Today in labor history July 21 First documented case in the U.S. of a robot killing a human

July 21

On this day in 1877, the militia was called out against striking railroad workers in Pittsburgh. Tom Scott, head of the Pennsylvania Railroad, advised giving the strikers “a rifle diet for a few days and see how they like that kind of bread.” But the local militia refused to obey orders and instead joined the workers.

Paul Wellstone was born in Arlington, Virginia. An organizer and teacher, he became a voice for family farmers, for workers, for the environment, for those with mental illness, for children and for many who had no one to speak for them. He and his wife, Sheila, were leaders in many national campaigns for economic and social justice. They were killed in a plane crash in October, 2002, shortly before he would have elected to a third term in the U.S. Senate representing Minnesota. For more on this remarkable man, visit our special section, The Wellstone Legacy

IWW leads a strike at Hodgeman’s Blueberry Farm in Grand Junction, MI - 1964

A die-cast operator in Jackson, Mich. is pinned by a hydraulic Unimate robot, dies five days later. Incident is the first documented case in the U.S. of a robot killing a human - 1984