Working Class History

https://mastodon.social/@workingclasshistory

#OtD toots & podcast. History isn't made by kings or politicians, it's made by billions of ordinary people. Supported and made possible by you: https://liberapay.com/workingclasshistory/

Website: https://workingclasshistory.com
Podcasts: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast
Patreon: https://patreon.com/workingclasshistory
Support us: https://liberapay.com/workingclasshistory/

Public Key

npub1euvykvzewx6ltea76cjlv9h95zk97z98vqchkz44n2h3c2ucc7asqscl6x

NIP-05 Address

[email protected]

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsv7xztxpvhrd04u7ldvf0kzmj6ptzlpznkqvtmp26e4tcu9wvv0wcpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0ds0p0suy

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1euvykvzewx6ltea76cjlv9h95zk97z98vqchkz44n2h3c2ucc7asqscl6x

Show more details

Last Notes

2026-07-08 16:01:31 UTC

Part 3 of our IWW Starbucks Workers Union miniseries is out now for free on all major podcast apps! In this episode we explore international solidarity, the company's vicious anti-union operation, and the enduring lessons for today's labour movement: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e121-123-iww-starbucks-workers-union/

2026-07-06 14:11:42 UTC

#OtD 6 Jul 1992 legendary Black trans activist and sex worker Marsha P Johnson's body was found in the Hudson River in a suspected murder. She was most famous for participating in the Stonewall riots, which participants talk about in our podcast: https://workingclasshistory.com/2019/05/13/e21-22-the-stonewall-riots-and-pride-at-50/

2026-07-04 17:41:22 UTC

Today 4 Jul is US Independence Day, which was declared after the revolution of 1776. But despite rhetoric about men being "equal" and "inalienable rights", slavery continued for nearly a century and the genocide of Native Americans accelerated https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10966/independence-day-in-the-us

2026-07-03 22:56:39 UTC

#OtD 3 Jul 1883 radical author, Franz Kafka, was born in Prague. Often reduced to abstract philosophical despair, his writing was also often a scathing critique of capitalist society and bureaucracy informed by his contact with radical political groups https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10191/franz-kafka-born

2026-06-28 15:41:29 UTC

#OtD 28 Jun 1936 Valeriano Orobón Fernández, Spanish anarcho-syndicalist and lyricist of the revolutionary anthem "A las Barricadas", died of TB aged 31, mere weeks before the Spanish Revolution began. We use it as the theme tune for our podcast: https://workingclasshistory.com/2020/06/17/e39-the-spanish-civil-war-an-introduction/

2026-06-28 13:56:21 UTC

#OtD 28 Jun 1976 Elena Quinteros, teacher and member of the Federación Anarquista Uruguaya (FAU), was kidnapped and "disappeared" by Uruguayan soldiers after escaping military custody and seeking sanctuary in the Venezuelan Embassy. https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10030/elena-quinteros-kidnapped-by-uruguayan-military

2026-06-27 21:26:39 UTC

#OtD 27 Jun 1973 Jewish revolutionary and author Ida Mett (b 1901) died in Paris, France. She was involved in the Russian revolution and was a member of the anarchist-communist Dielo Truda (Workers' Cause) group from 1925 to 1928 https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9925/ida-mett-died

2026-06-27 10:11:26 UTC

#OtD 27 Jun 1869 Emma Goldman, the legendary Jewish writer, feminist, birth control advocate, and anarchist was born in what is now Lithuania. Some of her works, and items celebrating her life available here to help fund our work: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/all/emma-goldman

2026-06-20 04:11:30 UTC

20 June 1967: Muhammad Ali refuses draft

2026-06-11 06:41:31 UTC

#OtD 11 June 1936 Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists attempted to hold an impromptu rally in Tonypandy, Wales. 6,000 locals forced the fascists to flee in what would become known as the 'Battle of De Winton Field' https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8322/battle-of-de-winton-field

2026-06-10 16:01:53 UTC

New podcast bonus episode! Extra information about the @npub1hkm…yuhl Starbucks Workers Union with Daniel Gross, who helped organise hundreds of Starbucks workers in the early 2000s. Listen today by joining us on Patreon and supporting our work: https://www.patreon.com/posts/e123-1-iww-union-160711632

2026-06-03 20:41:25 UTC

#OtD 3 Jun 1924 Jewish socialist Czech author Franz Kafka died of tuberculosis in Austria. Connected with left libertarian circles in Prague, The Trial, his most famous work, is a masterful condemnation of state bureaucracy https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10196/kafka-dies

2026-06-02 15:56:04 UTC

#OtD 2 Jun 1975 100 sex workers occupied the church of Saint Nizier, Lyon, refusing to leave unless their convictions for soliciting were rescinded. More on sex workers and their struggles: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/all/sex-workers

2026-06-02 07:11:38 UTC

#OtD 2 Jun 1986 during the Wapping printers' dispute in East London, paper supplies at nearby Convoy's Wharf were hit by mystery arson https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9205/wapping-dispute-arson

2026-06-01 18:56:18 UTC

#OtD 1 Jun 1915 Irish Jewish anti-fascist Max Levitas, who battled Oswald Mosley's fascists at the Battle of Cable Street, was born. He became a communist as a teenager, moved to East London, and remained active until his death aged 103 https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8089/max-levitas-born

2026-05-31 13:41:45 UTC

#OtD 31 May 1989 legendary Trinidadian Marxist, CLR James, died in London aged 88. He wrote The Black Jacobins, the definitive history of the Haitian Revolution, as well as influential texts on class, colonialism and cricket. See some of his works here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/all/c-l-r-james

2026-05-29 09:11:26 UTC

#OtD 29 May 1941 Disney Studios animators in LA struck after 16 were fired for demanding union recognition. After five weeks workers won pay rises of up to 50% and nearly all their other demands. Walt Disney remained bitter about it until his death https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10122/disney-animators'-strike

2026-05-28 15:56:48 UTC

#OtD 28 May 1936 32,000 workers occupied the Renault plant in Paris. 100,000 more workers soon occupied every major engineering factory around the city. A strike wave swept the country, involving 2 million workers in 12,000 strikes and occupations https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10039/french-popular-front-strike-wave

2026-05-27 12:01:55 UTC

#OtD 27 May 1968 the Grenelle negotiations in the May 68 French uprising concluded when union officials reached an "agreement" with employers. Radicals urged against a return to normal, while workers rejected the agreement and continued the mass strike https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9942/grenelle-%22agreement%22

2026-05-25 12:01:58 UTC

#OtD 25 May 1901 the revolutionary anarchist union the Federacion Obrera Argentina (later renamed the FORA) was founded in Argentina at a congress of 27 unions. In October they called their first general strike https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9770/fora-anarchist-union-founded

2026-05-24 11:11:34 UTC

#OtD 24 May 1968 the May 68 uprising in France peaked. 10 million workers were on strike with many occupying their factories. The city of Nantes and its surroundings were controlled by the workers. The state plotted repression. Artwork from the movement: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/may-68

2026-05-24 11:11:34 UTC

#OtD 24 May 2014 lesbian bouncer known as the "Rosa Parks of the gay community", Stormé DeLarverie, died aged 93 in Brooklyn. Born to a Black mother and a white father, she is credited by some as sparking the Stonewall riots. Learn more in our podcast: https://workingclasshistory.com/2019/05/13/e21-22-the-stonewall-riots-and-pride-at-50/

2026-05-22 19:41:43 UTC

#OtD 22 May 1974 Canek Sanchez Guevara, Che Guevara's grandson, was born in Havana. He became a revolutionary himself, and a vocal critic of the Castro government and its persecution of gay people and trade unionists https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9509/canek-sanchez-guevara-born

2026-05-22 12:11:42 UTC

#OtD 22 May 1920 antisemitic hoax, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, was printed by Henry Ford in the Dearborn Independent and sold at all Ford outlets. He was later given Nazi Germany's highest award by Hitler https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9506/ford-publishes-antisemitism

2026-05-21 21:01:23 UTC

#OtD 21 May 1935 port workers in Falmouth, Jamaica went on strike. When the employers threatened to use strikebreakers, the strikers rioted. British police opened fire, killing one worker https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9414/falmouth-port-strike

2026-05-19 04:46:49 UTC

#OtD 19 May 1933 Germany's Nazi government abolished collective bargaining – the principle of workers collectively negotiating with employers over pay and conditions. Instead, conditions were to be regulated by labour "trustees", appointed by Hitler https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9129/nazis-abolish-collective-bargaining

2026-05-18 18:26:15 UTC

#OtD 18 May 1968 the Senegalese May 68 began when students began a "general strike" against a cut to student grants. Despite repression the movement grew and eventually culminated in a workers' general strike and won many concessions https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9030/%22senegalese-may-'68%22-began

2026-05-14 19:26:35 UTC

#OtD 14 May 2021 dock workers of the @usbsindacato in Livorno, Italy, refused to load weapons and explosives destined for Israel during a wave of Israeli attacks on Gaza https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8608/livorno-dockers-boycott

2026-05-14 10:41:42 UTC

#OtD 14 May 1940 Emma Goldman, legendary anarchist and advocate of women's rights and sexual freedom, died in Toronto, Canada. A Lithuanian-born Jew, she moved to the US from which she was eventually deported because of her activism. Books & more: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/en-gb/collections/all/emma-goldman?sort_by=best-selling

2026-05-10 11:56:14 UTC

#OtD 10 May 1857 a rebellion against the British East India Company began in India. Indian troops mutinied, sparking other mutinies and civilian uprisings. It was ultimately unsuccessful but forced the company to dissolve. More on resistance to empire: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/en-gb/collections/books/products/insurgent-empire-anticolonial-resistance-and-british-dissent-priyamvada-gopal

2026-05-08 05:41:03 UTC

#OtD 8 May 1937 in Barcelona, the last of the barricades from the Barcelona May Days where anarchists and socialists who'd fought govt attempts to prevent a revolution, were dismantled. More in our podcast: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e39-the-spanish-civil-war-an-introduction/

2026-05-07 08:26:20 UTC

#OtD 7 May 1945 Nazi Germany surrendered unconditionally, leading to the end of WWII in Europe. But many fascists were reinstalled into positions of power without punishment. Especially in West Germany and Greece, as well as Bulgaria and Hungary https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10734/Nazi-Germany-surrendered

2026-05-05 18:46:29 UTC

#OtD 5 May 1818 Karl Marx was born in Trier, Germany. Living until the age of 64, Marx was a journalist, revolutionary socialist, philosopher and economist, and one of the most influential figures in world history. Works by or about him available here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/all/karl-marx

2026-05-03 11:11:28 UTC

#OtD 3 May 1968 the first street battles of the Paris uprising broke out in the Latin Quarter. 500 students were arrested at the Sorbonne. This is our collection of books and merch commemorating May 68: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/may-68

2026-05-03 10:41:05 UTC

#OtD 3 May 1842 white people in Rhode Island launched Dorr rebellion in protest at the vote only being granted to the rich. But they didn't want the vote for Black people and so when the militia came in to crush them they were isolated and defeated https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10220/dorr-rebellion

2026-05-02 13:56:27 UTC

#OtD 2 May 1982 a UK submarine fired on Argentina's Belgrano ship during the Falklands war, sinking it and killing 323 people. Widely considered a war crime, the UK claimed the ship had entered an exclusion zone, but leaked documents showed it hadn't https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/7825/Sinking-of-the-Belgrano

2026-05-02 05:26:31 UTC

#OtD 2 May 1933 Nazi Germany abolished all labour unions: police units occupied all trades union offices, union officials and leaders were arrested and union funds appropriated https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9215/Nazis-abolish-all-unions

2026-04-29 19:01:35 UTC

#OtD 29 Apr 1945 US troops liberated the Dachau concentration camp in Germany. But some LGBT+ prisoners had to serve out their full sentences under the Nazi penal code. This law remained in force until 1968 in East Germany and 1969 in the West. More: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10070/liberation-of-dachau

2026-04-29 04:41:42 UTC

#OtD 29 Apr 1945 the body of Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini was dumped in Milan's Piazzale Loreto, where partisans were massacred by the Gestapo the previous year. His body was attacked by the crowd until it was hung up. More in our podcast: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e77-80-italian-resistance/

2026-04-28 23:01:29 UTC

#OtD 28 Apr 1826 weavers protesting for better wages and threatening to damage the new 'powerloom' factories are cleared from the streets by troops in Manchester, England, only a few days after widespread machine-breaking riots across East Lancashire https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9970/weavers-protests-suppressed

2026-04-23 18:46:45 UTC

#OtD 23 Apr 1971 1000 Vietnam War veterans returned their medals to the government. They'd planned to return them in body bags but authorities erected a fence around the Capitol building so the veterans threw their medals over it. More info in our pod: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e10-the-gi-resistance-in-vietnam-part-1/

2026-04-23 15:56:27 UTC

#OtD 23 Apr 1976 Catalan anarchist Enric Duran i Giralt ‘Robin Bank' was born. He later robbed dozens of Spanish banks of around half a million euros to finance anti-capitalist social movements https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/12540/enric-duran-i-giralt-born

2026-04-22 21:01:31 UTC

#OtD 22 Apr 1973 the first LGBT+ rights protest took place in Chile when 40 young people demonstrated in Santiago demanding an end to police harassment. Led by sex workers and gender nonconforming people the protest was widely condemned by the press https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/11256/chile's-first-lgbt+-protest

2026-04-19 13:26:33 UTC

#OtD 19 Apr 1960 the SK April revolution began when 1000s of students marched against the dictatorship in Seoul. Police massacred 180 and govt declared martial law, but the following week the army refused to fire and the president stepped down https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9063/april-revolution

2026-04-19 04:31:41 UTC

#OtD 19 Apr 1889 feminist and worker-activist, Juana Rouco Buela, was born in Spain. Moving to Buenos Aires, she organised female sugar workers, took part in tenants' and workers' strikes, was deported but returned and never gave up https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9060/juana-rouco-buela-born

2026-04-18 16:11:15 UTC

#OtD 18 Apr 1899 Rosa Luxemburg finished the introduction to her classic work, 'Reform or Revolution', in which she critiques social democracy and explains why the working class cannot reform away exploitation and crises. More by and about Luxemburg here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/en-gb/collections/books/rosa-luxemburg

2026-04-15 13:11:18 UTC

#OtD 15 Apr 1797 sailors of the Royal Navy mutinied in Spithead near Portsmouth, England, demanding better pay and conditions and the removal of some unpopular officers. After a month they won, and it sparked a wave of mutinies across the navy https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8633/spithead-mutiny

2026-04-13 04:11:47 UTC

#OtD 13 Apr 1953 the director of the US CIA approved a project called MKUltra. The agency then secretly conducted mind control experiments on unwitting subjects, including sex workers and cancer patients, eg dosing them with LSD. At least 2 people died https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/12485/mkultra

2026-04-12 08:26:17 UTC

#OtD 12 Apr 1934 workers at the Electric Auto-Lite company in Toledo, Ohio, went on strike. The Toledo Auto-Lite strike heavily involved unemployed workers and is one of the most important strikes in US labour history. Read its history in this book: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/en-gb/products/strike-jeremy-brecher

2026-04-11 15:41:23 UTC

#OtD 11 Apr 1871 women in the Paris commune set up the Union of Women for the Defence of Paris. They organise to defend the commune, care for the wounded, and abolish gender inequality. They later fought government troops. Learn more about the commune: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/products/voices-of-the-paris-commune

2026-04-10 13:11:21 UTC

#OtD 10 Apr 1919 Emiliano Zapata, peasant leader during the Mexican Revolution, was murdered by forces of the "revolutionary" Carranza government. He was lured to a meeting by a fake defector and assassinated. We have reproduced this iconic photo: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/all/emiliano-zapata

2026-04-09 22:26:29 UTC

#OtD 9 Apr 1948 around 120 fighters from the Zionist paramilitary groups Irgun and Lehi attacked the Palestinian village of Deir Yassin massacring 100 to 150 or more. The victims included many women and children, some of whom were mutilated and raped https://workingclasshistory.com/2018/12/16/e17-anti-zionism-in-israel-part-1/

2026-04-09 16:46:31 UTC

New! We've compiled a collection of all of our podcast episodes about antifascism and anti-Nazism. You can listen to them all without ads and with exclusive bonus episodes by supporting us on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/collection/2097268?

2026-04-08 05:11:24 UTC

#OtD 8 Apr 2013 former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died. Street parties spontaneously broke out across the country. Pictured: Thatcher being welcomed to hell by one of her good friends and supporters, serial paedophile Jimmy Savile https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10766/margaret-thatcher-dies

2026-04-06 09:26:18 UTC

#OtD 6 Apr 1712 a major rebellion of enslaved people took place in NYC, when a group set fire to a building near Broadway and attacked colonists as they try to put out the blaze before escaping. More on slavery and resistance in this book: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/books/products/a-history-of-pan-african-revolt-c-l-r-james

2026-04-06 06:41:23 UTC

#OtD 6 Apr 1871 Paris communards seized the local guillotine and burned it as a symbol of "monarchist domination". While some today glorify the guillotine, it has mostly been used by the powerful against workers, like Nazi Germany who beheaded 16,000 https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/books/products/voices-of-the-paris-commune

2026-04-05 12:11:10 UTC

#OtD 5 Apr 1913 suffragettes fighting for votes for women in the UK set fire to a grandstand at the Ayr racecourse, destroying other buildings including the stables. Copies of 'Votes for Women' and the 'Suffragette' were found in the debris https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10485/suffragettes-burn-ayr-racecourse

2026-04-03 08:46:41 UTC

#OtD 3 Apr 1974 1000 school pupils in Brixton, London, most of them Black, came out on strike in support of three Black youths who had been jailed after police attacked a crowd of people in Brockwell Park. They marched to the court and police station https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10153/brixton-school-students-strike

2026-04-01 10:11:44 UTC

#OtD 1 Apr 1982 oil company Exxon made a private report on CO2. It showed burning fossil fuels would cause global warming which may be irreversible and could be detectable by 1995. They then spent $31m to spread false propaganda claiming the opposite https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8039/exxon-greenhouse-effect-report

2026-03-29 09:41:27 UTC

#OtD 29 Mar 2022 39 doctors and nurses at the Yap State Hospital in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) resigned en masse after their attempts to negotiate better pay were rejected by state authorities, and strike action is banned https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/7936/yap-hospital-resignations

2026-03-15 04:46:43 UTC

#OtD 15 Mar 1973 after a prison guards' walkout against rehabilitation reforms, inmates at Walpole prison began running it themselves, improving conditions and eliminating violence. This ended when state troopers allowed guards to regain control https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8704/inmates-take-control-of-walpole-prison

2026-03-15 04:11:43 UTC

#OtD 15 Mar 1983 radical journalist and suffragist Rebecca West died aged 90. She helped found the feminist journal The Freewoman, and later worked with Emma Goldman to assist Spanish antifascist refugees https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8705/rebecca-west-dies

2026-03-14 12:02:26 UTC

#OtD 14 Mar 1970 two sailors on a US vessel carrying 10k tons of napalm for use in the Vietnam war mutinied, hijacked the ship and sailed it to neutral Cambodia. But they could never have guessed what would happen next. Learn more in our podcast: https://workingclasshistory.com/2019/04/09/wch-crime-columbia-eagle-mutiny/

2026-03-08 17:26:22 UTC

#OtD 8 Mar 1926 mostly Jewish striking fur workers demonstrated outside the offices of The Jewish Daily Forward newspaper in NYC in protest at an anti-strike article it had published the previous day, booing the editor and burning copies of the paper. https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10831/jewish-daily-forward-protest

2026-03-08 17:26:21 UTC

#OtD 8 Mar 2018 a monument to Mary Barbour was unveiled in Glasgow. Barbour was a peace campaigner and a pioneering advocate of family planning services, and a leader during the great Glasgow rent strike of 1915. https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10833/remembering-mary-barbour

2026-03-08 07:56:40 UTC

#OtD 8 Mar 1926 the largely female members of the Fur & Leather Workers' Union went on strike in New York City, enduring beatings by police. They won a 10% raise and a five-day week. Learn more about women's struggles throughout history: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/feminism/book

2026-03-05 16:46:16 UTC

#OtD 5 Mar 1984 6,000 miners went on strike at Cortonwood Colliery starting the great miners' strike. They were joined by most miners in Britain in opposition to pit closures, but they were sadly defeated by the Conservative govt. More in our podcast: https://workingclasshistory.com/tag/1984-5-miners-strike/

2026-03-05 13:26:21 UTC

#OtD 5 Mar 1871 Jewish revolutionary socialist, Rosa Luxemburg, was born. A critic both of reformist socialists and Lenin's "ultra-centralism", she was murdered by right-wing paramilitaries on behalf of social democrats after the failed 1919 uprising https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/all/rosa-luxemburg

2026-03-05 05:11:36 UTC

📣 New Podcast! "Miners’ vs Thatcher: Battle That Changed Britain" on @Spreaker #british #coal #era_thatcherism_national #history_coal #history_working #industry_1980s #labor #miners #mineworkers_arthur #of #politics_modern #scargill_british #strike_british #strike_uk #thatcher #trade #uk #union
https://www.spreaker.com/episode/miners-vs-thatcher-battle-that-changed-britain--70369201

2026-03-02 16:56:43 UTC

ICYMI: Part 1 of our miniseries on the 2001 Argentina uprising is out now for everyone! We spoke to Tomas Rothaus, who took part in the uprising that brought down the government, about his experiences. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e115-116-argentina-uprising-2001/

2026-02-26 21:41:21 UTC

#OtD 26 Feb 2012 Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black teenager, was murdered by a neighbourhood watch volunteer for being Black and wearing a hoodie. After his death there were protests across the US and #blacklivesmatter was born https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9820/trayvon-martin-killed

2026-02-25 23:32:15 UTC

Argentina uprising 2001 - New episode of the Working Class History podcast: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e115-116-argentina-uprising-2001/

2026-02-25 09:11:48 UTC

#OtD 25 Feb 1941 a general strike was called in the occupied Netherlands against anti-Jewish measures of the Nazis. Organised by communists it was largely repressed the next day & leaders sent to the camps although some survived the war https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9733/netherlands-general-strike

2026-02-23 08:02:13 UTC

#OtD 23 Feb 2005 France introduced a law directing schools to teach "positive" aspects of French colonialism. France invaded places including Morocco, Algeria, Vietnam, Cambodia, Tunisia, Senegal, the Caribbean, US, Canada and others and enslaved 1.3m https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9559/french-colonialism-teaching-law

2026-02-22 07:41:37 UTC

#OtD 22 Feb 1927 the first union for Korean casual labourers in Japan was formed: the Casual Workers' Union (Jiyü Rõdõsha Kumiai). It was organised by Korean anarchists Mun Seong-hun, Lee Si-woo, O Seong-mun, and others https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9465/korean-casual-workers'-union-formed

2026-02-21 13:02:20 UTC

#OtD 21 Feb 1973 law students in Athens went on strike and barricaded themselves inside the University in protest at the military dictatorship. Police violently repressed the students, but it was a key event leading to the student uprising of November https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9372/athens-law-students-strike

2026-02-21 10:26:35 UTC

#OtD 21 Feb 2013 Israeli authorities issued orders to demolish the homes of four Palestinian families in the village of Beit Dajan. This was part of an ongoing campaign to expand illegal settlements and ethnically cleanse the area of its inhabitants https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/11193/beit-dajan-demolitions

2026-02-21 05:11:01 UTC

📣 New Podcast! "21 February 1965: Malcolm X assassinated" on @Spreaker #black #history #peoples
https://www.spreaker.com/episode/21-february-1965-malcolm-x-assassinated--69728402

2026-02-13 11:41:36 UTC

#OtD 13 Feb 1913 82-year-old labour activist Mother Jones was arrested in West Virginia for supporting a coal miners' strike. Convicted in a military court and sentenced to 20 years in prison, she was pardoned after serving 85 days. More on the Mine Wars: https://workingclasshistory.com/2018/06/09/wch-e7-the-west-virginia-mine-wars-1902-1922/

2026-02-12 13:56:20 UTC

#OtD 12 Feb 1946 Isaac Woodard, a 26-year-old Black WWII veteran, still in uniform from being honorably discharged that day, was take to jail, beaten, and permanently blinded by police in South Carolina. https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/12520/isaac-woodward-beaten-by-police

2026-02-08 18:01:25 UTC

#OtD 8 Feb 1937 tens of thousands of Spanish civilians - mostly families with children and the elderly - fleeing Malaga in the Civil War were bombarded from the air and sea by Spanish, German and Italian fascist forces killing up to 5000 people. More: https://workingclasshistory.com/2020/06/17/e39-the-spanish-civil-war-an-introduction/

2026-02-05 15:11:16 UTC

#OtD 5 Feb 1975 the Limazo riots began in Lima, Peru amidst rapidly rising prices. During a police strike, which was supported by some of the left, slum dwellers began expropriating goods en masse. In repressing the rebellion over 100 were killed https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10512/limazo

2026-02-03 22:11:30 UTC

#OtD 3 Feb 1988 2500 nurses across the UK strike against a low pay offer. Some Vauxhall workers and miners joined them on sympathy strikes. Despite press attacks, most people supported them, and they won some concessions https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10178/uk-nurses'-strike

2026-01-30 05:26:30 UTC

#OtD 30 Jan 1972 the Bloody Sunday massacre took place when British soldiers fired on unarmed civil rights protesters in the Bogside, Ireland, killing 14. Protesters had been opposing the policy of internment https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10282/bloody-sunday

2026-01-27 16:56:22 UTC

#OtD 27 Jan 1945 the Red Army liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp in occupied Poland that was used by the Nazis to murder 1.3 million people, most of whom were Jewish https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/12510/liberation-of-auschwitz

2026-01-22 16:11:23 UTC

First podcast episode of 2026! We talk to Tomas Rothaus about the 2001 Argentina uprising, which led to the fall of the government, the spread of neighbourhood assemblies, and a wave of worker-run factory takeovers. Out now for early listening on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/e115-argentina-1-148598695

2026-01-21 13:41:44 UTC

#OtD 21 Jan 1921 striking workers in Santa Cruz, Argentina, seized 2 ranches demanding better pay and conditions. While there was a negotiated settlement, an army unit later arrived and killed up to 1500 workers by the following year https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9376/la-anita-ranch-seized

2026-01-20 11:46:36 UTC

Today in the US is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, commemorating the legendary civil right activist and socialist who was murdered supporting a strike of sanitation workers. While lauded today, when alive he was demonised by politicians and media https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/13339/martin-luther-king-day

2026-01-19 20:26:42 UTC

#OtD 19 Jan 1915 the Roosevelt massacre took place in New Jersey when guards hired by fertiliser bosses opened fire on a crowd of unarmed striking workers, killing two and injuring 18. The workers were fighting for reversal of a 20% pay cut https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9090/roosevelt-massacre

2026-01-18 20:01:39 UTC

#OtD 18 Jan 1958 the Battle of Hayes Pond took place in NC when Native Americans routed a KKK rally. 500 Lumbee armed with shotguns and clubs attacked the white supremacist protest forcing them to flee, and celebrated by burning KKK banners and robes https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8979/battle-of-hayes-pond

2026-01-17 20:11:21 UTC

#OtD 17 Jan 1893 a coup d'état took place in Hawaii, organised by United States. A republic was briefly declared, and the island was annexed by the US five years later: the first of many overseas imperialist conquests by the nation https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8879/us-organised-coup-in-hawaii

2026-01-15 21:56:24 UTC

#OtD 15 Jan 1978 the Scala nightclub in Barcelona was firebombed, killing 4 of the workers, most of whom were anarchists. Police blamed anarchists but a police agent was actually responsible, attempting to crush the reborn @npub1qxp…sad5 union https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8674/scala-firebombing

2026-01-15 11:11:27 UTC

#OtD 15 Jan 1929 civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Before his assassination he had become increasingly radical, criticising militarism, war, poverty and capitalism as well as racism

2026-01-15 07:26:42 UTC

#OtD 15 Jan 1934 the UK tabloid the Daily Mail published an article 'Hurrah for the Blackshirts!' supporting Oswald Mosley's fascist movement. Written by Viscount Rothemere, whose family still own the Mail, its politics haven't really changed much https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8672/daily-mail-blackshirts-article

2026-01-12 21:16:05 UTC

#OtD 12 Jan 1989 punks were identified as the main problem in a "youth analysis" by the East German govt. Punks were surveilled, arrested and beaten, had their mohawks cut off, movements restricted and badjacketed if they refused to be informants https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8402/ddr-punk-problem

2026-01-10 17:26:27 UTC

#OtD 10 Jan 2003 students in Bangui, Central African Republic, battled police in the streets in protest at non-payment of scholarship grants by the government. Students started fires and stoned cars while police and soldiers fired tear gas and gunshots https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/7721/bangui-student-protests

2026-01-08 09:01:31 UTC

#OtD 8 Jan 1932 Korean independence activist Lee Bong-chang threw a bomb at the car of the Japanese emperor as he returned from a military review. There were no fatalities, and Lee was promptly arrested and later sentenced to death https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10796/lee-bong-chang-attentat

2026-01-01 23:11:16 UTC

#OtD 1 Jan 1934 Nazi Germany enacted a law which forcibly sterilised more than 400,000 disabled people. Later they began murdering them, killing 250,000. Their rhetoric about disabled and ill people being a burden on workers is still widespread today https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8069/nazi-sterilisation-law

2025-12-31 09:26:45 UTC

#OtD 31 Dec 1969 Dwight and Karl Armstrong stole a twin engined Cessna plane from outside Madison and dropped three bombs on the Badger Army Ammunition Plant in protest against the Vietnam War. The bombs failed to explode. More in our podcast: https://workingclasshistory.com/2020/09/23/e43-46-the-movement-against-the-vietnam-war-in-the-us/

2025-12-30 15:56:04 UTC

#OtD 30 Dec 1913 Spanish anarchist, Isabel Mesa, was born. Seamstress, activist in @npub1qxp…sad5, strike organiser and member of the underground resistance, she was arrested, tortured and twice sentenced to death by Franco's regime but got away https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10272/isabel-mesa-born