Today in Labor History October 23rd, 2025

 

An explosion and fire demolished the Phillips Petroleum refinery in Pasadena, Texas killing 23 and injuring 314.  The initial blast registered 3.5 on the Richter scale, and the fire took 10 hours to bring under control. – 1989

1915: Women's suffrage march

• Tens of thousands of women marched up Fifth Avenue in New York City to demand the right to vote.
• The parade, organized by the Woman Suffrage Party, was one of many actions in the ongoing fight for women's suffrage. 

1902: Western Pennsylvania coal strike

• President Theodore Roosevelt established a fact-finding commission to investigate the ongoing strike by Western Pennsylvania coal miners.
• The commission's formation suspended the nine-month-long strike, which was focused on issues of better pay, shorter workdays, and union recognition. 

2001: Anthrax deaths of postal workers

• Two postal workers, Joseph Curseen and Thomas Morris, died after inhaling anthrax spores at a mail sorting center in Washington, D.C.
• Their deaths were a result of a series of letters containing anthrax spores that were sent to various U.S. Senate offices and news outlets.