notes.husk.org

"In October 1884, a convention held by the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions..."

Wed, 01 May 2013 18:48:31 +0100

“

In October 1884, a convention held by the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions unanimously set May 1, 1886, as the date by which the eight-hour work day would become standard. As the chosen date approached, U.S. labor unions prepared for a general strike in support of the eight-hour day.

On Saturday, May 1, rallies were held throughout the United States. Estimates of the number of striking workers across the U.S. range from 300,000 to half a million. In New York City the number of demonstrators was estimated at 10,000 and in Detroit at 11,000. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, some 10,000 workers turned out. In Chicago, the movement’s center, an estimated 30 to 40,000 workers had gone on strike and there were perhaps twice as many people out on the streets participating in various demonstrations and marches, as, for example, a march by 10,000 men employed in the Chicago lumber yards.

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- Wikipedia’s entry on the Haymarket Affair, as referred to in The Red Flag:

Look round, the Frenchman loves its blaze,
The sturdy German chants its praise,
In Moscow’s vaults its hymns were sung
Chicago swells the surging throng.

An 1882 map by Richard A Proctor showing the cones of visibility...

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 23:03:26 +0100

An 1882 map by Richard A Proctor showing the cones of visibility of the 2012 transit of Venus (which happens tomorrow). It’s remarkable partly as it’s so well designed, and partly as it’s over a hundred years old but matches the modern map.

From page iv of the Catalogue of the San Francisco Free Public...

Tue, 29 May 2012 05:30:30 +0100

From page iv of the Catalogue of the San Francisco Free Public Library, 1888 additions, abbreviations for “the more common masculine and feminine fore-names”.

Franklin Roosevelt, 1884, from a slideshow accompanying an...

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 22:47:04 +0100

Franklin Roosevelt, 1884, from a slideshow accompanying an article asking When Did Girls Start Wearing Pink? in the Smithsonian Magazine.