in Space Dies

2012 : Sally Ride, the first woman from the United States who went into space, died at the age of sixty-one after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Ride made her first flight into space in 1983 in the Space Shuttle Challenger.

2013 Burma Political Prisoners Released

2013 : Seventy-three political prisoners were freed by the Burmese government in an attempt by President Thein Sein to release all political dissidents by the end of the year. Burma has been working towards democracy since 2010 and began releasing prisoners three years ago.


Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Today in Labor History July 22, 2026


 Preparedness Day bombing


A General Strike occurred in St. Louis, as part of the national Great Strike. The St. Louis strike is generally considered the first General Strike in U.S. history. It was organized by the radical Knights of Labor and the Workingman’s Party. In addition to joining in solidarity with striking rail workers, thousands in other trades came out to fight for the 8-hour day and an end to child labor. 3,000 federal troops and 5,000 deputized police (vigilantes?) ended the strike by killing at least 18 people and arresting at least 70. – 1877
Newly unionized brewery workers in San Francisco, mostly German socialists, declare victory after the city’s breweries give in to their demands for free beer, the closed shop, freedom to live anywhere (they had typically been required to live in the breweries), a 10-hour day, a six-day workweek, and a board of arbitration. – 1886
Alexander Berkman tried to assassinate Henry Clay Frick who was responsible for the deaths of nine miners killed by Pinkerton thugs on July 6, during the Homestead Strike. – 1892
A bomb was set off during a pro-war “Preparedness Day” parade in San Francisco. The city was holding a parade in honor of Preparedness day, in anticipation of the United States’ imminent entry into World War 1. During the parade, a suitcase bomb was detonated, killing ten and wounding 40 in the worst such attack in San Francisco’s history. Two labor leaders, Thomas Mooney and Warren K. Billing, were convicted in separate trials and sentenced to death, later commuted to life in prison. Further investigations found the trials to have been marred by false testimony, and the men were released in 1939 and eventually pardoned. The identity of the bombers has never been determined. – 1916

Important Events From This day in History July 22

 

  

1991 U.S.A. Jeffrey Dahmer

1991 : Jeffrey Dahmer is caught and is considered one of the most sadistic serial killers in our time when Dahmer's apartment was searched, the extent of his horrors was revealed, it contained pictures of body parts and the apartment was littered with human remains including human heads in the refrigerator and freezer, there was also evidence to suggest that he had been practicing cannibalism with his victims bodies, he later confessed to 17 murders in all.

1933 U.S.A. Wiley Post

1933 : Wiley Hardeman Post (Wiley Post) becomes the first man to fly solo around the world in his plywood monocoque aircraft, the Winnie Mae. He took 7 days, 19 hours -- 21 hours less than his previous record which he had set in 1931 with a navigator, Harold Gatty. Instead of a navigator he had installed an auto pilot device and a radio compass which were still in development, but which allowed him to make his solo journey.

1934 U.S.A. John Dillinger Shot

1934 : John Dillinger Public Enemy number ONE career was finally ended during a shoot out with FBI agents who had been waiting outside a local Cinema following a tip off.

More about John Dillinger

1937 U.S.A. Supreme Court

1937 : President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed to add five new justices to the Supreme Court, this was because the Supreme Court were overturning many of his programs and he believed if he placed an additional 5 new justices chosen by him he would get his legislation through. Much to his dismay the Senate turned down his proposal.

1942 Poland Warsaw Ghetto

1942 : Himmler ordered Rudolph Hoess an SS major to clean up the Warsaw ghetto, the Jewish quarter enclosed by barbed wire and brick walls which was to be depopulated and the inhabitants transported to Treblinka. Rudolph Hoess started the systematic deportation of Jews from the Warsaw ghetto on July 22nd with thousands rounded up daily and transported to the newly constructed concentration camp at Treblinka, in Poland. In just seven weeks of Himmler's order, more than 250,000 Jews were taken to Treblinka by rail and gassed to death.

1950 Save The Buffalo Bison Campaign

1950 : The American Buffalo / Bison which roamed the plains and numbered over 50 million are now down to a mere 4000 animals and concerns over extinction means more work and money is to be spent to save this important part of the American Heritage. It is estimated that there are now only four free roaming and genetically pure herds of American Bison / Buffalo on public lands in North America: Yellowstone National Park (4,000 Bison), Henry Mountains in Utah (500 Bison), Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota (1,500 Bison), Elk Island in Alberta, Canada (500 Bison).

1964 Japan Tokyo Olympics

1964 : Plans are being put in place to show live feed from the Tokyo Olympic games to Television viewers in Canada and the United States using a new Comstat Satellite Syncom III which will be launched in August and hold a stationary or hovering orbit position above the Pacific Ocean. The Olympic Games will be shown to television viewers in October.

1975 U.S.A. Personal Bankruptcy On The Increase

1975 : A growing number of people are filing for personal bankruptcy which is more than ever before, the reasons can be traced through to any number including: Inflation, Pay rises not matching expectations, Increased use of Credit Cards, Shop-A-Holics, Gas Price Increases.

1987 Soviet Union Nuclear Missile Ban

1987 : Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev indicates that he is willing to negotiate a ban on intermediate-range nuclear missiles without conditions paving the way for the groundbreaking Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with the United States.

1992 Colombia Pablo Escobar

1992 : Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar escaped from his own luxurious private prison, La Catedral. near Medellin. At one time Escabar had been listed as the seventh-richest man in the world on Forbes Magazine. The United States Delta Force joined Colombian Police and a self proclaimed vigilante group in the all-out manhunt for Escobar and in December 1993 he was found and died in a shoot out.

2002 Israeli Bomb Kills 15 People

2002 : An Israeli F-16 has dropped a one-tonne guided bomb on an apartment block in Gaza City killing 15 including innocent children in an attack designed to kill Sheikh Salah Shahada a leading member of the militant group Hamas.

2003 Iraq Saddam Hussein’s Sons Killed

2003 : Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s sons, Qusay and Uday Hussein, are killed after a three-hour firefight with U.S. forces in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

2003 Memphis Summer Storm

2003 : A summer storm, dubbed the Memphis Summer Storm of 2003, strikes the region with 100 mph winds and rains. When it was over, four people were dead with several more dead and injured as a result of fires and other accidents that the storm caused. More than 300,000 area residents were also left without power.

2005 England Suspected Terrorist Shot 7 times

2005 : A suspected terrorist is shot dead by police at Stockwell underground station in south London. A few days later the man who police had killed was Jean Charles de Menezes a Brazillian Electrician who had nothing to do with terrorist activities. An apology was made by the British Prime Minister (Not Accepted by the family) and questions have been asked about the police's shoot-to-kill policy.

2008 U.S.A. Estelle Getty Dies

2008 : Estelle Getty, the comedian who played the popular role of Sophia Petrillo on the 1990s sitcom, Golden Girls, died on this day.

2009 Space Solar Eclipse

2009 : The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century, (when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partially obscuring Earth's view of the Sun) lasting up to 6 minutes and 38.8 seconds, occurs off the coast of Southeast Asia. The total eclipse was seen for shorter time-spans in the Maldives, northern Pakistan, northern India, northern Bangladesh, Bhutan, northern Philippines, central China and the Pacific Ocean.

2011 Norway Hit By Bombing and Shooting Attacks

2011 : A large bomb blast hit Norway's capital Oslo killing at least eight people. Soon after the bombing, a gunman attacked an island youth camp run by the country's Labor Party and killed at least sixty-eight people. A thirty-two year old suspect was detained, Anders Behring Breivik, and admitted to committing both attacks.

2012 Bradley Wiggins Wins Tour de France

2012 : Thirty-two year old Bradley Wiggins won the Tour de France, making the first British man to win the famous bicycle race. He won by a margin of three minutes and twenty-one seconds and second place went to fellow Brit, Chris Froome.

2013 Duchess of Cambridge Gives Birth

2013 : The Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to a healthy baby boy, named Prince George of Cambridge. The baby is Prince William's son and will likely become the King of England one day in the future. The news was met with celebrations across England and the world as royal baby fans camped out waiting for news of the birth.


Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Today in Labor History July 21, 2026


 The Great Upheaval


30,000 Chicago workers rallied on Market Street during the Great Upheaval, a wave of strikes occurring throughout the country. Future anarchist and Haymarket martyr Albert Parsons spoke to the crowd, advocating the use of the ballot to obtain “state control of the means of production,” and urged workers to join the Workingmen’s Party. Parsons was later abducted by armed men who took him to the police where he was interrogated and informed that he had caused the city great trouble. Local militiamen were called out against striking railroad workers in Pittsburgh. The head of the Pennsylvania Railroad advised giving the strikers “a rifle diet for a few days and see how they like that kind of bread.” Instead, the militiamen joined the workers. Meanwhile, federal troops were sent to Baltimore, where they killed 10 strikers and wounded 25.  – 1877

A compressed air explosion killed 20 workers constructing a railroad tunnel under the Hudson River. – 1880
IWW led a strike at Hodgeman’s Blueberry Farm in Grand Junction, Mich. – 1964
Radio station WCFL, owned and operated by the Chicago Federation of Labor (hence the call sign),  took to the airwaves with two hours of music. The first and only labor-owned radio station in the country, WCFL was sold in 1979. – 1926
A die-cast operator in Jackson, Mich. was pinned by a hydraulic Unimate robot and died five days later. The incident is the first documented case in the U.S. of a robot killing a human. – 1984

Important Events From This day in History July 21

 

 

1925 U.S.A. The Monkey Trial

1925 : John T. Scopes convicted of violating Tennessee state law for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution in the "Monkey Trial." The conviction was later overturned.

1911 England Lloyd George

1911 : Lloyd George the chancellor of the exchequer and future prime minister recognized war might be the price of continued threats to the security of the country and its allies. His rousing speech included the words that peace made by backing down to German demands for Algeria and Tunisia would be a humiliation intolerable for a great country to endure.

1931 No Money For Teachers Pay

1931 : In the city of Chicago which has one of the most modern Opera Houses in the US, can not pay it's 14,000 teachers their salaries due to running out of money , School payrolls have now not been paid for 2 months and many of the teachers are facing severe hardship including losing their homes. School boards have no money because property owners are behind with their payments due to large numbers being unemployed.

1944 Guam US Forces Land World War II

1944 : American marines land on Guam in the Mariana Islands, Pacific Ocean to gain back control of the island which had been taken by the Japanese shortly after the attacks on Pearl Harbor.

1950 U.S.A. Increasing Prices

1950 : Food prices and prices for other commodities have been increasing at alarming rate and a government investigation has blamed a number of factors causing the increases - Hoarding due to concerns over the Korean War, Profiteering by companies, and Increased costs of raw materials.

1954 France Surrenders North Vietnam in Indo-China War

1954 : The Indo-China war ends when France surrenders North Vietnam to the Communists, a peace accord signed in Geneva, Switzerland between communist North Vietnam Forces and France agrees Vietnam will be divided between north and south Vietnam along the 17th parallel. In the 60's as North Vietnam begins it's attacks on South Vietnam The United States intervenes to defend the 17th Parallel resulting in the long and bloody Vietnam War which finally ended in 1975 with North Vietnam conquering the South.

1969 Space Apollo 11

1969 : Apollo 11 astronauts departed from the moon today after making history with man's first visit including walking on the moons surface and planting the American flag . It is estimated over 500 million people around the world watched history unfold.

1970 Egypt Aswan High Dam

1970 : The Aswan High Dam across the Nile River in Egypt is completed creating renewable energy and helping to stop the cycle of flooding and drought in the area.

1975 U.S.A. Postal Service Price Increases

1975 : An agreement has been reached by the Postal Service and the Postal Workers Union averting a strike threatened by 600,000 postal workers. The Postal Service has stated that as labor costs are 85% of the cost of the Postal Services an increase in charges will need to happen.

1980 U.S.A. Draft Registration

1980 : All 19 and 20 year old men are required to register for the Draft, this followed Proclamation 4771, Registration Under the Military Selective Service Act signed by President Jimmy Carter re-establishing the Selective Service registration requirement for all 18-26 year old male citizens born on or after January 1st, 1960.

1987 Italy Ferrari F 40 Unveiled

1987 : To celebrate the 40 yrs of Ferrari production Enzo Ferrari unveiled the Ferrari F40 at the factory in Maranello, Italy. The F40 was the fastest road vehicle ever built at that time.

1997 USS Constitution

1997 : Thousands watched as the USS Constitution, known as Old Ironsides, celebrated 200 years by sailing from Marblehead, Massachusetts, under its own power for the first time in 116 years.

2002 U.S.A. Oregon Biscuit Fire

2002 : The Biscuit Fire was a wildfire that scorched and burned almost a half million acres in Oregon’s beautiful Siskiyou National Forest started by lightning and was not completely contained until December 31 later that same year.

2002 Worldcom Files Bankruptcy Protection

2002 : WorldCom Inc. files for bankruptcy protection after disclosing it had inflated profits by nearly $4 billion through deceptive accounting practices from 1999 - 2002 to mask its poor earnings and presenting a false picture of financial growth and profitability of the company.

2005 Terrorist Attack London Underground

2005 : Terrorists attack the London underground system and London Busses by planting bombs on three subways and on one bus but unlike an earlier attack the bombs create only miner blasts as only the detonators explode and not the main bombs.

2006 Cambodia Ta Mok “The Butcher” Dies

2006 : Ta Mok, a key leader of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia died of natural causes while awaiting trial for committing genocide and crimes against humanity. Ta Mok had been nicknamed “The Butcher” and was an important leader in the brutal Khmer Rouge regime under which an estimated 1.7 million people died.

2007 India Pratibha Patil Elected

2007 : The seventy-two year old Pratibha Patil is elected to the presidency in India, and becomes the first woman president of the country. Although the presidency in India is largely ceremonial, she will have some responsibilities concerning the government and coalitions.

2007 England Final Harry Potter Book Published

2007 : The last and final Harry Potter book goes on sale "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" written by J. K. Rowling. 10 years after the first Harry Potter Book was published.

2008 Yemen Exposed Dinosaur Tracks

2008 : Exposed dinosaur tracks are discovered by scientists in Yemen. In the village of Madar, the tracks were once believed to belong to giant camels, but after scientists examined the tracks, they determined that they had belonged to a herd of eleven dinosaurs from 150 million years ago. This was the first discovery of this kind on the Arabian Peninsula.

2008 Serbia Radovan Karadzic Captured

2008 : A former political leader during the Bosnian War in the 1990's, Radovan Karadzic was finally captured in Serbia on this day. He had been on the run for over ten years after being indicted for war crimes and genocide. The capture was seen as a triumph for the new government in Serbia, as it looked to join the European Union.

2011 Texas Executes Hate Killer

2011 : The US state of Texas executed Mark Stroman, who was convicted of killing two people he thought were Arab after going on a rampage after the 9/11 attacks. Stroman shot another man, Rais Bhuiyan, who survived. Bhuiyan supported Stroman's plea for clemency on the death sentence stating that killing him was "not the solution."

2012 Helicopter Crash in Brunei Kills Twelve

2012 : A helicopter carrying fourteen people crashed in Brunei, killing twelve and injuring two. The helicopter was carrying three crew and eleven military cadets home after they had been training in the jungle. The monarch of the country Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah visited the two survivors in the hospital who were said to be in stable condition.

2013 New Belgian King

2013 : Crown Prince Philippe becomes the King of Belgium after his father King Albert II abdicated after almost twenty years as king. The role of royals in Belgium is largely ceremonial.