Home
Public Relations Young Adult Books Magazines & Newspapers Phtography Contact

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
Great Historic Disasters Set

Conditions were harsh in tenement factories all over New York City, but they were especially difficult at one in particular. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, located near the city’s Washington Square Park, made history on March 25, 1911, when a devastating fire destroyed the top three floors of the building in which it was located. One hundred and forty-six young women and several men died in what was the worst workplace disaster to take place in the United States to that date. The lack of fire sprinklers or extinguishers, a safe fire escape, and working elevators, coupled with cluttered and unsanitary conditions, all contributed to the blaze. But what really ignited the public’s outrage was the disregard by the owners and others in authority to establish and maintain a safe working environment in the first place. The tragic fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory spawned dozens of reforms and legislation for workplace safety. It also cultivated an awakening attitude of social awareness and responsibility nationwide.

About the Series: History has been plagued by a number of monumental disasters that forever changed societies, industries, and the environment. Great Historic Disasters tells the compelling stories of important historical disasters and explains their impact and the reforms they spurred. From the sinking of the Titanic to the devastating influenza outbreaks in 1918-1919 to the more recent calamities of Hurricane Katrina and the Indian Ocean tsunami, these events in history left a legacy in their widespread devastation and in the reform they sparked in their wake.

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire cover
 

Product Details:
ISBN: 0791096416
Format: Hardcover, 112pp
Pub. Date: April 2008
Publisher: Chelsea House Publishers
Age Range: Young Adult

Order Information

Web Design by Ami Nacu-Schmidt, © 2016