On this day (March 25) in 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist fire claimed the lives of 146 workers, mostly women, aged 16 and older.
Frances Perkins, who would later be the first woman to be appointed to a US Cabinet position as Secretary of Labor, witnessed the fire. It changed her life and led her on a path towards making workplace safety a priority.
Later in 1911, the United Society of Casualty Inspectors was formed, which we now know as the American Society of Safety Engineers.
Read more from ASSE on the fire and the safety initiatives that came after it in this article from last year.