Today in Labor History July 9, 2026

 

The Charleston Five

Federal troops raided the IWW hall in Yakima, Washington. – 1917

The worst rail accident in U.S history occurred when two passenger trains operated by the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway (“NC&StL”) collided head-on at Dutchman’s curve in west Nashville, Tennessee. 101 people died, and another 171 were injured. – 1918

New England Telephone “girls” went on strike for a seven-hour workday, $27 weekly pay after four years’ service. – 1923

New York City subway system managers in the Bronx attempted to make cleaning crews on the IRT line work faster by forcing the use of a 14-inch squeegee instead of the customary 10-inch tool. Six workers were fired for insubordination; a two-day walkout by the Transport Workers Union won a reversal of the directive and the workers’ reinstatement. – 1935

The first U.S. mine safety law was enacted to prevent mine disasters. – 1952

United Packinghouse, Food & Allied Workers merged with Amalgamated Meat Cutters & Butcher Workmen. – 1968

Five thousand demonstrators rallied at the state capitol in Columbia, South Carolina in support of the “Charleston Five,” labor activists. The Five were longshoremen and union members of Local 1422 of the International Longshoremen’s Association. The were peacefully protesting a Danish freight company’s use of non-union workers on the Charleston docks when a fight broke out between picketing workers and the police force. The Charleston Five were arrested along with four others and were held on felony charges which could have carried a prison sentence of up to 10 years. They were finally freed of all charges in November 2001 after a one-year trial, throughout which they were kept under house arrest. – 2001

Important Events From This day in History July 9

 

 

1984 Wing of York Minster Gutted By Fire

1984 : A 760-year-old wing of York Minster, the largest medieval cathedral in Britain, was gutted by a fierce fire started by lightning. A rescue party save most of the historic and valuable artifacts from the burning cathedral including tapestries and silver candlesticks. These Bells are still rung by hand and the sound is stunning [ the heaviest bell (Great Peter) weighs 10.8 tons ].

1941 UK Enigma Code Broken

1941 : British cryptologists break the secret code (Enigma) used by the German army to direct ground-to-air operations on the Eastern front.

1932 U.S.A. Beer Bill Rejected Again

1932 : A bill to legalize beer containing 3.2 percent alcohol was presented to the senate but was again rejected keeping the country dry for a further period.

1947 UK Princess Elizabeth

1947 : Princess Elizabeth the future Queen of England announces her engagement to Lt. Philip Mountbatten.

1982 Michael Fagan Breaks Into Queen's Bedroom

1982 : 30-year-old Michael Fagan broke into Buckingham Palace morning and spent 10 minutes talking with Queen Elizabeth II in her bedroom before being arrested inside the palace at 3 a.m. Major questions were asked on how he evaded 43 soldiers, 24 police, 350 palace staff members, dog patrols, surveillance cameras, electronic listening devices and other equipment.

1991 South Africa Admitted To Olympics

1991 : South Africa is readmitted into the Olympics after 20 years, they were expelled from the IOC in 1970 because of apartheid policies of racial segregation.

1995 U.S.A. Grateful Dead

1995 : The Grateful Dead played their last concert including the lead guitarist Jerry Garcia, at Soldier Field in Chicago.

1960 U.S.A. Cuba Concerns Castro

1960 : With the continuing cold war and the new communist revolutionary Fidel Castro taking control of Cuba which then became the focus of arguments between President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev due to Americas concern over having a communist controlled country within striking distance of the United States.

1966 U.S.A. Prison Riot

1966 : Prisoners at Maryland Penitentiary rioted setting fire to a number of buildings, the riot was stopped in the end by authorities using tear gas on the 1200 inmates.

1975 U.S.A. Earthquake Minnesota

1975 : In Morris, Minnesota, an earthquake of with a magnitude of almost five strikes the area.

1996 UK Michael Stone

1996 : A family is attacked in the small English village of Nonington by a man wielding a hammer on their way home, he then bludgeoned them one by one. One daughter Josie 9 years old was the sole survivor of the vicious assault. Michael Stone was arrested 12 months later and charged with the murder of Dr. Lin Russell and her daughter Megan.

1998 Azores Earthquake

1998 : A magnitude 5.9 Earthquake strikes the Portuguese Azores killing at least 10 with many more still missing in the rubble. The Portuguese government has reacted quickly sending medical supplies, portable generators, rescue workers with sniffer dogs, and 100's of tents for temporary sleeping accommodation.

2000 UK Pete Sampras Wimbledon

2000 : Pete Sampras wins his seventh and final Wimbledon singles title, tying the record with William Renshaw for men at the All England Club. He had won on 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000.

2003 Bangladesh Ferry Disaster

2003 : The ferry "MV Nasrin-1" travelling from Dhaka, to Lalmohan hits strong winds and high seas causing the ferry to overturn (it is also believed the ferry was overloaded with passengers and cargo) making it more unstable. At least 500 are believed to have drowned in the strong currents and 200 are rescued.

2004 Iraq War Justification Believed False

2004 : A Senate Intelligence Committee report concluded the CIA had provided unfounded assessments of the threat posed by Iraq which the Bush administration used to justify for invasion of Iraq.

2006 Venezuela New Oil and Gas Pipeline

2006 : Construction on a gas and oil pipeline began in Venezuela. The project, with a cost of $200 Million is supposed to extend Venezuelan gas and oil to parts of Central America, including Colombia and Panama. The pipeline would not only provide gas and oil to Central America, but would speed up exportation of the products to East Asia by extending this pipeline to the Pacific Ocean.

2007 U.S.A. Boeing 787 Dreamliner

2007 : The plane manufacturer Boeing showed its plans for its new environmentally friendly airplane the 787 Dreamliner, on this day. This marks the first newly designed jet from the company for twelve years. The plane was said to be composed of more carbon fiber than aluminum and would produce twenty percent less carbon dioxide than other planes.

2008 Turkey Terrorist Attack US Consulate

2008 : In an attack on the United States consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, a total of six people were killed on this day. The attacks were linked to an Islamic fundamentalist group by the name of the Great Eastern Islamic Raiders.

2011 South Sudan Holds Independence Ceremony

2011 : Tens of thousands of people gathered in Juba to witness the raising of the flag of the newly formed South Sudan at an independence ceremony. The new president of the new nation, Salva Kiir, signed the constitution and took his oath of office at the ceremony. South Sudan's formation follows decades of conflict with its Northern neighbor Sudan, which became the first country to recognize its independence in an official manner. Sudan's president and the UN chief were among onlookers at the ceremony.

Today in Labor History – July 7, 2026

 Mother Jones

Striking New York longshoremen met to discuss ways to keep new immigrants from scabbing. They were successful, at least for a time. On July 14, 500 newly arrived Jews marched straight from their ship to the union hall. On July 15, 250 Italian immigrants stopped scabbing on the railroad and joined the union. – 1882

The March of the Mill Children, the three-week trek from Philadelphia to President Roosevelt’s home on Long Island by striking child and adult textile workers, was launched by Mary Harris “Mother” Jones. The march turned public attention on the scourge of child labor and energized efforts to end it by law. – 1903

Cloakmakers began what was to be a two-month strike against New York City sweatshops. – 1910

Workers began construction on the Boulder Dam (now known as Hoover Dam) on the Colorado River, during the Great Depression. Wages and conditions were horrible—16 workers and work camp residents died of the heat over just a single 30-day period—and two strikes over the four years of construction led to only nominal improvements in pay and conditions. – 1931

The Puerto Rican general strike of 1998 began as a strike of the Puerto Rico Telephone Company (PRTC) workers protested a government privatization plan. Three weeks later, 500,000 people joined a two-day general strike, bringing commerce and travel to a standstill. The strike failed to stop the privatization plan, and in July a consortium led by GTE bought the PRTC for $1.9 billion. – 1998

Important Events From This day in History July 7

 

  

2007 Seven Wonders of the Modern World

2007 : An official declaration of the new Seven Wonders of the Modern World was made determined from a worldwide poll organized by the New7Wonders Foundation. The New Wonders of the World are:

1. The Great Wall of China (It is the largest man made monument ever to have been built and is visible from space.)

2. Petra, Jordan (Petra On the edge of the Desert, was the glittering capital of the Nabataean empire of King Aretas IV)

3. Christ Redeemer Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Statue of Jesus stands some 38 meters tall, atop the Corcovado mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro)

4. Machu Picchu, Peru (Ancient Inca City built by the Incan Emperor Pachacútec halfway up the Andes Plateau, and deep in the Amazon jungle)

5. Pyramid at Chichén Itzá, Mexico (the most famous Mayan temple city, served as the political and economic center of the Mayan civilization)

6. The Roman Colosseum, Italy (This great amphitheater in the center of Rome to celebrate the glory of the Roman Empire)

7. The Taj Mahal, India (This immense mausoleum by the fifth Muslim Mogul emperor, to honor the memory of his beloved late wife)

The original 7 wonders of the world were:

1. Great Pyramid of Giza Egypt (Built as the tomb of Fourth dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Khufu) still standing

2. Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Multi-leveled gardens reaching 22 meters (75 feet) high) destroyed by earthquake

3. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (took 120 years to build Dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis) destroyed by Arson

4. Statue of Zeus at Olympia Greece (40 feet tall) destroyed by fire or earthquake.

5. Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus (Stood approximately 45 meters (135 feet) tall with each of the four sides adorned with sculptural reliefs) disassembled by European Crusaders

6. Colossus of Rhodes (giant statue of the Greek god Helios roughly) Destroyed by Earthquake

7. Lighthouse of Alexandria (between 383 - 440 ft tall it was among the tallest man-made structures on Earth for many centuries) Destroyed By Earthquake

1924 U.S.A. President Coolidge

1924 : President Coolidge's 16 year old son Calvin has died due to blood poisoning caused by a blister on his foot becoming infected.

1930 U.S.A. Hoover Dam

1930 : Construction begins on the Hoover Dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada. As there was no town near the dam construction site workers and their families were housed in temporary camps. The original project was called the Boulder Dam but was dedicated later as the Hoover Dam in honor of President Hoover.

1942 Poland Auschwitz Concentration Camp

1942 : Heinrich Himmler, together with a physician, begins experimenting on women in the Auschwitz concentration camps.

1947 U.S.A. Roswell Timeline

1947 : William Brazel notices strange debris while working on the Foster ranch, where he was foreman, some 70 miles (110 km) north of Roswell.

Jul. 7th: Roswell Army Air Field. Major Jesse Marcel collects debris 75 miles northwest of Roswell, New Mexico, scattered over an area 300 years wide and ¾ of a mile long. This led to rumors of an alien crash.

July 8th: The Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF) issue a press release stating that personnel had recovered a crashed "flying disc" from a ranch near Roswell, sparking intense media interest, later that day the press release is amended to say a "weather balloon" had been recovered.

1978: All goes quiet for 30 years until 1978 when Stanton T. Friedman interviews Major Jesse Marcel, who was involved with the original recovery of the debris in 1947 who expressed his belief that the military had covered up the recovery of an alien spacecraft.

February 1980: The National Enquirer interviews with Major Jesse Marcel bringing national and worldwide attention for the Roswell incident.

1989: Former mortician Glenn Dennis gives a detailed personal account claiming that alien autopsies were carried out at the Roswell base.

Since then Government reports have been released explaining the incident as likely debris from a secret government program called Project Mogul. Was Roswell a cover up or just a series of unexplained events with rational explanations will depend on who you believe and the number of "eye witness accounts" that were given for publicity or the governments explanation of a secret project. In differing books on the subject timelines appear to have changed.

1958 U.S.A. Alaska Statehood Act

1958 : The Alaska Statehood Act is signed by President Dwight Eisenhower. This will make Alaska the 49th State in January of the following year.

1969 Vietnam U.S. Troop Withdrawal

1969 : The initial withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Vietnam begins with the withdrawal of the U.S. 9th Infantry Division, the first of 25,000 troops that were withdrawn in the first stage of the U.S. disengagement from the Vietnam war.

1969 Brian Jones Former Rolling Stones Guitarist

1969 : The inquest into the death of rock and roll star Brian Jones the former Rolling Stones Guitarist has recorded a verdict of death by misadventure, when he had drowned after taking a cocktail of drink and drugs.

1976 U.S.A. West Point

1976 : Women are enrolled into the United States Military Academy at West Point for the first time in history.

1981 U.S.A. Sandra Day O'Connor

1981 : Arizona Judge Sandra Day O'Connor is nominated by President Ronald Reagan to become the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

1983 U.S.A. Samantha Smith

1983 : Samantha Smith, an 11 year old after Earlier in the year sending a letter to Soviet President Yuri V. Andropov asking why the Soviet Union wants to conquer the world. She was invited to Russia to meet the Soviet President and set off on her visit as the youngest Ambassador in US History on a two week trip to the Soviet Union.

1985 England Boris Becker Wins Wimbledon

1985 : Boris Becker wins the men's Wimbledon championships breaking multiple records in the process.

1. The youngest ever player to win the men's title at the Wimbledon tennis tournament.

2. The first German ever to win the men's title.

3. The first unseeded player to ever win the championship.

1987 Germany Petrol Tanker Accident

1987 : A petrol tanker truck crashes into an ice cream parlor in Herborn, Germany causing a massive explosion and fire which caused the death of 50 people who were trapped in the ice cream parlor.

1998 Nigeria Riots Lagos

1998 : Riots have broken out in Lagos, Nigeria following the death of the opposition leader "Chief Moshood Abiola". The riots continued for 4 days leaving over 50 dead.

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Today in Labor History July 6th

 

Bloody Thursday

Thousands of United States Marshals and some 12,000 United States Army troops, commanded by Brigadier General Nelson Miles, interfered with a peaceful labor strike led by Eugene Debs against the Pullman Palace Car Company, which had drastically cut wages. President Cleveland wanted the trains moving again and based the action on his constitutional responsibility for the mail. His lawyers argued that the boycott violated the Sherman Antitrust Act and represented a threat to the public safety. Federal troops killed 34 American Railway Union members in the Chicago area and buildings constructed for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago’s Jackson Park were set ablaze, reducing seven to ashes. Debs and others were imprisoned for violating injunctions. – 1894

Two strikers were shot and killed and more than 100 were injured by San Francisco police in what came to be known as “Bloody Thursday,” leading to one of the last General Strikes in U.S. that effectively shut down both San Francisco and Oakland. The governor called in the National Guard to suppress the strike in what one paper called “War In San Francisco!”  Police and National Guard violence led to 43 injuries due to clubbing and gas, and 30 more from bullet wounds. Two chemical companies used the unrest as an opportunity to test and sell their wares.  Joseph Roush, from Federal Laboratories, shot a long-range tear gas shell at the strikers. He then told his company, “I might mention that during one of the riots, I shot a long-range projectile into a group, a shell hitting one man and causing a fracture of the skull, from which he has since died. As he was a Communist, I have had no feeling in the matter and I am sorry that I did not get more.” – 1934

The National Labor Relations Act, also known as the Wagner Act, was signed by President Roosevelt. This statute guarantees the basic right of private sector employees to organize into trade unions, engage in collective bargaining for better terms and conditions at work, and to take collective action including striking when necessary. The act also created the National Labor Relations Board, which conducts elections that can require employers to engage in collective bargaining with labor unions. The Act does not apply to workers who are covered by the Railway Labor Act, agricultural employees, domestic employees, supervisors, federal, state, or local government workers, independent contractors and some close relatives to individual employers. – 1935

Eleven firefighters and one railway employee were killed in an explosion in Kingman, Arizona., as propane was being transferred from a railroad car to a storage tank. – 1973

Rebel Longshoreman, writer and Wobbly Gilbert Mers (1908-1998) died. Mers wrote the book “Working the Waterfront: The Ups and Downs of a Rebel Longshoreman” in which he exposed the Texas Rangers of the 1930s and 1940s as legalized strike-breaking bullies. – 1998

Important Events From This day in History July 6

 

 

1942 Holland Anne Frank

1942 : Anne Frank and her family take refuge in a secret sealed-off area of an Amsterdam warehouse to escape being sent to Nazi concentration camps. In 1944 the Nazi Gestapo discovered the hiding place and the family was shipped off to a concentration camp, Anne Frank died in 1945 at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany of typhus.

1972 Women Admitted as Officer Cadets

1972 : The United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland where it educates and commissions officers admits women for the first time in its history with the induction of 81 female midshipmen (officer cadets).

1924 U.S.A. Meteor Shower

1924 : A large Meteor Shower lands on Johnstown, Colorado with the largest weighing approximately 14 pounds.

1944 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus

1944 : A fire breaks out under the big top of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, killing 167 people and injuring 682 in Hartford, Connecticut.

1952 End of the Line for Trams in London

1952 : The last of the trams in London ends it's journey ending nearly 100 years of trams in London . After the last of these electric trams goes the rails will be pulled up and some of the tunnels will be converted ready for the increased London car traffic.

2000 Price of a Barrel of Oil drops below $30.00

2000 : Saudi Arabia has announced it may well break from OPEC and make a unilateral decision to increase it's oil production by 500,000 barrels a day to ease oil prices. This will be in addition to the OPEC announcement to increase production by 708,000 barrels a day. The price of crude oil has tripled in just 18 months from $10.00 a barrel to $30.00 a barrel causing concerns over a world wide recession due to inflation pressures.

1953 East Germany Russian Firing Squads

1953 : Russian firing squads have executed 46 East German police for taking part in the workers revolt in East Germany against communist rule last month.

1955 U.S.A. Air Pollution Control Act

1955 : The Federal Air Pollution Control Act was implemented for research into causal analysis and control of car-emission pollution. The killer fog in London that had left over 4,000 dead created concern around the world over the effects of emissions pollution and the act made the funds available for analysis and control of car-emission pollution.

1967 Biafra War With Nigeria

1967 : After Biafra gains independence from Nigeria forces war breaks out between Nigeria and Biafra but Nigerian forces capture the provincial capital of Owerri and Biafra is forced to surrender.

1978 UK Train Fire Kills 11

1978 : A fire on the Penzance to Paddington sleeper leaves 11 dead who had been in sleeping compartments and many more injured.

1988 UK Piper Alpha Oil Rig Fire

1988 : An explosion on the Piper Alpha oil rig 120 miles off the north east coast of Scotland in the North Sea caused a fireball 350 feet high and engulfed the platform killing 167 workers.

1992 France Truck Driver Protest

1992 : Following lorry driver disruption on French roads over the last week the police and army have been ordered by the government to remove trucks blocking roads. At the worst area the on the A1 motorway south of Lille towards Paris 500 riot squad officers, supported by helicopters, took four hours to disperse the 150 vehicles jamming the road.

United States of America's 250th birthday

 

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Today in Labor History July 3, 2026

 

Hard rock miner in Telluride, Colorado

2000 workers, many of whom are children, from 20 textile mills in Paterson, NJ, went on strike. They demanded 11 hour days (down from 13.5 hours). Employers refused to negotiate and broke the strike by declaring a reduction in work hours to twelve hours daily during the week and nine hours on Saturdays. – 1835

Feminist Charlotte Perkins Gilman was born in Hartford, Connecticut. She was a prominent feminist, sociologist, novelist, writer of short stories, poetry and nonfiction, and a lecturer for social reform. Her best-remembered work today is her semi-autobiographical short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” which she wrote after a severe bout of postpartum psychosis. – 1860

A gun battle ensued when striking hard rock miners in Telluride, Colorado confronted scabs at the mine. Three died and six were injured. Later that day, the striking miners rounded up the scabs and ordered them to leave the country. The strike was settled three days later when owners agreed to the miners’ demands for $3/day and an either -hour day. – 1901

Important Events From This day in History July 3

 

 

1998 UK Rolls Royce Sold To Volkswagen

1998 : After many months of negotiations, together with a bidding war with BMW and high court battles Rolls Royce is sold to Volkswagen for £479m. Volkswagen has stated that the manufacture of Rolls Royce cars will continue at Rolls-Royce's Crewe headquarters in England. The Saga of who owned the rights to produce cars with the famous Rolls Royce emblem continued for the next few years as unknown to Volkswagen they had not bought the rights to use the RR Logo. Over the next few years BMW and Volkswagen did come to an arrangement where Volkswagen own and build Bentleys with Volkswagen Engines at the old Rolls Royce factory in Crewe in England and BMW own and produce Rolls Royce Cars with BMW engines at Goodwood in England.

1968 Vietnam Heavy U.S. Casualties

1968 : Figures released show that more Americans were killed during the first six months of 1968 than in all of 1967 and were a direct result of the communist Tet Offensive. Combined with heavy U.S. casualties and disillusionment with President Johnson's conduct of the Vietnam war his popularity with the people continued to decrease causing him to decide he would neither seek nor accept the nomination of his party for re-election.

1922 U.S.A. Forest Fires Olympia and Seattle

1922 : Forest fires in the state of Washington blaze through cities like Olympia and Seattle. The lumber companies throughout the state were in danger of significant losses to their industry unless heavy rains became a part of the forecast.

1939 Japan China Conflict

1939 : Dispatches report that Japanese and Soviet sponsored Outer Mongolian troops clash in the Manchoukuoan territory. Reports also disclosed that the Japanese offensive was in an effort to drive out Outer Mongolian troops back past the Khalka River.

1940 British Destroy French Fleet

1940 : Following the German invasion and occupation of France, French warships fled to the port of Mers-el-Kebir in Algeria. Britain gave the french Vichy government the options of the following for it's French Navy.

1. Join British naval forces in the fight against Germany

2. Hand the ships over to British crews

3. Disarm the French Navy Ships

4. Scuttle the ships

The French refused, so Britain fearing the French Ships would be used by the Germans to help with an invasion of England circled the port with British Warships and opened fire on the French fleet, killing 1,250 French sailors, damaging the battleship Dunkerque and destroying the Bretagne and the Provence.

1957 Nikita Khrushchev Purges Opposition

1957 : Nikita Khrushchev takes control in the Soviet Union by purging his most serious opponents from positions of authority in government.

1958 U.S.A. Hurricanes Connie and Diane

1958 : Following deadly floods caused by Hurricanes Connie and Diane in August 1955 President Eisenhower signs the Rivers and Harbors Flood Control Bill, allocating funds for improvement of flood-control and water-storage systems including specific provisions for hurricane flood protection.

1962 Algeria Independence

1962 : Following a referendum for independence on July 1st with a nearly unanimous decision. President De Gaulle of France pronounced Algeria an independent country on 3rd July (but the official date for celebration of independence is 5th July).

1966 England Vietnam Anti War Protests

1966 : The Vietnam Anti-War Protesters demonstration outside the US Embassy turns violent and 30 protesters are arrested.

1970 Spain Plane Crash

1970 : A British Dan Air charter flight heading for Spain's Costa Brava resort crashed into a mountain near Barcelona, Spain, killing 112 people.

1971 France Jim Morrison

1971 : The lead singer of "The Doors" Jim Morrison is found dead in a bathtub in his apartment in Paris with heart failure aggravated by excessive drinking.

1986 U.S.A. Statue of Liberty

1986 : After appointing a commission to save, restore and preserve the 150 feet tall Statue of Liberty in 1984, President Ronald Reagan led ceremonies to unveil the newly restored Statue of Liberty.

1987 France Butcher of Lyon

1987 : The Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie / Butcher of Lyon and the former head of Gestapo who was extradited from Bolivia to face charges is found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life imprisonment.

1988 US Shoots Down Iranian Passenger Jet

1988 : The U.S. Navy cruiser Vincennes shoots down an Iranian passenger jet that it mistakes for a hostile Iranian fighter aircraft in the Persian Gulf.

2000 UK Ken Livingstone

2000 : Ken Livingstone has taken up full powers as London's first directly elected mayor and told his supporters "The first duty of the mayor is to London."

2006 Mexico Elections

2006 : As results came in from Mexico’s federal elections conducted on July 2nd, the winner was unclear, with both the National Action Party and the Democratic Revolution Party claiming a win in the presidency. By September of 2006 the election results were confirmed with Felipe Calderon, the National Action Party’s candidate, as the new president of Mexico. This election also marked the first time the Institutional Revolutionary Party was third place in Congressional elections, the party was the ruling party for 71 years.

2006 Spain Valencia Train Crash

2006 : An underground train in Valencia, Spain crashed killing 41 people. The train derailed just as it approached Jesus Station. The crash is believed to have been caused by a broken wheel and excess speeds.

2008 U.S.A. Latest Jobless Figures

2008 : The latest US employment figures show US companies have cut workers for the sixth month in a row (June 62,000 jobs cut) fueling fears that the world's largest economy is heading towards a recession.

2008 U.S.A. Man Gives Birth

2008 : Thomas Beatie has given birth to a baby girl on this day. Beatie, born a female, was legally a male when he became pregnant. Despite going through the gender reassignment process, Beatie chose to keep his female reproductive organs in order to still be able to give birth to children.

2009 Sarah Palin Resigns as Governor of Alaska

2009 : Sarah Palin, former running-mate for John McCain, announced that she will resign from her office of governor of Alaska. The announcement was unexpected and it was suspected that the announcement came in time for Palin to prepare herself to run in the 2012 presidential election.

Clyde Ernest Hawkins III Rest in Peace

 

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Today in Labor History July 1, 2026

 The International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union Pickets

Steel workers in Cleveland, led by the Poles and Czech wire mill workers, began a violent strike in what was to be an 88-week strike against wage cuts. – 1885

The Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers staged what was to become an unsuccessful three-month strike against U.S. Steel Corp. Subsidiaries. – 1901

The International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU) organized the “Great Revolt”, a strike involving 50,000 cloakmakers that lasted over 4 months. Following the lead from women, the mostly male cloakmakers won uniform wages, a shorter workweek and paid holidays. As with the result of the strikes in 1909 and 1910, the ILGWU swelled in membership. – 1910

Some 1,100 streetcar workers went on strike in New Orleans, spurring the creation of the po’ boy sandwich by local sandwich shop owners and one-time streetcar men. “Whenever we saw one of the striking men coming,” Bennie Martin later recalled, “one of us would say, ‘Here comes another poor boy.’” Martin and his brother Clovis fed any striker who showed up. – 1929

The Great Railroad strike of 1922, commonly know as the “Big Strike” was a nationwide strike of railroad workers. Launched by seven of the sixteen railroad labor organizations in existence at the time, the strike lasted just over a month before collapsing. At least ten people, most of them strikers or family, were killed in connection with the strike. – 1922

The Hawaiian longshore strike brought together Japanese, Filipino and other ethnic plantation workers into one labor union. – 1937

The United Auto Workers (UAW), under the leadership of Walter Reuther, left the American Federation of Labor (AFL). They left because of conflicts between Reuther and AFL president George Meany. Reuther died in a plane crash in 1970, and the UAW did not rejoin the AFL until 1981. – 1968

The National Association of Post Office & General Service Maintenance Employees, the United Federation of Postal Clerks, the National Federation of Post Office Motor Vehicle Employees and the National Association of Special Delivery Messengers merge to become the American Postal Workers Union. – 1971

The International Jewelry Workers Union merged with Service Employees International Union. – 1980

The Graphic Arts International Union merged with the International Printing & Graphic Communications Union to become the Graphic Communications International Union, now a conference of the Teamsters. – 1983

Copper miners began a  years-long, bitter strike against Phelps-Dodge in Clifton, Arizona. Democratic Governor Bruce Babbitt repeatedly deployed state police and National Guardsmen to assist the company over the course of the strike, which broke the union. – 1983

The Amalgamated Clothing & Textile Workers Union merged with International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union to form the Union of Needletrades, Industrial & Textile Employees. – 1995

The International Chemical Workers Union merged with the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union. – 1996

The Newspaper Guild merged with the Communications Workers of America. – 1997

The United American Nurses affiliated with the AFL-CIO. – 2001

Important Events From This day in History July 1

 

  

1997 Hong Kong Handover

1997 : Hong Kong is handed back to the Chinese authorities after 156 years as a British colony. Tung Chee-hwa was sworn in as Hong Kong's new leader.

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1916 France The Somme

1916 : After bombing the area of no mans land between German and English Forces in Somme region of France the English soldiers went over the trenches expecting little German resistance , but the Germans had large numbers of Machine Guns trained on the area and by the end of the day 20,000 British soldiers were dead and another 40,000 had injuries, this became one of the worst military decisions in history and the offensive was eventually stopped after 4 1/2 months with 600,000 British and French soldiers killed, wounded, or missing in the action.

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1956 U.S.A. Interstate Highways

1956 : President Eisenhower called for $50 billion to be spent over 13 years for the construction of over 42,500 miles of interstate highways using the Interstate Highway Revenue Act which was to be funded by taxing gasoline, currently this tax is 19 cents for each gallon of gas.

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1920 Germany Debt 200,000,000,000

1920 : The nation of Germany reports its total debt as 200,000,000,000 marks as of this day in history. In addition to the nation's large amount of debt, food riots breakout in various locations including Lubec throughout the country.

1932 U.S.A. Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt

1932 : Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt was selected as the presidential nominee at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

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1932 China Japanese Troops

1932 : Japanese troops took over a Chinese customs office in a city on the Chinese Eastern Railroad . The Japanese forced the Chinese customs official and his staff to evacuate the building.

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1942 Egypt Rommel's Afrika Korps

1942 : After suffering earlier defeats at the hands of Rommel's Afrika Korps British troops after receiving much needed supplies and additional troops from New Zealand, Canada and Australia went on the offensive against Rommel's Afrika Korps at El Alamein in Egypt, thus stopping his advance and becoming a turning point in the war in North Africa.

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1943 Sicily Allied Bombing

1943 : The allied Northeast African air forces bomb all of Sicily during a 24 hour raid. The attack was planned as an attempt to weaken Italy's outer defense during World War II.

Tuesday Morning in the Blogosphere

 Freshly printed newspapers

Navigating the generational news gap - E&P Magazine

When breaking news hits, trusted news organizations still win the race - E&P Magazine

L.A. Times Media Group Earns Top Honors at Southern California Journalism Awards - LAT

Guardian to create new positions to focus on more digital, visual, global journalism - Guardian

 

Which Americans are most likely to have spoken with a local journalist?- Pew Research Center

Today in Labor History June 30th, 2026

 Eugene V Debs

The Chicago Streetcar Strike began on this day and continued through July 7 – 1885

Following a series of speeches in which he condemned US involvement in World War I, labor leader Eugene Debs was arrested in Cleveland, Ohio for violating the Espionage Act with the “intent to interfere with the operation or success of the military or naval forces of the United States.” At his trial, Debs said, “I would oppose war if I stood alone.” He was found guilty and sentenced to ten years in prison. – 1918

Alabama outlawed the leasing of convicts to mine coal, a practice that had been in place since 1848. In 1898, 73 percent of the state’s total revenue came from this source. Twenty-five percent of all black leased convicts died. – 1928

The Walsh-Healey Act took effect today. It required companies that supply goods to the government to pay wages according to a schedule set by the Secretary of Labor. – 1936

The storied Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, a union whose roots traced back to the militant Western Federation of Miners, and which helped found the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), merged into the United Steelworkers of America. – 1967

Up to 40,000 New York construction workers demonstrated in midtown Manhattan, protesting the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s awarding of a $33 million contract to a nonunion company. Eighteen police and three demonstrators were injured. “There were some scattered incidents and some minor violence,” Police Commissioner Howard Safir told the New York Post. “Generally, it was a pretty well-behaved crowd.” – 1998

Nineteen firefighters died when they were overtaken by a wildfire they were battling in a forest northwest of Phoenix, Arizona. It was the deadliest wildfire involving firefighters in the US in at least 30 years. – 2013

Important Events From This day in History June 30

 

 

1953 U.S.A. The Corvette

1953 : The first all-fiberglass-bodied American sports car, the Corvette was produced on this day and with it's sleek lines is among the best car design ever produced by the American Car Industry.

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1900 U.S.A. New Jersey Ships Fire

1900 : A major fire broke out on a Pier in New Jersey (Pier 3 in Hoboken) engulfing 4 German ships that were docked and spreading to over 27 ships before the fire was bought under control.

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1931 U.S.A. Al Capone

1931 : Al Capone's attorney has asked for and been granted a one month period for Al Capone to put his business affairs in order and spend time with his family prior to sentencing for tax evasion and jail time.

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1934 Germany Party Purge

1934 : Adolf Hitler orders a purge of his own political party, assassinating hundreds of Nazis whom he believed had the potential to become political enemies in the future later known as the Night of the Long Knives.

1936 U.S.A. Gone With The Wind

1936 : The book Gone with the Wind is Published. In 1939 Gone With The Wind was made into the Oscar Winning Film.

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1937 Hitler Tells American Businessmen No War

1937 : Adolf Hitler meets a number of American Businessmen in Berlin and tells them there will be no war Germany can not afford a war and does not a war, most believe his sincere style.

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1937 Great Britain 999

1937 : 999 emergency service is started in London When 999 was dialed, a buzzer sounded and a red light flashed in the exchange to attract an operator's attention.

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1950 U.S.A. Korea War

1950 : President Harry S. Truman orders U.S. armed forces to assist in defending South Korea from invading North Korean armies.

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1950 Russia Blames South Korea

1950 : America has asked the Russians to act as peace mediators in Korea but Russia has stated that the blame lies with South Korea for an unprovoked attack on North Korea.

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1954 Total Eclipse Of The Sun

1954 : The total eclipse of the sun is seen around the world in Europe, United States, and Asia including Pakistan and India. The longest duration of total eclipse was two minutes 35 seconds. Solar eclipses are normally only seen by a small specific area of the world so this was unusual as it was seen from so many continents.

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1969 Biafra 3 Million Starving

1969 : Food aid and medical supplies from the International Committee of the Red Cross to war torn Biafra been banned by Nigeria. It is estimated as many as three million people who are going to starve to death in the next few weeks unless something is done. Two weeks later due to International Pressure Nigerian leader, General Gowon, allowed the Red Cross to airlift urgent medical supplies and food to Biafra.

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1971 Space Soyuz 11

1971 : Three Soviet cosmonauts who had spent 23 days orbiting the earth began reentry procedures and when they fired the explosive bolts to separate the Soyuz 11 , a critical valve was jerked open and the capsule was suddenly exposed to the nearly pressure less environment of space seconds later, the cosmonauts were dead.

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1976 U.S.A. Artificial Heart Use Predicted

1976 : During the 125th Annual Convention of American Medical Association a pioneer in Cardio Vascular has predicted that by the turn of the century we will be able to use an artificial heart for heart attack victims.