Monday, March 18, 2024

Today in Labor History March 18, 2024

 


Great Postal Strike



Mexican anarchist Ricardo Flores Magón was arrested under the Espionage Act, charged with hindering the American war effort and imprisoned at Leavenworth, where he died under highly suspicious circumstances. The authorities claimed he died of a “heart attack”, but Chicano inmates rioted after his death and killed the prison guard they believed killed Magon. – 1918

Police evicted retail clerks occupying New York Woolworths in a fight for the 40-hour week. – 1937
A natural gas explosion in New London, Texas killed over 300 students, teachers, and parents in the worst public school disaster in American history. The event led to worldwide sympathy. Even Hitler sent a telegram of condolences. – 1937
This date marked the beginning of the Great Postal Strike in New York City. Postal workers hadn’t seen a raise since 1967. They were banned from collective bargaining and from striking.  Nevertheless, in spite of the law and their own union’s attempt to quell the unrest, the postal workers voted to strike, marking the first time in the nearly 200-year history of the Postal Service that postal workers went on strike. President Nixon tried to bust the strike, first by threatening to arrest striking workers and then by sending in federal troops to sort the mail. However, the soldiers were so incompetent at the work that they failed to get the mail moving, compelling Congress to give the striking workers an 8% raise and the right to collectively bargain. – 1970
The Los Angeles City Council passed the first living wage ordinance in California. The ordinance required almost all city contractors to pay a minimum wage of $8.50 an hour, or $7.25 if the employer was contributing at least $1.25 toward health benefits, with annual adjustments for inflation. – 1997
Wal-Mart agreed to pay a record $11 million to settle a civil immigration case for using illegal immigrants to do overnight cleaning at stores in 21 states. – 2005
As the Great Recession continued, President Obama signed a $17.6 billion job-creation measure a day after it was passed by Congress. – 2010

Important Events From This day in History March 18

 

2005 U.S.A. Terri Schiavo

2005 : Doctors in Florida, acting on orders of a state judge, removed Terri Schiavo's feeding tube. (She died 13 days later). Terri Schiavo had originally suffered severe brain injury on February 25th, 1990 after a long period without oxygen following a collapse in her apartment. The case for her be removed from life support with all the interested parties started in 1998 with it continuing till the time of her death , the parents of Terri wanted their daughter to continue with life support but the husband believed his wife would not have wanted to live in this way.

The legal history around the Schiavo case included Florida courts,Federal District Court, Supreme Court of Florida and the Supreme Court of the United States. And the interested parties who became involved included Pope John Paul II, politicians and advocacy groups including pro-life and disability rights, the case was featured on many news and discussion programs which helped to highlight the difficulties with any case like this because of political and each persons own religious beliefs.

1965 First Man to walk in space

1965 : A Soviet cosmonaut known as Lt. Col. Alexei Leonov exited the spacecraft Voskshod II for a short “spin”. He completed a somersault, and then proceeded to take pictures of space. This took place just days before the U.S. planned to launch its first two-man spaceship and becomes the first man to walk in space.

1967 England Torrey Canyon

1967 : The tanker "Torrey Canyon" runs aground on rocks between Land's End and the Scilly Isles and is leaking its cargo of 100,000 tons of crude oil into the sea. The oil did get to beaches in Cornwall and the Normandy coast of France causing major environmental damage with over 20,000 sea birds contaminated.

1974 Middle East Oil Embargo Ends

1974 : Nearly all members of OPEC except Syria agree to lift the Oil Embargo against United States, Europe, Japan, South Africa which had been in place since October 1973. The embargo was the result of the fourth Arab-Israeli War and was designed to punish countries who supported Israel during the war. The earlier increases of prices and the embargo quadrupled the price of oil between 1973 and 1974, but following the ending of the war and embargo the price of a gallon of gas ended at 55 cents which was the same price it was in 1972.

1920 U.S.A. Child Labor Laws

1920 : Child labor laws of Georgia were highly debated. It was proposed by one state representative that forbade children less than twelve years of age to work. Similarly, it was proposed that children under fourteen should not be able to work without parent or guardian’s signed permission.

1920 U.S.A. Strike Ends

1920 : An embargo placed on United Airway Express shipments out of Chicago was lifted. Therefore, outgoing shipments could again be made to places such as Texas, Oklahoma, and other Southwestern states. Furthermore, deliveries could be made to the East, as far as New York. This embargo was originally a result of a strike organized by Express workers in the area. Only 25 percent of the workers had returned to work as of this date, however.

1922 India Mohandas K. Gandhi

1922 : Mohandas K. Gandhi a British educated lawyer, was sentenced to prison in India for civil disobedience after calling for mass civil disobedience which included boycotting British educational institutions and law courts, not working for the British controlled government and the boycott of foreign-made goods, especially British goods. In his many speeches he always emphasized that the USE OF VIOLENCE on both sides was wrong . He was sentenced to 6 years but released after 2 years.

1925 U.S.A. Tornado

1925 : A giant tornado, struck Missouri, Illinois and Indiana during the mid-afternoon killing hundreds often referred to as the tri-state tornadoes.

1937 U.S.A. Gas Explosion

1937 : A gas explosion at a school in New London, Texas, killed more than 400 people, most of them children.

1938 Lithuania accepts Poland demands

1938 : Apparently war was prevented as Lithuania accepted all of the demands made by Poland. This act of submission was not to be regarded as giving in to an ultimatum, but rather as a gesture of good will.

1940 World War II Hitler and Mussolini

1940 : Hitler and Mussolini meet at the Brenner Pass and agree to fight together in war against France and Britain.

1948 Germany

1948 : General Telford Taylor was injured while he along with seven other Americans jumped from a C-47 while hovering over Berlin. Taylor was the chief U.S. prosecutor of war crimes in Germany.

1950 Belgium King Leopold III

1950 : Voters turned out in Belgium to vote on a referendum to bring the exiled King Leopold III back from Switzerland.

1957 U.S.A. Stage Fright

1957 : A practical bit in a news publication indicated that stage fright is not just for Amateurs. Even famous people such as Edward G. Robinson had experienced performance anxiety while auditioning for a part in a show.

1969 Cambodia B-52 Bombers

1969 : U.S. B-52 bombers attack suspected communist base camps and supply areas in Cambodia for the first time in the war.

1970 Viet Cong Capture Sam Thong

1970 : The press had indicated that a major supply base at Sam Thong was captured by North Vietnam. A hospital operated by Americans as well as a nearby village had been burned. Fortunately, all occupants of the above were warned, and numerous Americans, hospital patients, and Laotian civilians had evacuated. It was known ahead of time that North Vietnam was moving toward Sam Thong from the Plain of Jars before it happened.

1974 Israel Golan Heights

1974 : The Golan Heights has the worst day of violence when Syria begins shelling the northern sector of the Golan Heights, captured by Israel in 1967. Also on the same day most of the Arab oil-producing nations ended their embargo against the United States allowing oil to be exported.

1982 England Mary Whitehouse

1982 : The British Moral Decency in Public campaigner Mary Whitehouse has her private prosecution against director Michael Bogdanov over the play Romans in Britain, which features a male rape scene, with charges of gross indecency under the Sexual Offences Act 1956, ended today after intervention by the Attorney-General to end the case - with both sides claiming victory.

Mary Whitehouse considered herself to be safeguarding morality in a society that was losing it's decency and that much stronger and more severe censorship was needed to protect children and society from itself.

1990 U.S.A. Gas Price Increase

1990 : A 50 percent car registration hike, along with an increase of gas tax was proposed by the state of Maryland. This action was intended to bring in $5 million for one county, over a period of about five years.

1990 U.S.A. Art Thieves

1990 : Two thieves disguised as Policemen steal 12 works of art from the Isabella Gardner Museum in Boston including works by Rembrandt, Degas, Vermeer and others valued in excess of 300 million dollars which have still not been recovered.


https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/march19th.html

Friday, March 15, 2024

Friday Morning in the Blogosphere


 L.A. Times pressmen fourteen years ago



Honolulu Civil Beat now thriving as a nonprofit - Editor & Publisher



Today in Labor History March 15, 2024


 


Ben Fletcher


Ben Fletcher, African-American IWW organizer, was born on this date. Fletcher organized longshoremen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. – 1877
The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades was founded on this date. Today they represent more than 140,000 members in the construction industry, such as Painters, Drywall Finishers, Glaziers, Floor Coverers, and Sign and Display workers. – 1887
The Supreme Court approved the 8-Hour Act under threat of a national railway strike. – 1917
Bituminous coal miners began a nationwide strike, demanding adoption of a pension plan. – 1948
The Wall Street Journal began a series alleging insider stock deals at the union-owned Union Labor Life Insurance Co. (ULLICO). After three years a settlement was reached with Robert Georgine, a building trades leader serving as ULLICO president and CEO, requiring him to repay about $2.6 million in profits from the sale of ULLICO stock, forfeit $10 million in compensation and make other payments worth about $4.4 million. All but 2 of the company’s directors were said to have profited from the deals. – 2002

Important Events From This day in History March 15

 

1965 Johnson Addresses Discrimination

1965 : President Johnson pledges to Congress and millions of American Homes that we shall overcome what he called "a crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice" that exists in this country by acting on legislation designed to remove every barrier of discrimination against citizens trying to register and vote.

1956 U.S.A. My Fair Lady

1956 : The musical "My Fair Lady" opened on Broadway. The play based on George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion from the mid 1930's and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The stars of the musical Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins and Julie Andrews as Eliza Doolittle help to make the production was a smash hit.

1916 US Soldiers Sent Into Mexico

1916 : President Woodrow Wilson sent thousands of American soldiers into Mexico today hoping to capture Pancho Villa, the Mexican revolutionary.

1917 Russia Czar Nicholas II

1917 : Czar Nicholas II, ruler of Russia since 1894 , is forced to abdicate.

1919 France The American Legion

1919 : The American Legion has it's first meeting in Paris with about 1,000 officers and enlisted men attended to decide the organizations name. The next meeting takes place in St. Louis, Missouri two months later. The Legion served as a supportive group, a social club and a type of extended family for former service men and women and was also instrumental in creating the U.S. Veterans' Bureau, now known as the Department of Veterans Affairs.

1920 Texas Town Fire

1920 : An entire Texas town had gone up in flames. As a result, about 1,000 people were left homeless. Fortunately, no one had died in this disaster.

1929 Scottish National Party

1929 : Following the forming of the Irish Free State, Scotland men and women believe they should have the same rights and have formed the Scottish National Party whose candidates will stand for election in the next British Parliament Elections demanding a free Scotland run by Scots.

1938 Germany Jews Not Allowed To Vote

1938 : On the same day of one of Hitler’s addresses to over seven million people, it is declared that Jews will not be allowed to vote. This event took place after Hitler’s return from his trip to Austria, and after Austria’s treasury was combined with Germany’s.

1948 Palestine British Withdraw

1948 : It was recorded that Britain was preparing to withdraw from Palestine by this day. However, the Jews and Arabs were still fighting profusely. Incidentally, 1948 was the year that Israel had become a parliamentary democracy.

1957 US Photogenic Search

1957 : A search took place in nine counties for the most photogenic girl. This person would represent the Golden Gate Bridge during the 20th Anniversary celebration.

1964 U.S.A. Taylor Burton Marry

1964 : Actress Elizabeth Taylor and actor Richard Burton were married for the first time getting divorced in June 1974 only to get married again in October 1975 which lasts less than 12 months.

1965 Soviet Union Satellites Launched

1965 : Three artificial satellites were launched by the Soviet Union. These unmanned objects were reported as revolving around the earth approximately once every 106 minutes. Mayak radio transmitters were placed on board of these artificial space objects as well.

1966 U.S.A. Rioting

1966 : Racial rioting broke out again in the Watts area of Los Angeles.

1972 Vietnam War

1972 : This was considered one of the days of heaviest attack during the Vietnam War. U.S. destroyed a major North Vietnamese camp in two days, and 30 North Vietnamese ground troops were wiped out. Additional casualties occurred in the Central Highlands.

1974 United Kingdom John Poulson

1974 : A high profile case involving British MPs, health authorities and civil servants and the architect John Poulson has ended with Poulson and the high ranking senior Scottish civil servant William George Pottinger both being jailed for five years for corruption after being found guilty of bribing public figures to win contracts.

1976 United Kingdom Underground Train Bomb

1976 : The driver of a London Underground train is shot dead while chasing a gunman who detonated a bomb on his train.

1981 Syria Hostages Released

1981 : The 147 passengers and crew of a Pakistan Airways Boeing 720 aircraft held hostage for nearly two weeks are released in Syria, this follows the Pakistan government releasing 54 political prisoners from prison.

1988 Japan Seiken Tunnel

1988 : Passengers were stuck in Seiken Tunnel, which just recently opened up in Tokyo just a couple of days before this time. This delay was caused by a power outage, during which time people were held up underground for three hours 460 feet underground.

1990 Iraq Farzad Bazoft Executed

1990 : The Observer journalist Farzad Bazoft is executed in Iraq after being convicted of spying, both Britain and the United Nations condemned the execution but has not cut diplomatic and trade relations with Iraq.

1990 Indonesia Aeroflot

1990 : An announcement was made regarding the re-instatement of the Soviet airline Aeroflot service to Indonesia, after an eight-year ban. Spying allegations were the reason Indonesia did not allow flights from the Soviet Union prior to this time.

1990 Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev

1990 : Mikhail Gorbachev was elected the first and only executive president of the Soviet Union.


https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/march16th.html

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Thursday Morning in the Blogosphere


 



Why Philanthropy IS a Business Model - Second Rough Draft

Here’s your chance to experience journalism on the border - Poynter


Trust launches commercial printing facility to serve local news ecosystem - America's Newspapers

Today in Labor History March 14, 2024

 



On March 14, 1776, Alexander Hamilton receives his commission as captain of a New York artillery company. Throughout the rest of 1776, Captain Hamilton established himself as a great military leader as he directed his artillery company in several battles in and around New York City. In March 1777, Hamilton’s performance came to the attention of General George Washington and he was commissioned lieutenant colonel and personal aide to General Washington in the Continental Army.

The film Salt of the Earth, which tells the story of the 1951 strike by members of the International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers at the Empire Zinc mine in New Mexico, premiered on this date. Of the 13,000 movie theaters in the U.S. at the time of its release, only 13 showed the film. “This film is a new weapon for Russia”, said HUAC member and U.S. Representative Donald L. Jackson. – 1954

Jack Ruby, the Dallas nightclub owner who killed Lee Harvey Oswald—the accused assassin of President John F. Kennedy—is found guilty of the “murder with malice” of Oswald and sentenced to die in the electric chair. It was the first courtroom verdict to be televised in U.S. history.

Important Events From This day in History March 14

 

1958 Monaco Grace Kelly

1958 : Former film star Grace Kelly who is now married to Prince Rainier and is now known as Princess Grace gives birth to her second child a boy Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre. He will take automatic precedence over his one-year-old sister, Princess Caroline to become the next King.

1920 U.S.A. Spanish Immigrants

1920 : The number of Spanish immigrants was expected to be at an all-time high. During this time in history, they have been coming to America at record rates. Statistics regarding this were taken from local immigration application records in various Spanish cities.

1938 England Hitler and Mussolini

1938 : Various reports were printed regarding support and anti-support of Hitler and his regime. Premier Mussolini of Italy extended to Hitler a hand of friendship while British Prime Minister Chamberlain the country of Germany and Hitler of further attack. Britain fought to try to keep Austria’s independence before that country was absorbed by Germany.

1939 Czechoslovakia Dissolved

1939 : The independent republic of Czechoslovakia which was created in 1918 is dissolved, opening the way for Nazi occupation following the 1938 Munich Agreement.

1948 UK Marriage Laws

1948 : According to new proposed laws, British women married to foreigners would automatically retain their citizenship. The only women who would not remain British citizens are those who choose to formally renounce that status. More about 1948

1951 Korea Seoul

1951 : Seoul had been captured by communist forces on January 4th, 1951 and on 14th March United Nations forces recapture Seoul during the Korean War.

1957 Israel Gaza Strip

1957 : Chaos had taken place for quite awhile in the Gaza Strip and surrounding areas. However, a very important turn of events had taken place. One of those events included the joining of Jerusalem and the U.S. along with the United Nations in order to campaign against the re-entry of Egypt to The Strip.

1960 England Jodrell Bank

1960 : The British radio telescope at Jodrell Bank in Cheshire sets a new record when it makes contact with the American Pioneer V satellite at a distance of 407,000 miles.

1964 U.S.A. Jack Ruby Convicted

1964 : Jack Ruby is convicted of the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of President Kennedy, he is sentenced to death. The ruling is later overturned when his defense lawyers argued he did not receive a fair trial in Dallas due to the excessive publicity . A later date is set for a second trial at a change of venue, but he died of natural causes while waiting for the new trial.

1965 Mexico Silver Prices

1965 : Tips regarding the purchase of buying silver in Mexico were presented in a newspaper article dated this day. The suggestion given regarding where to find the best buys was in Taxco, Mexico-no longer in Mexico City were silver prices were on the rise.

1967 U.S.A. John F. Kennedy

1967 : John F. Kennedy's body is moved to a permanent grave in Arlington National Cemetery.

1972 U.S.A. Howard Hughes

1972 : Irving wrote a “real” book while awaiting sentencing for charges against him regarding the “Howard Hughes” hoax. According to one source, a man and his wife helped Irving stage the “fake” Howard Hughes biography in order to make money. The new book planned was to be about the hoax that the author Irving had been involved with. Other records tell of the story of how checks for the book meant to be deposited in a bank account were stolen.

1984 Northern Ireland Gerry Adams

1984 : The Sinn Fein president, Gerry Adams, is shot in a street attack in central Belfast, and was hit in the neck, shoulder and arm as several gunmen riddled his car with bullets.

1988 Bangladesh

1988 : According to records dated this date and year, a total of 88 citizens from Bangladesh were rescued by border guards. They were being smuggled from this country for various exploitive services (i.e. slavery, prostitution). Two men involved were already arrested shortly after this occurrence. They were charge of “trafficking in human lives”. Two of the places where these humans would have been “shipped” include India and Pakistan.

1990 Libya Chemical Weapons

1990 : A Libyan plant that was allegedly used to produce chemical weapons was burned. As a result, Libya had closed of its borders and maintained a high security alert. The fire started had started was reported to have occurred about 60 miles southwest of Tripoli. It was believed that this fire had been ignited by a U.S. and Israeli support team.

1991 England Birmingham Six Released

1991 : Following a Television investigative programme into the innocence of six Irish men who had been sent to prison for the bombings of two Birmingham pubs. British authorities release the "Birmingham Six."

1995 Space Norman Thagard

1995 : The US Astronaut Norman Thagard becomes the first American to enter space aboard a Russian rocket as he and two cosmonauts blasted off aboard a Soyuz spacecraft, headed for the Mir space station.

2002 U.S.A. Arthur Andersen Indicted

2002 : Arthur Andersen the accounting firm is charged by federal prosecutors with obstruction of justice, securing its first indictment in the collapse of Enron.


https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/march15th.html

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Wednesday Morning in the Blogosphere


 The Press Room is now a ghost town




UK will change law to ban foreign states from owning newspapers - Sky News



Today in Labor History March 13

 



Susan B. Anthony


Civil rights activist and suffragist Susan B. Anthony died at the age of 86.  – 1906
A four-month UAW strike at General Motors ended with a new contract. The strikers were trying to make up for the lack of wage hikes during World War II. – 1946
IWW Labor organizer and recovering anarchist Elizabeth Gurley Flynn was elected chair of the National Committee of the Communist Party, USA. – 1961
Labor Local 260 Houston negotiated its first contract with Pioneer Bus, ending dual pay scales for black and white drivers. – 1963
United Farm Workers (UFW) won a contract with the Christian Brothers Winery. – 1967

Important Events From This day in History March 13

 

1997 U.S.A. Phoenix Lights

1997 : Thousands of people report seeing a huge carpenter's square-shaped UFO including the Arizona Republican governor Fife Symington the phenomena is known as the Phoenix Lights and although many theories have been put forward for what the lights were, many of those that saw them are still convinced they were a V-shaped UFO.

1996 Scotland Dunblane Massacre

1996 : In Dunblane, Scotland Thomas Hamilton bursts into the gymnasium of the Dunblane Primary School with four guns and opens fire on a kindergarten class killing Sixteen children and their teacher . Hamilton was known to have a history of drug use. He also had resigned from his position as a Boy Scout leader in the 1980s, due to “improper behavior”. As a result stricter gun laws were passed in Great Britain.

1936 U.S.A. Boulder Dam

1936 : Work on the Boulder Dam is now complete two years ahead of schedule . The Dam is 727ft high, 600ft Thick at the base, 4 million cubic yards of concrete were used in it's construction and has taken 5 years to complete at a cost of $115,000,000 .The Dam is just 25 miles from Las Vegas and will provide power and water needs to the growing city. The name will be changed from the Boulder Dam to the Hoover Dam.

More about the Boulder Dam

1942 World War II K9 corps

1942 : The K9 corps begins training dogs for use in warfare, often used to carry messages close to the enemy front and as scout dogs which would bark when intruder was detected.

1925 U.S.A. The Butler Act

1925 : A law goes in to place that makes it illegal to teach the theory of evolution in Tennessee schools ( The Butler Act ). In the next few years teachers who continued teaching evolution were prosecuted under this act. The basis of the Butler act was that by teaching evolution teachers would be denying the literal Biblical account of man’s origin. The law stayed in place until it was repealed in 1967

1915 France Award For General

1915 : A special military service award was given to General Michael Maunoury, a French leader who was wounded while expecting German trenches during the First World War. Maunoury was struck by a bullet that had broken his jaw and ruined his left eye.

1920 U.S.A. Beef Improvements

1920 : Improvements in the type and quality of beef were proposed by the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture). USDA tips given to farmers included the following: providing enough feed and pasture, proper breeding procedures, correct fattening techniques, and adequate shelter. Farmers were also advised as how to decide whether cattle would produce suitable beef. For instance, the U.S. Department of Agriculture urged farmers to use pure bread registered bull in order for choice calves to be born consistently. Replacing old cows with heifer calves was also sometimes necessary for breeding in order to ensure quality meat production. Work also needed to be done in order to prevent disease to the flock of cattle as well.

1930 U.S.A. Clyde Tombaugh

1930 : Clyde Tombaugh, an astronomer at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, discovers the ninth planet Pluto.

1938 U.S.A. When the Saints Go Marching In

1938 : Louis Armstrong and his orchestra record “When the Saints Go Marching In.” It becomes a big hit for among their list of other hits.

1938 Germany and Austria Join Forces

1938 : It was made known that Germany and Austria joined forces. Hitler defied anyone who “dared” to tear these two countries apart.

1948 U.S.A. Last of The Old West

1948 : According to an article dated this date, unregistered firearms were no longer in Bingham Canyon, Utah. This mountain mining camp town was the last town of the “Old West” to make it illegal to carry a firearm without a license.

1949 U.S.A. Imperial Records

1949 : Imperial Records is created in Los Angeles, California. Lew Chudd creates the company that became famous for distributing recordings of some of music's greatest icons, including Fats Domino, Ricky Nelson and many others.

1957 Vatican Pilgrims

1957 : Over 10,000 church pilgrims along with perish staff witnessed the 18th Anniversary celebration of the date that Pope Pius XII was crowned. Prominent guests that attended this event included Irish President Sean T. O’ Kelley, Spanish Foreign Minister Fernando Maria Castiella. Numerous ambassadors along with a total of 14 cardinals also were present.

1957 England Plane Crash

1957 : A BEA Viscount 701 crashes on the edge of Manchester Ringway airport, close to a housing estate killing 22 passengers.

1957 U.S.A. Jimmy Hoffa

1957 : Union leader Jimmy Hoffa is Charged with attempting to Bribe Lawyer.

1961 UK Spy Ring

1961 : Three men and two women go on trial at the Old Bailey charged with plotting to pass official secrets to the Russians breaking the Official Secrets Act. The trial of the accused known as the Portland Spy Ring ( because they all worked in and around the Portland area with some of the accused working as civil servants at the Underwater Weapons Establishment in Dorset ) lasted about two weeks. One of the things they were selling the Russians included the plans HMS Dreadnought, Britain's first nuclear submarine. The five accused were Gordon Lonsdale, Henry Houghton, Peter Kroger, Helen Kroger, and Ethel Gee. They were all found guilty and sentenced to terms up to 20 years.

1969 U.S.A. The Love Bug

1969 : The Love Bug, a popular Disney movie, was released on this day for the first time. It was a movie that featured the Volkswagen Beetle, a very popular German car.

1970 United Kingdom Voting Age Reduced

1970 : The first election in the UK following the lowering of voting age from 21 to 18 in January takes place in the Bridgwater by-election.

1972 U.S.A. the Hopelands

1972 : According to a report made on This Day 1972, the Hopelands was soon to become Aiken’s public garden, which over 8,000 people per day have already visited. The Hopelands, an estate with a lot of over 14 acres, was willed to the city of Aiken in South Carolina as of the Friday before this date.

1979 Grenada Coup

1979 : A left wing opposition group in the Caribbean island of Grenada has toppled the country's controversial Prime Minister, Sir Eric Gairy in a military style coup.

1980 U.S.A. The Ford Motor Co.

1980 : A case bought against The Ford Motor Co. of reckless homicide in the fiery deaths of three young women riding in a Ford Pinto, ends with The Ford Motor Co. being found innocent.

1983 Zimbabwe Civil War

1983 : Zimbabwe appears to be on brink of civil war and the leader of Zimbabwe's opposition party, Joshua Nkomo, flees the country and goes to London due to fears for his safety.

1988 U.S.A. Rod Matthews

1988 : According to past records, a 15-year man known as Rod Matthews was sentenced to life in prison with possibility of parole after 15 years. He was known as the youngest person in the State of Massachusetts to receive this much time in prison.


https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/march14th.html

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Tuesday Morning in the Blogosphere


 Last men standing, Los Angeles Times







Britain considering measures to stop foreign states from buying newspapers - Reuters






Today in Labor History March 12, 2024

 


Lane Kirkland


Greedy industrialist turned benevolent philanthropist Andrew Carnegie pledged $5.2 million for the construction of 65 branch libraries in New York City, barely 1 percent of his net worth at the time. He established more than 2,500 libraries between 1900 and 1919, following years of treating workers in his steel plants brutally, demanding long hours in horrible conditions and fighting their efforts to unionize. Carnegie made $500 million when he sold out to J.P. Morgan, becoming the world’s richest man. – 1901

The IWW (Industrial Workers of the World) won their textile strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The Lawrence strike was also known as the Bread and Roses Strike because the women were demanding not only a living wage so they could feed their families, but a better quality of life, too). This IWW-led strike was the first known strike to implement the moving picket line, so as to avoid arrests for loitering. The strike was also unique in that the workers spoke 22 different languages and came from 24 different nationalities, prompting the IWW to give each language group a delegate on the strike committee and complete autonomy. – 1912
     As we go marching, marching, we battle too for men,
     For they are women’s children, & we mother them again.
     Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes;
     Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses
Shingle workers went on strike in Raymond, Washington. – 1912
Lane Kirkland, president of the AFL-CIO from 1979 to 1995, was born in Camden, South Carolina. – 1922
Steelworkers approved a settlement with Oregon Steel Mills, Inc. and its CF&I Steel subsidiary, ending the longest labor dispute in the USWA’s history and resulting in more than $100 million in back pay for workers. – 2004

Important Events From This day in History March 12

 

1933 Roosevelt First Fireside Chat

1933 : President Roosevelt gives his first " fireside chat " radio broadcast just 8 days after his inauguration telling the American people to keep faith with their country and their banking system, and asking them to leave their money in the bank where it would be kept safe . His chats to the people through these "fireside chats " on this day and future days were made friendly and informative but keeping them easy to understand by all and many consider helped him win an unprecedented 4 terms of office serving his country for a total of 12 years and 39 days. This is his fireside chat about the fail of the banking system.

1930 India March Against Tax On Salt

1930 : Mahatma Gandhi and his followers begin a 200 mile march to the salt beds of Jalalpur to campaign against British tax on salt beginning the fight for Indian independence from Great Britain. What must also be remembered is he was 61 years old at the time and marched over 200 miles in a peaceful march as a form of protest.

More about Gandhi's Salt March

1894 US Coca-Cola

1894 : Coca-Cola begins selling it's first bottles in 1894 in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

1912 U.S.A. Girl Scouts of America Founded

1912 : Juliette Gordon Low founded the Girl Guides in the United States, she had lived in England with her first husband for many years and had been a Girl Guide leader while living in England. On March 12th, 1912 She gathered 18 girls together to register the first troop of American Girl Guides in Savannah, Georgia. The next years the name was changed to Girl Scouts of America the following year.

1922 India Mahatma Gandhi Arrested

1922 : The British run government in India has arrested Mahatma Gandhi who has always preached passive resistance to British rule by telling his followers to not buy goods from Europe or work with the British administration machine, he has a massive following in India and many believe a civil uprising could follow his arrest.

1924 U.S.A. Tire Preservation

1924 : Tips were printed in a local newspaper regarding the preservation of tires. The importance of rotating car (or other vehicle) tires was equated to the storing of shoes and then using them. The point made is that tires should be rotated on a regular basis in order that the wear and tear on them would be about equal. This advice also applied to the use of a spare tire, in order to ensure that an extra tire would always be in excellent to good working order when needed. Another point made was that the proper storage of a spare tire is as equally important as the proper storage of a pair of boots. For instance, if they are stored in a damp place they may function differently than when stored in a dry location.

1928 U.S.A. St. Francis Dam Burst

1928 : Hundreds Reported Drowned When the St. Francis dam burst flooding into the San Francisquito Canyon in California. St. Francis Dam Collapse TimeLine

1938 Austria Part of Third Reich

1938 : German has forcibly “recruited” Austria to support the Third Reich, the Nazi Germany army. This was the second attempt of Germany to coerce Austria to comply. Austria Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg had tried to fight against Germany’s attempt to make Austria part of Nazi Germany. During this resistance, the Austrian chancellor had met with Hitler personally-an action taken in hopes to restore Austria’s independence. In fact, on March 9th Schuschnigg had posed a referendum to the public to help determine Austria’s affiliation or autonomy. This action proved very unfruitful, and Schuschnigg was force to name members of his cabinet as part of the Nazi movement. Furthermore, Schuschnigg had resigned on the 11th of March, a day before Austria was seized by Germany.

1939 U.S.A. Artie Shaw

1939 : Artie Shaw and his band record the single “Deep Purple.” It goes on to become one of the big band’s biggest hits.

1940 Burma Disturbances

1940 : Disturbances at three newspaper journalist offices were caused by a crowd of 5,000 people. A large number of this huge crowd of people was members of Burma’s workers’ union and Burma’s peasants’ union.

1945 Germany Anne Frank

1945 : Anne Frank, author of "The Diary of Anne Frank," died at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp from Typhus during a typhus epidemic that spread through the concentration camp.

1947 The Truman Doctrine

1947 : Very soon after the war President Truman had decided that to use America to stop the spread of communism around the world telling congress the country must intervene wherever necessary throughout the world to prevent the subjection of free people to Communist inspired totalitarian regimes at the expense of their national integrity.

One of the first requests to provide this support around the world to stop the spread of communism was to give $400 million in aid to bolster the hard-pressed Greek and Turkish governments against Communist pressure. This is also known as the beginning of "The Truman Doctrine" and the beginning of the battle to stop the spread of communism.

1956 Spain Stand Against Communism

1956 : A call for unity has spread among the European nations. Countries such as Yugoslavia, Greece, Spain, Brussels, Belgium, and Sweden, along with nations such as the United States, France and Italy gathered together to band against the communists. One organization responsible for this strong stand against the Reds (communists) is/was NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization).

1959 U.S.A. Hawaii

1959 : Congressional approval to admit Hawaii as the 50th state in the U.S.

1964 U.S.A. James Hoffa

1964 : The president of the powerful American Teamsters union James Hoffa is found guilty and sentenced to eight years on bribery charges. He had been on trial 4 times earlier but had not been found guilty. He appealed against the convictions and in 1966 while still going through the appeal process he was re-elected president of the lorry drivers' union in July 1966 - despite two prison sentences totaling 13 years hanging over him. He vanished in mysterious circumstances in 1975 and has never been seen since, his body has still not been found no one has been charged.

1969 England George Harrison

1969 : The police search former Beatles George Harrison’s home for illegal drugs. This was a year after John Lennon had been searched for hash (substance derived from marijuana).

1969 England Paul McCartney

1969 : Beatle Paul McCartney Marries American Linda Eastman in London.

1972 Vietnam Australia Withdraws

1972 : Australia withdraws from Vietnam following other countries withdrawal and US commitment to leave Vietnam.

1972 Cambodia Son Ngoc Thanh

1972 : Many people may have considered it just the right time for a new leader to take over as prime minister. Son Ngoc Thanh had just accepted this position, after Cambodia had went four days without a ruler. Thanh had served his country in the past as well-during World War II.

1980 U.S.A. The Killer Clown

1980 : A jury finds John Wayne Gacy Jr. ( also known as The Killer Clown ) guilty of the murders of 33 boys and young men, he had admitted the murders but he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. He had started his murders in 1972 and continued till 1978 when he was caught, 27 were found in a crawl space under the floor of his house and others were found in nearby rivers. The sentence was 21 consecutive life sentences and 12 death sentences. On May 10, 1994, Gacy was executed at Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, Illinois, by lethal injection.


https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/march13th.html

Monday, March 11, 2024

The last L.A. Times print run at the Olympic Plant in downtown Los Angeles

The Olympic printing plant where the Los Angeles Times was published for more than 30 years printed the paper for the last time March 10, 2024. When Tribune Co. owned the newspaper, it sold the property, making The Times a tenant. The lease is now up and paying rent has become untenable. Going forward, the paper will be printed in Riverside by the Southern California News Group.



Monday Morning in the Blogosphere

Photo credit Genaro Molina
 






L.A. Times wins first Oscar for ‘The Last Repair Shop - Los Angeles Times

The last L.A. Times print run at the Olympic Plant in downtown Los Angeles - Los Angeles Times