The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire | A Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror
"On the 25th of March, 1911, a fire began at the premises of the Triangle Waist Company in New York City..."
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
00:38 - Background
02:10 - The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
07:51 - Aftermath
MUSIC:
► "Glass Pond" by Public Memory
SOURCES:
► "Triangle: The Fire That Changed America" by David Von Drehle, published by Atlantic Monthly Press, August 2004. Link: www.google.co.uk/books/editio....
► "How a tragedy transformed protections for American workers" by Erin Blakemore, published by National Geographic, March 2020. Link: www.nationalgeographic.com/hi...
► "Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire: Topics in Chronicling America" by the Library of Congress. Link: guides.loc.gov/chronicling-am...
► "Remembering The 1911 Triangle Factory Fire" published by Cornell University and the Kheel Center, 2018. Link: trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/
#Documentary #History #TrueStories
Some of you might remember that I told this story once before - years ago now I covered this disaster with the 11th video I ever made on this channel. Unfortunately, it got taken down not long after it was posted. Now I've taken the opportunity to remake it, explore the disaster more fully, correct some errors, and generally smarten the whole thing up. If you remember the original video... can I just say thank you, sincerely, for sticking with me for so long!
I remember your original video. Thanks for posting a new one.
Never stop!
Thank you for all your excellent work! Your channel is one of the best on KZhead. I've shared episodes with many friends and family and all have been impressed.
Was gonna say....you've done this one already...lol
You've had great content since you started and it truly appreciated! Thank you so much 🙂
Always amazes me how even till this day companies still get a slap on the wrist due to negligence.
They should get their assets liquidated and split between the victims families
That’s because they lobby to fight regulations, throwing money to legislators to not pass any, or if they do, make it a watered down regulation.
@@aaronbennett3966 it’s more that the management should get punished and replace with more oversight. I don’t think it’s realistic to shut down a company any time there’s an accident, we wouldn’t have many companies left. Shutting down a company hurts the employees and customers.
Government and corporations are the same damn thing unfortunately anymore
Companies pay politicians. Politicians make the rules. And to appease the public there are some minor repercussions if something inevitably goes wrong. And yes it's gotten better, in most places. That's another reason big companies go to third world countries to place factories with little to no safety regulations. Long live capitalism. (still better than communism though)
One of the witnesses to the fire was Frances Perkins - she was so horrified by what she saw that day that she devoted her life to labor reform and she eventually became the 1st female Secretary of Labor and 1st ever female cabinet member under FDR - we have her to thank for Social Security
Wow. This is the first time I heard about her (I'm not American, or even North American). What an interesting individual. Thank you so much!
One of my favorite facts about this human tragedy. This is _THE 1ST LESSON_ every aspiring Engineer is made to learn. *Never forget the Shirtwaist Fire.*
Thank you for sharing this
If you do a followup, you might describe the law students who went onto the roof of an adjacent building that was a law library, found ladders and stretched them across the 100-foot high space between. When some of the young women were too afraid to cross on their own, those students went across themselves and escorted them. That's one reason those who fled to the roof survived.
Oh my!
oh dear, thats amazing!
yup: was also in the movie made of this incident
just also commented this
I think he covered it in the first video
Killing a random stranger by personal negligence would likely land you in jail, but likewise killing an employee rarely gets more than a fine. That's a fundamental issue that still hasn't changed. Employers get treated by the law as if they were entitled lords.
should have been locked up for lifetime for this
This is a major problem. I have had numerous bosses who demand respect and loyalty from their employees, but don’t give it in return. Being a boss or employer doesn’t make you God and it doesn’t make you above the law. I have no problem walking out of a job and quitting without notice if the boss’s behavior warrants it.
@@Blatsen Use your common sense and your gut. If either tells you something’s not right, just leave. No job is worth your life. Three years ago I was living in NYC looking for a small studio apt. or rented room w/private restroom near a temp. job I’d taken. A friend had heard about a room with private half bath in a newish building. The price was in my range and the location was a only five blocks from work. Sounds ideal, right? We went to check it out. Turns out it was in the back, a sort of half-way basement opening onto a common patio and yard. My friend thought it was perfect and was surprised I didn’t snatch it up. I’d come with two mos. rent + security deposit, cash, as that’s how one rents a technically illegal place in NYC--area not zoned for rentals. There was just something about the small enclosed stairway leading down to the admittedly spacious room that gave me pause. I also didn’t like that the main source of electric was a 10 socket, heavy duty power strip whose wire emerged from beneath a nailed shut door and neatly affixed to the wall. What were the conditions on the other side in someone else’s apartment? Who knew? This past spring NYC was struck by torrential storms and flooding in the streets and basements. Sadly, a young Korean family of three, mother, father, and eight month old infant perished in that apartment when water filled the place from ground level level windows blocking egress to the enclosed stairwell. In addition, the mother was shown to have been knocked unconscious by the electric shock she received when the water reached the level of the illegal wiring. I feel grateful it wasn’t me, but very bad for the people, just starting out in their young adult life, and the baby who never even got to enjoy childhood. And no, the owner of the building who lived in Korea, and the superintendent who occupied the entire third (top) floor paid fines in a civil suit, but neither spent so much as a night in jail.
@@mariekatherine5238 I'm glad you trusted your gut. Very sad for that family. It's terrible how immigrants are abused.
Thats because the system still views them as entitled lords.
What baffles (but does not surprise) me is the level of distrust and contempt from the employers, locking the doors to prevent theft... of what, fabric scraps? A completed shirt or two? It's such a small thing in comparison to all the lives lost, it's infuriating.
Don't forget, the owners are probably ripping off the pay packets of the workforce. These days the term is 'Wage Theft', which is exactly what it sounds like..
Typical corporate mentality. I worked for General Dynamics making ships that had a starting price tag of half a billion dollars. Every day we had to pass through metal detectors as we left the yard because someone might have stolen a piece of scrap metal. That's corporate mentality at work. They consider the hourly employees nothing better than thieves.
Lots of retail establishments have rules regarding what type of jackets you can wear to work and where you need to keep them claiming that it's about uniform when we all know it's really about them being afraid of employee theft. Worked one place that scrounged our jacket pockets every day just to make sure. Meanwhile one fire escape had been frozen over with ice for months... did nothing about it until they got an anonymous call from an employee claiming they'd report them to OSHA. Better bet they had that fixed the next day!
I've worked a lot of "on site contract" jobs... AND I always went by two rules regarding "theft" or whatever else you want to call it... 1. ALWAYS order (and budget) 15% MORE than your math says you'll need... 2. ALWAYS budget aside for about a 5 - 10% rate of theft... (just stuff "walking off" randomly) I started that budgeting from the Bid for a job, and as long as I could keep it competitive, I'd lean toward the 10% theft (outright) budget... We also scavenged everything we possibly could from the scrap DUMPSTERS... That protected my guys/gals because anything in those dumpsters IS "Public Domain"... AND unless the Police like to make their own lives VERY difficult, it's not going to change any time soon. We also cleaned the dumpster areas up every time we'd visit... Those little "exercises" allowed us to cover every job, and frequently let us come in well enough under-budget I could surprise a site-boss or land owner with the reduction in cost/price at his end. The worst kept secret on our crew was that as long as they kept it reasonably discrete, I didn't care much WHAT they took home instead of loading on the truck/trailer and stocked out in our "warehouse/bone yard"... Now... You figure at any of these manufacturing operations, the same math could (and should) apply. Instead of threatening workers' lives, just budget for and order 125% of what is required to meet deadlines and quotas, and as long as the stuff taken home isn't whole clothes or wardrobes or something ridiculous, you can even let the "Security Guards" lighten up and "play the game"... When someone's caught, just confiscate it with a conversation "You can't be walking out with that!"... wag the finger... and "See you tomorrow/monday... bright and early." (Indicating no report or firing needed since no harm done)... They'll get the idea and the DIY bits will keep most of them happy... Trust me... Happy workers who know they can "get away with a little extra perk once in a while" are generally and genuinely MORE productive than wage slaves treated like animals and tossed as soon as they're employed long enough for a pension payment or too expensive to justify on paper... When I had to ship out and leave the crew, they worried it was a budget thing, and everyone went to complain to management that they'd happily take half pay to keep me around... THAT right there should tell you something. ;o)
Corporate greed and parsimony sure as Hell aren't new...
I was in a thrift where they padlocked an exit and I told the manager about the Triangle factory. The place was a fire trap. They didn’t address my concern, so I called the fire Marshall. They put in an alarmed push bar. Then they chaired up the door again.
And that's when you can the Fire Marshall again
I'd be such a nuisance on that...
Definitely make a call😾😾😾
Call the marshall again. Do not EVER stop making a fuss about things like this. YOU may not be harmed in your time working there, but if there's a disaster in the future, your actions could save lives! NEVER allow ANYONE to get away with this kind of maliciousness!
If an employee had dropped the dime on them, they would have been fired in all likelihood.
After seeing so many fire stories like this, I'm starting to think that any building labeled 'Fireproof' is in fact an inferno waiting to happen.
Building is fireproof, people inside it not.
As is any ship that's labeled 'unsinkable'.
Facepalmed when the word ‘fireproof’ left his lips
@@dominikdylewicz3581 It wouldn't have spread if the building was fireproof. Lol.
@@dominikdylewicz3581 The buildings are clearly not fireproof.
Imagine being found guilty of causing unneeded deaths by locking a fire escape, paying money for each person that died as a result, then going to a new company and doing *the exact same thing* there. He's lucky that instance never turned out worse than getting caught for it and paying a small fine. You can tell he had no regard for anyone but himself.
That is just psychopathic. I wish the family of the deceased had found out and locked him in a burning barn or something.
I’m sure being tortured in hell for all eternity is making him reconsider his actions
@@TexasDragonYes, I was going to say there's a special place in hell for a person like that.
salute to the elevator operators trying to rescue the trapped people before their elevators stopped working.
My great grandmother was in this fire. All she remembers was that she woke up on the concrete, she always said that an angel saved her. I'm sure it was a firefighter, but regardless, she was one of the lucky ones. Thanks for covering this.
Angels do exist though.
Firefighters, angels. Same thing to me.
I always find the language used in this channel to be precise, neutral and, most importantly, respectful.
I just wish these commenters (not you, of course) had more respectful language. Swearing just shows immaturity and lack of impulse control.
And this fire perfectly illustrates why we NEED industry regulation, and strong enforcement of those regulations.
Yea, and it's unfortunate that all regulations, standards and protocols are written in blood.
And UNIONS! Negotiate together or burn separately.
and why we NEED unions.
@Ann-Marie Paliukenas they already have, ages ago… just look at the label of nearly every piece of clothing.
Damn right we need industry regulations! No matter what these billionaire corporatists claim. They will never, EVER have any of our best interests at heart. 😒🔥 smh
The owner of the company I work for, ( one that sews and assembles tactical equipment such as rifle slings, magazine and other types of pouches, trauma kits, plate carriers, etc, ) referenced this tragic incident at an impromptu safety discussion. He emphasized the need for safety and vigilance in everything we do on a daily basis in every part of our manufacturing facility so that something like this incident would never happen. Thank you FH for these stories! Don't change anything with the current format! It's perfect! Please keep 'em coming!
Nice to see a business owner who cares- and seemingly not only about $$, but his employees
Traject?
@@balthasargerard7246 Whoops! Yes.. I screwed that one up! Thanks for catching that! Corrected now.
Sounds like a cool company to work for, I'd apply real quick!
Bravo to your company managers for smart training.
Another fascinating story. Thanks! 13:20 - "Of two available staircases, one had been locked by the foreman on duty as a precaution against theft by employees. This Foreman, incidentally, was among the first to leave the building down the other staircase, taking the key to the other stairwell door with him." I worked in the fire protection/life safety industry for 30 years, and as such, have read about and studied many of the deadliest fires in American history and abroad, including this one. I always used multiple sources and tried to learn as many obscure facts as possible. SO... why does history seem to grant this foreman anonymity, and why on Earth does it seem that he was apparently never held accountable in any way?
Exactly!! I understand the foreman perhaps being in a panic himself and forgetting about the key to the second door; but not remembering afterwards, or going back to open the door, or giving the key and directions to firefighters to open the door? Like seriously?! So many opportunities to do better and not one was taken?? The very least he could've done was not panic in the first place and opened the second door before understandably, fleeing. Perhaps it was drilled into him to never have the second door open by the owners? And thus, never occurred to him to have a door that's never should be opened, be opened in an emergency? Ridiculous he wasn't charged either for not doing a good job, nor is his name shared here at all, absolutely horrendous. He is just as much to blame for negligence as the owners for directly causing the death and window jumping and whatnot of the women/workers. SMH
@@Sophiedabombbaby I guess it was just another era. In this day and age he would be abhorred by the public and charged with a serious crime. Thanks again to Fascinating Horror for a great video.
@@ralphcantrell3214 Sad to say, but I doubt that would be the case today. Last year there were multiple incidents in the US where workers were forced to stay at their workplace buildings during tornado warnings, with several being killed when parts of the buildings collapsed. I have yet to hear names of those responsible, or any consequences they faced...
It would be unthinkable today. However, back then, when the muckraking was just beginning, it was a different time. The building itself has been NYU's science building since 1929.
Honestly sounds like he was conspiring. Is there a chance that maybe he was the one that lit the fire and quietly left the premises? This theory is supported by the fact that almost all of the workers were immigrants, some Jewish even.
Despite living in Melbourne, Australia I remember well that the first video I ever watched on KZhead all those years ago was on the Triangle fire in New York. It really got to me. Poor very young women jumping from the building only to be impaled on fences below. The wicked supervisors and powers that be locking doors. Getting Away with murder. We should never forget
You're spot on. Especially the last sentence. People need to realise, when you hear conservatives harp on about red-tape getting in the way, what they really mean is 'why can't I endanger people?, all these safety precautions are eating my profits!'
This tale is infamous, learning history in the US (Maryland), the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire is the classic example from we learn about to understand the impact of labor rights movements. Horrific. The only thing that I was shocked to learn in this video is that the building is still standing.
It was eight stories. Many died landing on the pavement.
Those poor women. It's heartening to know the women who survived were instrumental in improving worker's rights in the years that followed.
There's someone in New York who annually goes to the former residences of all the victims and chalks a memorial message for them on the sidewalk. I always figured it was a personal effort, but now I'm guessing that it's actually by the Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition. Good video.
Unfortunately by the time they realised what was happening it was already too late for many of them not having a fire alarm in the building was the height of irresponsibly and ultimately ended up costing lots of lives.
True, though I wonder how common fire alarms were in general in 1911.
@@jhfdhgvnbjm75 They would use a bell or siren to alert people.
@@jhfdhgvnbjm75 They didn't exist.
@@basbleupeaunoire Sirens hadn't been invented in 1911 and bells don't carry sound through walls terribly well rendering them pointless. Word of mouth was the only alarm in use.
The height of irresponsibly is knowingly running out of a burning building with the only key to the only viable exit left. Pure cowardliness, and evil. The foreman and the owners are mass murderers who got away with it. The door never should have never been locked, disgusting greed murdered a lot of women and men.
This is one of the many stories that should remind us that companies will always prioritize profit over worker safety, and will only care about the latter if forced to
It is 5:23 in the morning. What better way to start my day but with the excellent narration and beautifully researched stories of Fascinating Horror.
Joke's on you: It's currently 6:05 in the morning here for me!
Yes!!
6:39 am for me. LOL!
Its 8:49 pm where I am. Now shut up and go to work both of you 😂
Good morning! Almost 1pm here in central Europe
Always amazes me how quickly a fire can grow. Mere moments in the right (or wrong) conditions and it becomes an unquenchable beast
I remember my Mom relating the details of this disaster to me as a young child to emphasize why unions were so badly needed. Wouldn't it be lovely if the dollar was NOT the reason for being or doing?
These kinds of conditions and disasters are EXACTLY why unions are necessary. In better conditions, or when unions over-step their purpose to provide safety and security for the workers, or where they needlessly cripple the ability of companies to take necessary action against problem employees, there are arguments against them, certainly, but there MUST be a counter-balance to excessive corporate greed and negligence.
Unions only care about your money 💰
Amen good sir. Working for simply the common good of everyone and people able to use their talents accordingly, not on if you can afford to learn the trade, nor its pay. For the greater good.
@@jgodwin717 yeah no. I do not give a flying fig about doing for the sake of doing. The things I enjoy do not pay and as such I require a reason beyond your need of my goods or services to act
Delightfully naive of you.
When I first learned about this back in high school, it gave me nightmares about sitting at a machine and then catching fire. It's stuck with me ever since. Also, nothing now signifies that something is a death trap than insisting it's fireproof.
Kind of like saying the Titanic was unsinkable….
I'm from NY. I first learned about this disaster in 4th grade, and to this day I'm still disgusted by the owners negligence
What an absolute nightmare, thank you for presenting this terrible event so respectfully. It's heartening to see that those lost on that terrible day are still remembered.
"Fireproof" = "you can always hire more, as long as the building survives"
I was a painter for a long time and I’ve been atop 40 foot aluminum extension ladders a lot & I could NOT imagine a 60 foot wooden ladder the fire force used back than. Nerves of absolute iron.
Should look up pictures when America was building the first dirigibles such as the Shenandoah or Macon. 100 or 200 feet up on wooden ladders is not something I’d want to do.
@@jamessimms415 OMG, I’ll have to see that. 😉👍🏽
Whenever someone screams about government overreach in the form of OSHA and inspections, remember that disasters like this would be happily deemed "acceptable" by most companies if it meant slightly higher profits.
There always seems to be a supervisor locking an exit out of concern for theft in all of the building fire disasters you cover, I'm starting to think it's a prerequisite!
I remember reading that witness’s account of people jumping, along with an excerpt from a historical fiction novel set in the fire, in an English textbook when I was in middle school and being extremely unsettled by it. What a horrific experience. It never ceases to anger me when I remember the owners were never properly held accountable for their actions
First heard about this story in a book on disasters my English teacher read in class. This story always stuck out to me. I don't remember what the book was, but it also covered the Hindenburg, the San Francisco earthquake, and (I think) the St Francis Dam collapse.
If anyone knows what that book is called let me know, I'd love a copy!
Fact Finders, Core Events of a...
A friend and I went to NYC for the 100th anniversary commemoration of this disaster. Volunteers from the Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition visit the addresses where the victims lived, and write the victims' names and ages in chalk on the pavement outside. A thoughtful and moving tribute.
I'm surprised the owners weren't subject to some NY street justice after the miserly punishment they received.
This may have been right l before New York was, well, New York
I first came across this incident in Alice Hoffman's novel 'The Museum of Extraordinary Things', it's actually fairly significant to the plot.
This story is like drilled into American children’s head through middle and high school. I can remember being taught about it at least three times throughout my school years, it’s that much of an important role in the union strike history teaching and the fight for better working condition/safety rules. Along with children’s rights, many were illegally employed there.
My schools definitely missed this one. I didn’t know about this until I listened to a podcast about it a few years ago
lol my schools in northern Ohio certainly did NOT cover this. Since we were in the rust belt, our union coverage was more on the auto industry and even a little on the coal industry.
I never heard about this in school. Just randomly found a book about it, a few years ago.
I knew about this because I'm a famous fire buff from way back. Not because of school. I've probably got 16 years of schooling and barely learned a damn thing from any of it. Lol.
I’m from the U.S. and this was never drilled into my head. Hell, I don’t ever even remember them teaching about it. Maybe you live closer to the area it happened? Idk bc it’s definitely not taught at ALL schools. I do remember going over bad working conditions in general though, and worker strikes - but never this specific incident.
Have you ever seen "Warehouse 13"? The premises is that shocking events make some objects get special powers and the main characters travel around gathering those objects and storing them at the title warehouse. The other day I saw an episode where they used a door knob from this factory that burned people to ashes... I like that series because you learn a lot of History and about interesting people. Greetings from Spain!
I loved that series!
I grew up in NYC. I remember my father showing me the building and telling me this story when I went to work with him.
Not long after, it became NYU's science building.
One of the particularly awful facts- some of those who jumped survived later on, but only because the bodies already on the ground cushioned their fall.
My friend lives in a building on Bleecker street where a tenement once stood. Every March 25th, someone chalks a woman's name on the pavement outside the building. The woman lived in the tenement and died in the Triangle fire. My friend says someone goes all around the village writing down the victim's names outside of where they lived on that day. The building belongs to NYU now. One of the science departments is in that space now.
2:15am here in Washington State USA. Sending love to whoever reads this. ❤️
4:17am here in San Antonio Tx
4:19am here in Texas ❤️
Right back at you from the Mother Load in the heart of the Sierra Nevada foothills in California !:-) 💜🙏⚡️
@@barrydysert2974 I'm here from Indianapolis! 😉
Students in the next building over--a part of the New York University--procured ladders and planks, which they then extended over to the burning building. It was because of their actions 50 workers lives were saved. Source: Triangle: the Fire That Changed America, by David von Drehle And excellent job as ever, FH. I look forward to your videos every Tuesday and Friday!
That's amazing I wish it was included in the video
I visited the Baltimore Museum of Industry last month which has an industrial sewing exhibit much like the rooms in this disaster. One thing that impressed upon me, besides the cramped conditions and the flammable material everywhere, was that sewing machines of the era would have been incredibly loud. I can imagine that even with the panic on floor 8, floor 9 and 10 would have no way to hear the commotion and get an early warning until the smoke make itself apparent.
Only OG Fascinating Horror fans will know that this video is a remake. 😏
Honestly the best content creator on KZhead
This video brings back memories. Had to do a essay on this event for a college history final years ago. The part that is most chilling to me is that some of the fire hoses broke due to being in disrepair. It's a really tragic event that has a lasting impact on workplace saftey and fire codes.
The benefits of regulations
110 YEARS ago.. wow Those times feel way, way more distant, than they did in the 80s, or 90s.. *Forgot to mention.. as in, non-linearly/wavy
That's because they are...
@@GMW.artist It's funny how long ago the 90s feel by now.
I’ve seen a lot of videos on this fire, including an excellent “American Experience” documentary on PBS. Yours is a good one. Thank you.
Thank you for again telling this story. Every safety regulation is written in blood. I tell this to everyone that complains about having to wear safety gear or follow the rules. Those rules are there so you can walk home instead of being carried in a box.
I believe this fire was the reason they passed a law requiring buildings have doors that open outwards. Easier to evacuate in an emergency
This is what happens when greed, no oversight and a complete lack of not caring for human life collide.
As someone getting into the safety profession, your vids ha e been a huge inspiration in my journey and remind me why I do what I do
The foreman was one of the first to leave, without unlocking the other stairwell and taking the key with him. He should have been charged along with the owners, and they all should have gone to jail. Heartbreaking story, but fortunately this one never quite got lost to history and resulted in tangible changes in labor practices. Great content, as always👍
Huh. Having known of this tragedy since high school, I'm only surprised that you hadn't managed to cover it earlier given its huge impact on workplace safety in America. This even with as crappy as workplace safety still was thereafter in too many places, as too many other tragedies you've covered can attest, especially the ones where people burned to death for very much the same reasons of greed and negligence with no one was ever really held to account. Nice to see some things never change. /s I hadn't heard of that witness account or the various ways which people tried to escape besides the stairs though, much less heard of the guy who managed to survive almost drowning in the basement. I was always under the impression all the victims were women too. So thanks for the detailed coverage as usual.
He's Canadian - he probably learned about Moose mating rituals in high school. 🤷♂️
He did cover it a long time ago, though! It has since been deleted or blocked, it seems. I remember that video, although I believe it didn't include the story about the man in the basement.
He actually had covered it earlier, but it was taken down. This is a remake.
@@interstellarsurfer He's British?
@@interstellarsurfer I was under the impression that he was English because of his accent.
I remember watching a movie about this and never forgot it. I think it was called The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal and it was heartbreaking 😥 I recall the actor who was the dad in Happy Days was in it.
I saw this movie too. I remember Tovah Feldshuh being in it.
It was a made for TV movie made in 1979 and aired on NBC when disaster movies with all star performer casts were popular in theatres....only this disaster movie was based on fact. Also in the cast were Stephanie Zimbalist (Remington Steele), David Dukes (played Edith Bunker's attempted rapist in All in the Family) , Tom Bosley (Happy Days), Ted Wass (Soap, Blossom), and Charlotte Rae.(The Facts of Life).
Edward Asner („Lou Grant“) also was in that movie.
Here we go again!
I'm glad to see you cover this. This was one of the disasters that always stuck with me. I learned about it in history class when I was in 8th grade, and we had a mock "reenactment" of the trial against Max Blanc and Isaac Harris. I was one of two prosecution lawyers, the other being a two-faced mean girl, and my friend and my bully were the two defendants- so the mock trial was an awkward situation to begin with, and on top of the 8th grade stuff, there was the raw horror of what we were learning and the psychological impact that had on me (with an anxiety disorder and then-undiagnosed PTSD). While I was doing research to put my case together, I had recurring nightmares about being trapped in burning buildings. I even wrote a short story from the POV of the teenaged descendant of one of the victims, who had been traumatized by the details of her great-grandmother's death and was thus deathly afraid of fire. At school, I won the prosecution's case, but it was a brief celebration when my teacher then revealed what the outcome of the actual trial had been. Even 8 years later, it's hard to hear the details again, but at least we learned something from this as a society. Keep up the amazing work. Edit: I also live in NYC and had no idea that the building is part of NYU's campus. I was there on a tour as a prospective student around 5 years ago. Might have to take a trip down there at some point.
I came at the right moment. 11:16 am in good old Netherlands.
Amazing content as always, Good Sir Thank you for your hard work and amazing videos ~💕💕💕 Stay safe and remember that you are loved and valued
I'm glad they still honor and remember them. I didn't know they did that. So I'm glad to hear that.
I love the follow-up you do, explaining what happened after the tragedy.
Every time someone tries to make the claim that business "regulation" is a bad thing, I think of instances like this one. Some regulations are nonsensical, but some are there because people can't otherwise be expected to do the correct thing. Sorry to get political. I couldn't help myself this time.
The sad thing is that something as vital as safety can be a political football.
Corporations want a regulation free environment to maximize their profits at the expense of literally everyone and everything around them.
Safety regulations are often written in blood.
As I recall, the owners escaped to the roof and from there, used a ladder to escape to the next building. Then they pulled the ladder behind them, trapping everyone else on the roof of the burning building.
I'm pretty sure that's not true. For what possible reason would they do that?
@@OzymandiasSaysHi Ladders cost money
@@OzymandiasSaysHi I could well have misremembered. I don't want to destroy your faith in humanity. However, the owners were obsessive about stopping theft. Over the course of years, they had lost $25 worth of stock, and decided that it was worth the deaths of 146 workers, the youngest about 14, proved by the fact they did the same thing in their next factory and the next. These are men for whom compassion is not a motivating force. They were willing to let people die for the sake of a scrap of cotton. But let us hope they are not as bad as I recalled.
On the positive side, I also heard a story about university students next door who extended a ladder to the roof of the burning building, allowing many of the woman who came up there to escape. I don't know if that's a true story, but I hope it is!
It’s my understanding that many of these women had protested unsafe conditions before the fire happened and were ignored. They knew they’d be in trouble if a fire ever were to happen and no one cared until after they died.
As I have seen roughly a half dozen videos on this tragedy and most much longer I though it was well done and may the victims Rest In Peace !!
Keep up the good work, FH! Amazing as usual!
The description written by Louis Waldman (a well-known labor lawyer, BTW) at 6:08 is poetic, evocative, and chilling. It's some of the best on-the-scene writing I've ever read. It paints a terrifying picture of what was a devastating event with an economy of words and images.
LETS GO!! Finally something tO cure my insomnia with!! I’m gonna go smoke a bowl, get some cereal ready, shower, get my life in order, all while watching one video
This is one of the most interesting events Im so happy you covered it!
Love these videos, thank you.
Thank you for doing this again. I think the worst part is knowing that people jumped to their deaths. That must have been horrible to witness.
Thank you for keeping this channel going for so long it is definitely my favorite!
Thanks for the content you bring us.
I remember first hearing about this story in like a Children's book in elementary school and I still remember it almost 20 years later. Its disgusting how little human life is cared about through these factory owners' eyes, to them, they're just a machine to generate profit. $75/$2000 as compensation for a life? That's not even a live-able wage in New York.
Absolutely that stops them from doing it again - not! The cost of making the building safe, would have been vastly more expensive.
Me too, I got it in a book fair and the store has never left me…
ty for putting out these videos :)
I've watched a couple of other versions of this tragedy and this one is the best. Thanks for taking the time to produce it.
Hell yeah!! Hope you’re doing good Mr FH! Thank you for blessing our day!
Oh goodness, I was anticipating this. Despite the disturbing event, I feel as this incident serves as a warni to factories to actually have concern for the lives of their workers. Thank you for doing this video!
I really appreciate your work. I look forward to it every Tuesday
I find it sad and appreciative that this channel will never run out of content to cover.
Oh how I wish the owners and the foreman could have gotten a hiding from survivors or the loved ones of those who perished. Despicable.
Always love your videos ☺️
I’m impressed with the footage in this video. Great video. Thanks for all the efforts u put into this.
I'm a carpenter that does a lot of remodeling for other contractors. I took on an old Cotton Mill renovation back in the late 90s. I noticed that all the floor joists were notched where they went into the brick walls. I asked the foreman why they weakened the floor by notching the joists instead of having them going all the way into the brick. He told me it was done that way in case there was a fire. The floor would collapse but because the joists were notched around the brick the outer walls would remain intact, saving money during Reconstruction. Another example of how little people cared for the workers.
I mean even if the brick walls fell I don't think that would behoove the workers. The greatest worker safety Abomination is when the US government allowed Saudi Arabians learn how to fly Jets into our buildings.
@@thereisnosanctuary6184 er...ok. Btw you need to look up the definition of behoove.
@@paddlefaster first thing tomorrow John. I will know the definition of the word behoove
Even as a smoker (I know it's gross) I never understood smoking inside ESPECIALLY in a factory/store setting. I'm glad it's gone the way of the dino, I'll happily smoke outside and away from buildings and others.
Yes
YES! Thank you for making another video!
I learned about this in school years ago, super cool to see you make a video about it.
This is why OSHA, unions, and regulation are so vitally important. At the rate society is decling these days in the US, child labor might soon be a thing again.
Better they do something helpful than play games and eat tendies all day. There is a middleground to be found there I think.
You have a very pleasant voice and narrate extremely well. If you ever narrate an audiobook i want to listen to it!
As always, quietly and dispassionately described. The facts and just the facts. And so effective in describing tragic history. My thanks.
ive seen several youtubers cover this subject now and i still find it interesting to watch
The best channel!!
Epilogue: one of the people in the crowd who saw those women die was Frances Perkins. Years later, FDR appointed her Secretary of Labor and she invented OSHA.
The historical importance of this fire cannot be downplayed. As it formed the catalyst for much of what we know today as modern Fire and Safety Codes. Also historically in North America most Firefighting innovations tend to either originate or be proven in New York or Los Angeles. The sheer scale of those two Fire Department traditionally dwarves all others, and provides both the need and laboratory for innovation. This was one of the more watershed moments of FDNY. Where they faced a fire that they did not have adequate tools, procedures and infrastructure to deal with. They spent a lot of time developing resources to better fight such fires in the future.
This is a terrific short presentation on that tragic fire. I recently read David von Drehle's outstanding book about the Triangle Fire, and this film does an excellent job covering the major events of the incident and its aftermath.
I learned about this in school and the fact that ladies and girls would stand at windows in threes and jump together holding hands always stuck with me :(
Channels like these, air crash investigation, seconds from disaster, etc. Has given me much needed information about certain situations in life. I wanted to work at a place like NTSB or CSB....but I realized real life doesn't care for dreams.
What's holding you back my friend?
@@joeyvanostrand3655 The hole I was born into. I am almost out of it and I am trying hard not to slip back down some ways. By the time I am done climbing out of it and actually sustaining myself with surplus money, I'll be around 40 with no children. Depending on what I decide then, maybe it will be an option for my children. I can have no children and then finally be able to apply at 40. Then have my children at 50. I've learned through my father and my life, never have children at a deficit.
Yeah dude, go for it, we need people that care out there!
@@RatusMax I'm very proud to hear that even though you were not born into guranteed success and wealth, you are going full-tilt to make something of yourself. 🤘 Never loose that drive. Far too many folks nowadays do not see the merits of hard work and earning what they have. As far as having children late in life, my wife and I were both 42 when our daughter was born. I firmly believe that waiting was the best option for us. We are both 44 now, financially stable, a bit older, and a wee bit wiser. Having a bunch of little ones is definitely a young family's game. But, between the two of us, our little one has a happy, stable, loving, and healthy home. We are both glad we waited. It honestly gave us the chance to get the follies of youth and mistakes of a less mature adult out of the way. Especially myself. Boys and men in general do take more time to mature than women. I definitely needed to learn a few things the hard way and "step on my dick" a few times until I started getting it right. As far as going back to school or continuing on, the world is literally your oyster. There has NEVER been a better time in the history of forever to explore any sort of higher learning. Colleges are completely accessible to all who wish to attend for whatever field of study you can dream up! I wish you the best my friend. It sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders and you have a rough idea of what you would like your future to hold. Don't let go of your dreams. Pursue them. Surround yourself with people that have the same mindset and you'll have gone a LONG way to filling in that "hole" you were born into, further promising your children will have no chance of the same. 😀
I remember reading a graphic novel of this story in school. Truly scary and heartbreaking. ✝
I remember when the first edition of this video was uploaded. Your consistency and narrative skills are incredible.
Has this story been posted before??
I checked and yeah it was one of his earliest video, back when his videos had a bit of a grim vibe. though this version is definitely more in depth.