Sinclair becomes first broadcast media company to pilot drones over people

 

Press Release

Sinclair, one of the nation’s leading media companies, has achieved a groundbreaking milestone in drone journalism. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has accepted Sinclair’s Declaration of Compliance for Operations Over People, making Sinclair the first broadcast company authorized to fly drones over individuals and moving vehicles without needing an FAA waiver for newsgathering under FAA rules.

The FAA’s authorization allows Sinclair to operate specially modified drones while adhering to strict safety protocols and procedures that meet federal requirements.

“This approval represents a significant step forward in our ability to deliver high-quality, innovative journalism,” said Scott Livingston, senior vice president of news for Sinclair. “By incorporating expanded drone footage, we enhance our coverage of breaking news, local events, weather and community stories — offering our audiences more compelling and dynamic storytelling. Our ongoing partnership with Virginia Tech has been instrumental in ensuring the highest safety and training standards.”

Sinclair’s Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) program, launched in 2016, operates across 50 newsrooms nationwide and has completed over 40,000 logged flights to date. The program includes 148 FAA certified pilots and 540 trained visual observers.

Sinclair is committed to ensuring its drone operations are conducted safely and responsibly. All Sinclair drone pilots undergo rigorous training at Virginia Tech’s Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP), an FAA-designated UAS test site. This partnership ensures pilots are equipped with advanced skills and knowledge in drone operations and safety procedures.

“Our dedication to safety is paramount and this achievement is the result of more than a year of extensive preparation, testing and collaboration with industry and government partners. We’ve also conducted community outreach meetings in each market where we operate drones, engaging with first responders, Homeland Security, education officials, local government agencies and the FAA,” said Jeff Rose, Sinclair’s UAS chief pilot.

Commenting on the partnership, Tombo Jones, director for the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, said, “We have worked for years with Sinclair, helping to train their pilots, and I have always been impressed with their professionalism and commitment to safety. We were proud to build on that theme by using our FAA-approved test method to test a modified drone that allows Sinclair's pilots to meet the FAA's stringent safety requirements for operating over people or traffic.”

With this new FAA approval, Sinclair continues to lead the industry in integrating cutting-edge technology into broadcast journalism. This capability applies to Sinclair’s fleet of drones and trained pilots, ensuring compliance with the highest safety standards while expanding the scope of aerial news coverage.

About Sinclair:

Sinclair, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI) is a diversified media company and a leading provider of local news and sports. The company owns, operates and/or provides services to 185 television stations in 86 markets affiliated with all the major broadcast networks; owns Tennis Channel and multicast networks Comet, CHARGE!, TBD/ROAR and The Nest. Sinclair’s content is delivered via multiple platforms, including over-the-air, multi-channel video program distributors and the nation’s largest streaming aggregator of local news content, NewsON. The company regularly uses its website as a key source of company information which can be accessed at www.sbgi.net.

Friday Morning in the Blogosphere

 

Your newsroom needs an AI ethics policy - Poynter

Leveraging video, Dynamo is set for launch - E&P Magazine

America's Newspapers welcomes Reuters into membership - America's Newspapers

How the U.S. public and AI experts view artificial intelligence - Pew Research Center

Creating and sharing deceptive AI-generated media is now a crime in New Jersey - AP

Important Events From This day in History April 4

  

1968 USA - Martin Luther King Jr. Murdered

1968 : Martin Luther King Jr. is shot to death by James Earl Ray at a hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. His assassination led to riots in more than 100 US cities and a call from the United States President Lyndon Johnson for citizen's to reject the blind violence that has taken Dr King who had lived by non-violence. James Earl Ray was convicted of his murder and sentenced to 99 years in prison.

1958 UK - Aldermaston Peace March

1958 : 10,000 protesters arrive in Trafalgar Square, London as part of the CND / Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament the protesters including mothers pushing children in prams and singing peace songs, over the next four days march over 52 miles in rain and snow from London to the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston. The march was held again in 1959, 1961 and 1962 when over 150,000 took part. In 1963 anarchists became involved which resulted in bad press for the peaceful march.

1939 U.S.A. - Glen Miller Records "Moonlight Serenade."

1939 : Glen Miller records the wildly popular "Moonlight Serenade." It becomes a standard throughout the big band era and beyond.

1964 U.S.A. - The Beatles

1964 : The Beatles hold an unprecedented record of twelve positions on Billboard Hot 100 singles chart,

The songs were

"Can't Buy Me Love"

"Twist and Shout"

"She Loves You"

"I Want to Hold Your Hand"

"Please Please Me"

"I Saw Her Standing There"

"You Can't Do That"

"All My Loving"

"Roll Over Beethoven"

"From Me To You"

"Do You Want To Know A Secret"

"Thank You Girl" .

1973 U.S.A. - New York's World Trade Center Completed

1973 : New York's World Trade Center The twin towers of the World Trade Center rising 1,350 feet above Manhattan officially became the world's tallest buildings.

1850 U.S.A. - Los Angeles and San Francisco become cities

Following California becoming the 31st State in 1850 Los Angeles and San Francisco become Cities ( Los Angeles with a population of 1,610- April 4th ) and ( San Francisco with a population of 21,000 - April 16th ) on the same year.

1818 U.S.A. - Stars And Stripes

1818 : Congress decided the U.S. flag would consist of 13 red and white stripes represent the original Thirteen Colonies that rebelled against the British crown and became the first states in the Union, and 20 stars, with a new star to be added for every new state. The act specified that new flag designs should become official on the first July 4th (Independence Day) following admission of one or more new states.

1902 UK - Scholarships for Americans at Oxford University

1902 : British industrialist Cecil Rhodes left $10 million in his will to provide scholarships for Americans at Oxford University in England.

1916 France - World War I Battle Of The Somme

One of the most costly battles in modern wartime is fought near the Somme Region and over 2 years when this small area of countryside saw the deaths of over 1 million men from both sides of the war.

1920 Palestine - Riots

: Violence erupts between Arab and Jewish residents in British-controlled Jerusalem from This Day to the April 7th with 9 killed and 216 injured.

1933 U.S.A. - Dirigible Airship The Akron

1933 : The dirigible airship The Akron crashes in New Jersey, killing 73 people in one of the first air disasters in history, it was the largest airship built in the United States when it took its first flight in August 1931.

1949 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Established

1949 : The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is established by 12 Western nations: the United States, Great Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Iceland, Canada, and Portugal

1967 U.S.A. - Martin Luther King, Jr Says US Should Leave Vietnam

1967 : The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. says in a speech that the United States stop all bombing of North and South Vietnam and declare a unilateral truce in the hope that it would lead to peace talks.

1975 Vietnam - Transport Plane Evacuating Vietnamese Orphans Crashes

1975 : A U.S. Air Force transport plane ( C-5A Galaxy cargo plane )which was part of "Operation Babylift" evacuating Vietnamese orphans crashed shortly after takeoff from Saigon, killing 138 people, including 127 of the orphans, this was just under half of those who were on board.

1979 Pakistan - Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Hanged

1979 : Pakistan's former Prime Minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, has been hanged in spite of international calls for clemency. Many believed his trial and the sentence were manipulated by the ruling military regime, led by General Zia ul-Haq,. He was sentenced to death for the murder of a political opponent following a trial which was widely condemned as unfair. Mr Bhutto had been Pakistan's leader since 1973 and was deposed in a military coup 18 months earlier. The country stayed under martial law until 1985.

1984 England - Greenham Common Peace Demonstrators

1984 : The women from the main peace camp at Greenham Common in Berkshire have been evicted with more than 30 arrested after bailiffs backed up by 300 police officers moved in. By the following day women had returned to Greenham Common to re-establish their camps around the smaller gates and remained at the base throughout the time Cruise missiles were there. The last of the missiles was flown back to the US in 1991 and most of the protesters left the site believing they had helped to keep the base in the Public Eye which forced the government to end the of Cruise missiles in England.

1991 Scotland - Children Taken BY Social Services For Satanic Abuse Charges against Parents

1991 : Three children are taken from their families after allegations of satanic abuse in the Orkney Islands off Scotland. The case was thrown out of court by Sheriff David Kelbie who criticized the social workers who took the children away from their homes for failing to produce any evidence supporting the allegations.

Today in Labor History April 4, 2025

Martin Luther King Jr.

The first issue of The Labor Review, a “weekly magazine for organized workers”, was published in Minneapolis. Edna George, a cigar packer in Minneapolis, won $10 in gold for suggesting the name “Labor Review”, The Labor Review has been published continuously since then, currently as a monthly newspaper. – 1907

The unemployed rioted in New York City’s Union Square. – 1914

Longshoremen union leader Harry Bridges was convicted of lying about being a Communist. – 1950

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, where he has been supporting an AFSCME sanitation workers’ strike.  In the wake of this tragedy, riots broke out in many cities, including Washington, DC. – 1968

 

Thursday Morning in the Blogosphere

 The end of the hard copy newspaper is nearing

How to leak to a journalist - Nieman Lab

Local radio revenue to break $12 billion mark - Inside Radio

Automated document printing service launches in UK - Print Week

Prize-Winning Lessons on Explaining Government - Second Rough Draft

Four questions every digital media salesperson must ask - E&P Magazine

UK journalists face growing battle for information access - Journalism UK

The Mercury News put all its news on the web for free 30 years ago - Poynter

Newsprint continues to be exempt from administration tariffs - News/Media Alliance

How Robotics are Reshaping Productivity & Workforce Dynamics - Printing Impressions

Important Events From This day in History April 3

 

1968 U.S.A. - Martin Luther King Jr

1968 : Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "mountaintop" speech to a rally of striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn., less than 24 hours before he was assassinated Find More What happened in 1968

1860 U.S.A. - Pony Express Service Starts

1860 : The Pony Express a new faster mail service using riders on a horseback relay instead of the traditional stagecoaches begins service between St. Joseph, Mo., and Sacramento, Calif. The Pony Express reduced the time for mail to travel from the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to around ten days. After only 1 year in March 1861 after suffering large losses and not gaining the mail contract The Pony Express Company ceased trading.

1936 U.S.A. - Bruno Richard Hauptmann

1936 : Bruno Richard Hauptmann is executed in the electric chair for the kidnapping and the death of the Lindbergh baby

More about the Lindbergh Kidnapping

1948 U.S.A. - Marshall Plan

1948 : U.S. President Harry S. Truman signs into law the Foreign Assistance Act, commonly known as the Marshall Plan which channeled more than $13 billion in aid to Europe between 1948 and 1951

1954 UK - 100th Boat Race

1954 : Oxford ( Dark Blues ) wins the 100th Boat Race by four-and-a-half lengths from Cambridge ( Light Blues ) in rough conditions on the River Thames.

1955 Mexico - Train Crash

1955 : An express train is derailed and falls into a canyon near Guadalajara, Mexico leaving 300 dead after the crash.

1972 U.S.A. - North Vietnamese Invasion Of South Vietnam

1972 : Following the invasion of North Vietnamese on South Vietnam The United States prepares hundreds of B-52s and fighter-bombers for possible air strikes to blunt the recently launched invasion.

1974 U.S.A. - 148 Tornadoes

1974 : 148 tornadoes hit North America from Georgia to Canada within 16 hours and at times there were as many as 15 separate tornadoes on the ground at one time. The Super Outbreak affected a total of 11 US states and Ontario in Canada.

1974 U.S.A. - Watergate Scandal

1974 : Following the start of the investigation into the Watergate scandal, President Nixon was also facing serious questions about his taxes and agreed to pay $432,787.13 plus interest in back taxes for the years 1969 through 1972

1987 Switzerland - Sotheby's Auction Windsor ( Wallis Simpson ) Jewels

1987 : The late Duchess of Windsor's ( Wallis Simpson )Jewels has been sold for £31m ($50m) during an auction in Switzerland. Bidders filled Sotherby's Auction Rooms around the world including New York to have their bids relayed to Geneva.

1993 UK - Grand National

1993 : The English Grand National ends in chaos after a series of events at the start including protesters getting onto the track near the first fence and ended with only some of the riders competing in the race. The decision was made by the Jockey Club to declare the race void

1996 U.S.A. - Unabomber

1996 : Theodore John Kaczynski is arrested by the FBI accused of being the Unabomber, the elusive terrorist blamed for 16 mail bombs that killed three people and injured 23 during an 18-year period.

1998 U.S.A. - Dow Jones Over 9,000 First Time

1998 : The Dow Jones industrial average climbed above 9,000 for the first time.

2000 UK - Asylum Seekers

2000 : Asylum seekers in the UK are to receive vouchers to buy food and clothes and £10 a week in cash. This follows weeks of adverse publicity over begging on British streets involving asylum seekers.

2000 U.S.A. - US Microsoft Antitrust Case

2000 : A case started in 1998 was a set of consolidated civil actions filed against Microsoft Corporation by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and twenty U.S. states claiming Microsoft abused it's monopoly power in its handling of operating system sales with it's bundled web browser ( Internet Explorer ) to eliminate competition in the Browser Wars between Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator and Opera.

The main issue in the case was that Microsoft embedded it's Own Browser in it's Operating System for free .

On This day 2000 , Judge Jackson issued a two-part ruling: his conclusions of law were that Microsoft had committed monopolization, attempted monopolization, and tying in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act, and his remedy was that Microsoft must be broken into two separate units, one to produce the operating system, and one to produce other software components.

2004 Spain - Madrid Railway Bombers

2004 : Five suspects in the Madrid railway bombings blew themselves up in a building outside the Spanish capital.

2006 United States - Moussaoui is eligible for the death penalty

2006 : Al-Qaeda's Zacarias Moussaoui has been found eligible for the death penalty by a federal jury in Alexandria, Virginia. This is the first U.S. trial for the 9-11 terrorist attacks. The jurors agreed with federal prosecutors that Moussaoui's lies to F.B.I. agents had resulted in multiple deaths. The jury had reached their verdict on the fourth day of deliberations. Moussaoui refused to stand in court, and showed no reaction to the verdict until the jurors had left.

Today in Labor History April 3, 2025

 

Pietro Botto, the socialist mayor of Haledon, New Jersey invited the Paterson silk mill strikers to assemble in front of his house. 20,000 showed up to hear speakers from the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), Upton Sinclair, John Reed and others, who urged them to remain strong in their fight.  The Paterson strike lasted from February 1 until July 28, 1913. Workers were fighting for the eight-hour workday and better working conditions. Over 1,800 workers were arrested during the strike, including IWW leaders Big Bill Haywood and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn. Five were killed. Overall, the strike was poorly organized and confined to Paterson. The IWW, the main organizer of the strike, eventually gave up. – 1913

Sailors, escorted by police, destroyed the IWW building in Kansas City after the U.S. declared war. The action inspired similar attacks in Detroit, Duluth and other towns that had a large IWW presence. – 1917

Martin Luther King Jr. returned to Memphis to stand with striking AFSCME sanitation workers. That evening, he delivered his famous “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech in a church packed with union members and others. He was assassinated the following day. – 1968

Wednesday Morning in the Blogosphere

 

E&P’s Masters of Media 2025 - E&P Magazine

Newsquest now employing 36 ‘AI-assisted reporters’ - Press Gazette

The ACOS Alliance: Protecting a free and independent press - E&P Magazine

Media Alliance urges administration to forgo targeted newsprint tariffs - Media Alliance

How to grow and sustain readership when you run your own news project - Journalism UK

Important Events From This day in History April 2

 

1982 Falklands Islands - Argentina invades Falklands Islands

1982 : Argentina invaded the Falklands Islands, and quickly overcame the small garrison of British marines at the town of Stanley on East Falkland, this led to the Falklands Crisis ( Both sides never used the word war all throughout the conflict although the popular press in both countries did ), . The final official date of the conflict is given as 14th June just 6 weeks after the Argentinean Invasion with Britain back in full control of the Islands. Find More What happened in 1982

1980 U.S.A. - Windfall Act on Oil Industries High Profits

1980 : Following the increases of petrol in the mid to late 70's President Carter urged Congress to create legislation that would take advantage of the oil industry's high profits . And the "Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act" did by collecting roughly $227 billion dollars over the next 10 years .

1801 U.S.A. - The Battle of Copenhagen

1801 : Twelve British ships commanded by Horatio Nelson aboard HMS Elephant engaged with Danish ships, following an agreement between Nelson and the Danish commander, Crown Prince Frederick to call a truce Nelson landed in Copenhagen and on May 19th, 1801 was awarded the Viscount Nelson of the Nile and of Burnham Thorpe in the County of Norfolk.

1917 U.S.A. - US Troops To World War I

1917 : President Woodrow Wilson tells Congress "The world must be made safe for democracy." asking Congress for a declaration of war and to send U.S. troops into battle against Germany in World War I .

1932 U.S.A. - Lindbergh Pays Ransom

1932 : Charles Lindbergh, whose son was kidnapped paid $50,000 ransom in a New York cemetery to a man who promised to return his kidnapped son. ( His son is later found dead after being murdered by Bruno Hauptmann, who was executed )

1941 Africa - Rommel Continues Advance Into Libya

1941 : Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel, "the Desert Fox," resumes his advance into Cyrenaica, modern-day Libya, signaling the beginning of what nine days later will become the recapture of Libya by the Axis forces.

1956 U.S.A. - "As the World Turns"

1956 : As the World Turns the first half-hour serial is aired at 1:30 PM airing each weekday on CBS. Currently the show is one hour long set in the fictional town of Oakdale, Illinois, with between over 13,000 episodes being shown.

1972 U.S.A. - Charlie Chaplin returns to the United States

1972 : Following 20 years of self imposed exile after he was accused of "un-American activities" as a suspected communist sympathizer during the era of McCarthyism. He returned only to receive an Honorary Oscar at the Academy Awards, and went back to his home in Vevey, Switzerland.

1974 France - President Georges Pompidou

1974 : The French President Georges Pompidou died from Waldenström macroglobulinemia in Paris.

1977 UK - Red Rum Grand National

1977 : Red Rum the diminutive horse with the heart of a champion wins the English Grand National for a record third time after winning in 1973 and 1974. The Grand National is widely recognized as one of the testing races in the world with the majority of horses falling or refusing to continue. This year was no exception with 9 of the 42 starters completing the 4.5 mile (7.2 kilometre) course at Aintree in Liverpool.

1979 Russia - Anthrax Epidemic

1979 : The world’s first anthrax epidemic begins in Ekaterinburg, Russia by the time it was finished 62 people were dead. The town did contain a biological weapons plant, and in 1992 the cause was confirmed as starting at that plant

1982 Falklands Islands Argentina invades Falklands Islands

1982 : Argentina invaded the Falklands Islands, and quickly overcame the small garrison of British marines at the town of Stanley on East Falkland, this led to the Falklands Crisis ( Both sides never used the word war all throughout the conflict although the popular press in both countries did ), . The final official date of the conflict is given as 14th June just 6 weeks after the Argentinean Invasion with Britain back in full control of the Islands.

1986 Greece - Bomb Explodes on TWA Boeing 727

1986 : Bomb Explodes on TWA Boeing 727 tearing hole in the side of the aircraft which sucks four passengers including an eight-month old baby from the aircraft. The TWA Passenger Jet was flying over Greece, on its way to Athens, when the bomb exploded

1987 U.S.A. - Speed Limit Increased to 65 MPH

1987 : Congress passed laws which allowed each state to increase the speed limit on rural roads from 55mph to 65mph. observed on our country's roads

1989 Cuba - Soviet Leader Visits Cuba To Patch Up Relations

1989 : Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev arrives in Havana to meet with Fidel Castro . Much of the problems stemmed from Russia's inability to continue large scale aid to Cuba due to it's economic woes.

1992 U.S.A. - John Gotti

1992 : Mob boss John Gotti often referred to as "The Teflon Don" because of the number of times he was charged but not convicted is finally convicted in New York of racketeering, murder, obstruction of justice, hijacking, illegal gambling, extortion, tax evasion and loan sharking largely helped through the testimony of an ex high ranking member of the Mafia who had turned informant Salvatore Gravano. John Gotti is sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, where he died in 2002.

1998 France - Maurice Papon

1998 : A Former cabinet minister Maurice Papon is sentenced to 10 years in jail after proof is published in the press showing his signature on papers deportation 1,690 Jews of Bordeaux to Drancy internment camp from 1942 to 1944 during World War II.

Today in Labor History April 2nd

 

The Union Label Trades Department is chartered by the American Federation of Labor.  Its mission: promote the products and services produced in America by union members, especially those products identified by a union label, shop card, store card, and service button - 1909

The Supreme Court declares unconstitutional a 1918 Washington, D.C., law establishing a minimum wage for women - 1923

Argentina occupies the Falkland Islands The invasion escalated a long-standing conflict between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the archipelago in the South Atlantic. It triggered the Falklands War, which was won by the U.K. - 1982

Major league baseball players end a 232-day strike, which began the prior August 12 and led to the cancellation of the 1994 postseason and the World Series - 1995

Tuesday Morning in the Blogosphere

 Press men 1951

Newsmax valuation soars in MAGA media boom - Axios

The Newspaper Flourishing Without a Paywall - New York Magazine

Has the Tariff War Brought Highcon to Bankruptcy? - Printing Impressions

Concerned about press freedom? Here are some things you can do about it - Poynter

Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers announces leadership changes - The Daily Gazette

Important Events From This day in History April 1

 

1918 Great Britain - Royal Air force is Founded

1918 : The Royal Air force is founded in England, this is truly an amazing piece of History as the first flight was only made 8 years before by Wilbur and Wright and for countries around the World to set up a separate arms of the Forces shows how important politicians believed the aircraft would become as a part of the military.

The aircraft in use in 1918 when the RAF started included the Sopwith Pup, Bristol F2B Fighters, Sopwith Camels and Royal Aircraft Factory SE5's

1933 Germany - Persecution of Jews

1933 : Nazi Germany begins the persecution of German Jews by declaring a boycott of Jewish owned businesses

, 1945 U.S.A. - US Forces Land on Okinawa

1945 : The United States Tenth Army commanded by Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. land on Okinawa, main island of the Ryukyus, 362 miles from the Japanese home islands.

The Occupation of Island of Okinawa was considered crucial if there is to be an invasion of the Japanese mainland and during the campaign the U.S. Navy sustained greater casualties in this operation than in any other battle of the war and it was not until on about June 21st , ( 11 weeks ) that the main battles for the Island ended. ( In the event the Nuclear Bombs changed military strategy. )

, 1946 U.S.A. - Hawaii Earthquake and Tsunami

1946 : A major undersea earthquake measuring 7.4 magnitude in the north pacific ocean caused a Tsunami that by the time it reached Hawaii some 2,400 miles away and travelling at 500 miles per hour, only 4 1/2 hours after the quake waves reaching 60ft in height hit coastal areas of Hawaii causing the deaths of 150 + . This Tsunami prompted the setting up of the U.S. to establish the Seismic SeaWave Warning System to help in evacuation but any similar occurrence today would be even more devastating as can be shown with the damage and loss of life caused by Hurricane Katrina where the warning was greater than 6 hours.

, 1970 U.S.A. - AMC Gremlin

The AMC group introduced one of the first sub compact cars way back in 1970 before many realized gas prices would be a critical factor in future car buying, the car was called the Gremlin and cost $1879. Car imports were just starting to have an impact on the US market including the Volkswagen Beetle and the new generation of Japanese imports like the Datsun.

, 1970 U.S.A. - Cigarette Advertising Banned

1970 : President Nixon signed into law the banning of cigarette advertising on television and radio.

1983 UK - CND Peace Demonstrators

1983 : Tens of thousands of CND peace demonstrators form a human chain stretching 14 miles across Southern England from the American airbase at Greenham Common, via the Aldermaston nuclear research centre and ending at the ordnance factory in Burghfield.

1990 UK - Strangeways Prison

1990 : A thousand prisoners run amok in Strangeways Prison in Manchester in a violent riot setting fire to the chapel and gymnasium, and a number of prison cells, the inmates are protesting the primitive conditions and severe overcrowding.

The riot at Strangeways lasted 25 days the longest in British penal history.

, 1991 U.S.A. - Riverboat Gambling

1991 : Iowa becomes one of the first states to allow riverboat gambling .

, 1999 Europe - The Euro

1999 : Eleven countries in the European Union adopted the Euro as a common currency as the dream of monetary union became reality.

, 1999 U.S.A. - Melissa" e-mail virus

1999 : David Smith is arrested and charged with originating the "Melissa" e-mail virus, which infected more than 1 million computers worldwide and caused more than $80 million in damage.

Melissa is classified as a computer worm and shut down Internet mail systems that got clogged with infected e-mails propagating from the worm. Melissa was spread via the word processors Microsoft Word 97 and Word 2000 through the use of an inbuilt macro in the template and could mass-mail itself from e-mail client Microsoft Outlook 97 or Outlook 98.

, 1999 Great Britain - Minimum Wages

1999 : Britain introduces the first ever legally binding minimum rate of pay. From This Day all adults must be paid at least £3.60 an hour and workers under the age of 22 must get no less than £3 an hour.

I have created a small chart below giving an idea of some of the yearly earnings based ( equiv in US Dollars ) on minimum wage for an Adult Working Full Time in that country in 2007. If the figures depend on State of Province or by trade and profession we have taken the lowest figure paid.

Country Annual wage based on Minimum Wage In Equiv US Dollars

Algeria 3,799

Angola 973

Argentina 9,266

Australia 18,382

Belarus 1,987

Belgium 17,879

Brazil 3,130

Burundi 11

Canada 10,196

Chad 1,638

China No Minimum Wage Exists

Costa Rica 4,505

Czech Republic 7,168

Dominican Republic 2,305

El Salvador 1,747

Ethiopia 1,656

France 16,668

Haiti 1,497

Hungary 6,504

India No Minimum Wage Exists

Indonesia 1,369

Ireland 18,842

Jamaica 2,544

Japan 10,599

Kazakhstan 1,619

Kenya 1,785

Libya 1,143

Luxembourg 21,070

Malawi 594

Mexico 1,557

Netherlands 17,015

New Zealand 15,822

Nigeria 831

Poland 5,918

Portugal 7,258

Russia 871

Slovakia 5,400

South Africa 3,794

Switzerland 15,466

Uganda 206

United Kingdom 22,368

United States 12,168

Many Many Countries including China and India who are listed above do not have minimum wages and the countries range from very westernized countries like Germany, Finland and Norway through to some of the poorest countries in the World like Bangladesh, North Korea and Rwanda.

The figures do not mean workers will only earn that per year but are the minimum set if there is a minimum.

For much more detail and including many countries not listed here check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minimum_wages_by_country

Today in Labor History April 1st, 2025

 

Textile workers at the Loray Mill in Gastonia, North Carolina

Many believe that Cincinnati on this day became the first U.S. city to pay fire fighters a regular salary. Others say no, it was Boston, back in 1678, exact date unknown - 1853

United Mine Workers of America win 8-hour day - 1898 

San Francisco laundry workers strike for wage increases and an 8-hour day - 1907

What was to become a 13-week strike begins today in Hopedale, Mass., when hundreds of workers seeking higher pay and a 9-hour day gathered in the street near the Draper Corp. loom-making plant.  The president of the company declared:  “We will spend $1 million to break this strike,” and, in fact, did, aided by hundreds of sworn “special policemen” with clubs.  Police were drawn from a three-state area as well - 1913
(Strike! Revised, Expanded, and Updated Edition: In this latest edition of Strike! you can read about labor-management conflicts that have occurred over the past 140 years. Here you’ll learn much about workers’ struggle to win a degree of justice, from the workers’ point of view. Brecher also examines the ever-shifting roles and configurations of unions, from the Knights of Labor of the 1800s to the AFL-CIO of the 1990s.)

Unionized miners at West Virginia’s Coal River Colliery Co. (CRC) strike for union scale. CRC was an investment venture of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLE), with shares owned by BLE members - 1924 (Source: Conflict at Coal River Collieries: The UMWA Versus the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, by Thomas J. Robertson & Ronald L. Lewis) 

Strike of cotton mill workers begins in Gastonia, N.C. During the strike, police raided the strikers’ tent colony; the chief of police was killed. The strike leaders were framed for murder and convicted, but later freed - 1929 

Some 400,000 members of the United Mine Workers strike for higher wages and employer contributions to the union’s health and welfare fund. President Truman seizes the mines - 1946 

Forty thousand textile workers strike in cotton and rayon mills of six southern states, seeking higher pay, sickness and accident insurance, and pensions - 1951 

Longest newspaper strike in U.S. history, 114 days, ends in New York City. Workers at nine newspapers were involved - 1963 

Major league baseball players begin what is to become a 13-day strike, ending when owners agree to increase pension fund payments and to add salary arbitration to the collective bargaining agreement - 1972 

Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters merges with Brotherhood of Railway, Airline & Steamship Clerks, Freight Handlers, Express & Station Employees - 1978 

Eleven-day strike by 34,000 New York City transit workers begins, halts bus and subway service in all five boroughs before strikers return to work with a 17 percent raise over two years plus a cost-of-living adjustment - 1980 

United Cement, Lime & Gypsum Workers Int’l Union merges with Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers & Helpers - 1984 

Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers granted a charter by the AFL-CIO - 1989 

The U.S. minimum wage increases to $3.80 per hour - 1990 

The United Mine Workers of America dedicates the John L. Lewis Mining and Labor Museum at Lewis’ boyhood home in Lucas, Iowa - 1990 

The U.S. minimum wage increases to $4.25 per hour - 1991 

Players begin the first strike in the 75-year history of the National Hockey League. They win major improvements in the free agency system and other areas of conflict, and end the walkout after 10 days - 1992