Triangle Shirtwaist fire, 100 years later

Hulton Archive/Getty Images; Mario Tama/Getty Images

By Sarah Muller

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Fri Mar 25, 2011 4:47 PM EDT

The Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory fire serves as a reminder of why unions exist to protect workers. Today marks the 100th anniversary of the incident in New York City, which killed 146 immigrant workers within minutes, most of them young women. It was one of the biggest disasters since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.
Garment workers were locked into the sweatshop during their shifts. Owners of the building basically did it so workers couldn’t take breaks. But when a fire broke out, they were unable to escape. New Yorkers watched in horror from below as workers leapt to their deaths from the high-rise above.
The fire at Triangle Waist Company sparked a massive overhaul of the labor code. New York State also adopted new fire safety laws that served as a model for the whole country.

NEAR CLOSING TIME ON MARCH 25, 1911,

a fire broke out at the Triangle Waist Factory. Within 18 minutes, 146 people were dead as a result of the fire.

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The ILR School Kheel Center is honoring the 100 year anniversary of the fire with a redesign of this well-known resource, including many new and updated materials.

Newly Discovered: Names of six previously unidentified victims.

LEARN ABOUT THE FIRE

• Read the story of the fire
• Review original text documents
• Listen to and read interviews of survivors and witnesses
• View photographs and illustrations

GAIN PERSPECTIVE

• View a timeline of events
• Explore a model of the 9th floor

RESEARCH FURTHER

• Find bibliographic resources
• High school students: Get tips on using primary sources

COMMEMORATION

• Remember the victims
• Learn about reforms and outcomes of the Fire's legacy
• Keep up to date on 100 year commemoration events