The Incident
On March 25, 1911 was the deadliest industrial disasters in the history of the city.The fire caused the deaths of 146 Garment Workers – 123 women and 23 men. Oldest victim was at 43 years old, and the youngest was 14-year-old. Owners had locked the doors to the stairwells and exits a common practice to prevent workers from taking unauthorized breaks and to reduce theft,many of the workers could not escape and jumped from the high windows. The fire led to legislation requiring improved factory safety standards and helped spur the growth of the International Ladies Garment Workers (ILGWU), which fought for better working conditions for sweatshops workers.