History isn't made by kings or politicians, it's made by us: billions of ordinary people. https://patreon.com/workingclasshistoryhttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.comhttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjo5v67jqx24#OtD 17 Apr 2014 Spanish machinist, anarchist and Civil War fighter, Concha Perez Collado, died aged 99. She took part in jail breaks, insurrectionary strikes, the Civil War, the May Days and helped rebuild the @CNTsindicato after Franco's death https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8855/concha-perez-collado-dies17 Apr 2026 05:10 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjo5v67jqx24https://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjo52cadjg2d#OtD 17 Apr 1920 dockers in Dublin refused to load foodstuffs destined for England. The action helped relieve severe food shortages in Dublin, which had been dire since 1917, while huge quantities of food were shipped to Britain https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8849/dublin-dockers-refuse-to-load-food-for-england17 Apr 2026 04:55 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjo52cadjg2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjo2aw7mdr2t📣 New Podcast! "17 April 2016: Kuwait oil workers strike" on @Spreaker #anniversaries_history #day #energy #facts_weekly #history #history_historical #history_otd_on #history_weekly #in #kuwait #lives #news_everyday #oil #stories_daily #this #workers https://www.spreaker.com/episode/17-april-2016-kuwait-oil-workers-strike--7103383817 Apr 2026 04:05 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjo2aw7mdr2thttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjn3jj67e72z#OtD 16 Apr 1999 a bill to require that military action by the UK against Iraq be approved by parliament, rather than launched unilaterally by the govt, was scheduled for debate. But on advice from the Labour govt, the debate was blocked by the Queen https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8753/iraq-invasion-law-blocked16 Apr 2026 18:55 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjn3jj67e72zhttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjmyz3kz5c22#OtD 16 Apr 2010 all professional footballers in Spain went on strike in support of colleagues who had not been paid by the football clubs which employed them https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8754/spanish-footballers-strike16 Apr 2026 18:10 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjmyz3kz5c22https://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjmvnrxpay2k#OtD 16 Apr 1970 a white foreman at a Chrysler plant in Detroit threatened to murder a Black worker. When the worker complained, he was sacked. 1000 workers, Black & white, went on strike in protest until management backed down. More in our pod: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e61-the-league-of-revolutionary-black-workers-in-detroit/16 Apr 2026 17:10 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjmvnrxpay2khttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjmt5b22ok2c#OtD 16 Apr 1979 Nicaraguan revolutionary Idania Fernandez was murdered in custody by troops of the US-backed Somoza dictatorship. She had been betrayed by an informant https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8752/idania-fernandez-murdered16 Apr 2026 16:25 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjmt5b22ok2chttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjmqdxz32524#OtD 16 Apr 2021 truck drivers at the Sotk gold mine in Armenia went on strike and blocked the road to the mine demanding pay increases and health insurance. On Apr 19 GeoProMining management agreed to most of the workers' demands. More info and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/7769/sotk-miners-strike16 Apr 2026 15:35 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjmqdxz32524https://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjm4izvik22w#OtD 16 Apr 1853 Black waiters in New York City organised and demanded a pay rise to $16 a month and encouraged white waiters to do the same https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8749/black-nyc-waiters-demand-pay-increase16 Apr 2026 09:40 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjm4izvik22whttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjlwxemeou2yNew! Part of our #GeneralStrike100 series, we've released a bonus episode with two participants in the strike, discussing their working lives, splits between the unions, and a little-known textile strike from 1925. Listen on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/e120-1-1926-15563326716 Apr 2026 08:00 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjlwxemeou2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjlwne46gz2s#OtD 16 Apr 1889 Charlie Chaplin, actor, filmmaker and staunch critic of capitalism, militarism and racial prejudice, was born. His film, The Great Dictator, contains his most heartfelt speech against authoritarianism https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8750/charlie-chaplin-born16 Apr 2026 07:55 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjlwne46gz2shttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjlp3uaakq2s#OtD 16 Apr 1995 child labourer activist Iqbal Masih was murdered in Pakistan. After being rescued from illegal child labour by the Bonded Labour Liberation Front he became active with the group. The BLLF says Masih was killed by carpet industry interests.16 Apr 2026 05:40 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjlp3uaakq2shttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjljs2f6u32x📣 New Podcast! "16 April 1970: Chrysler workers strike" on @Spreaker #anniversaries_history #autoworkers #black #chrysler #day #detroit #facts_weekly #history #history_historical #history_otd_on #history_weekly #in #lives #news_everyday #stories_daily #this #workers https://www.spreaker.com/episode/16-april-1970-chrysler-workers-strike--7103384616 Apr 2026 04:05 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjljs2f6u32xhttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjjzutmsos2xOur newest book is out now! Out of the Lab, Into the Streets tells the story of how academic workers built the largest strike in the history of US higher education at the University of California in 2022. Available now in the US and preorder elsewhere: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/products/out-of-the-lab-into-the-streets-an-oral-history-of-the-2022-uaw-strike-at-the-university-of-california15 Apr 2026 13:47 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjjzutmsos2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjkrr6oj7b2y#OtD 15 Apr 1946 mine workers in Takahagi, Japan, won the right to sell coal directly after taking over their mines. Instead of striking, Japanese workers started takeovers after which they'd negotiate with management on their demands, and usually win https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8637/takahagi-miners-win-payment15 Apr 2026 20:55 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjkrr6oj7b2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjkq3iyp6p2c#OtD 15 Apr 1920 the Braintree robbery took place in Massachusetts. Italian anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were tried and executed on circumstantial evidence in what is widely considered a miscarriage of justice https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/7760/braintree-robbery15 Apr 2026 20:25 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjkq3iyp6p2chttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjkoft6ynz27#OtD 15 Apr 1989 reformist Chinese CP leader Hu Yaobang died prompting a gathering of workers in Tiananmen Sq and eventually sparking a national wave of protests by workers and students which was later crushed by the military. https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8640/tiananmen-square-uprising15 Apr 2026 19:55 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjkoft6ynz27https://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjkgugqdam2k#OtD 15 Apr 1935 rubber workers in Akron, Ohio, were due to begin a strike against speed-up and low wages. But it was called off by the AFL. Thousands left the unions, and instead used sitdown strikes to win their demands. Learn more in this book: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/products/strike-jeremy-brecher15 Apr 2026 17:40 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjkgugqdam2khttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjjzutmsos2xOur newest book is out now! Out of the Lab, Into the Streets tells the story of how academic workers built the largest strike in the history of US higher education at the University of California in 2022. Available now in the US and preorder elsewhere: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/products/out-of-the-lab-into-the-streets-an-oral-history-of-the-2022-uaw-strike-at-the-university-of-california15 Apr 2026 13:47 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjjzutmsos2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjjxrohme42s#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-mutiny15 Apr 2026 13:10 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjjxrohme42shttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjjvb7mzsl2k#OtD 15 Apr 1973 thousands of United Farm Workers (UFW) union members walked out on strike. They were battling the Teamsters union over the right to represent farm workers. The dispute ended with victory, yet again, for the UFW https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8639/united-farm-workers-strike15 Apr 2026 12:25 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjjvb7mzsl2khttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjjsqow5ya2n#OtD 15 Apr 1989 the Hillsborough disaster took place during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest resulting in 97 dead and over 700 injured. Though caused by police negligence, police and the press blamed Liverpool fans https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8641/hillsborough-disaster15 Apr 2026 11:40 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjjsqow5ya2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjjrvxpi552j#OtD 15 Apr 1885 Britain occupied the Korean archipelago of Geomundo to strengthen UK imperialism in the region. After negotiations with Russia, by 1887 both agreed not to occupy Korea and to leave it under Chinese suzerainty https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/11064/geomundo-incident15 Apr 2026 11:25 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjjrvxpi552jhttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjjnpqcsu72y#OtD 15 Apr 1916 the newspaper of the Industrial Workers of the World union (@IWW) announced the formation of its Domestic Workers Union in Denver, Colorado. More info in our podcast: https://workingclasshistory.com/2018/12/02/e16-women-in-the-early-iww/15 Apr 2026 10:10 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjjnpqcsu72yhttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjj7hpuirq2y#OtD 15 Apr 1888 Joseph Dietzgen died. Best known for coining "dialectical materialism" independently from Marx and Engels, Dietzgen became a class conscious socialist after reading The Communist Manifesto https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8634/joseph-dietzgen-died15 Apr 2026 05:55 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjj7hpuirq2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjizm2ozyz2x#OtD 15 Apr 2015 Spanish revolutionary folk singer Teresa Rebull died aged 95. Involved in the Spanish revolution of 1936 until she was imprisoned by the Cheka, but managed to escape and later join the French resistance to Nazism https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8642/teresa-rebull-dies15 Apr 2026 04:10 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjizm2ozyz2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjizlxp55k2t#OtD 15 Apr 1949 300 workers in breweries across NYC walked out after their contracts expired, joining drivers and other workers who had been striking for two weeks. They remained on strike for over two months and won demands for wages and pensions https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8638/brewery-maintenance-workers-strike15 Apr 2026 04:10 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjizlxp55k2thttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjizd3huma2c📣 New Podcast! "15 April 1916: Domestic Workers Union" on @Spreaker #anniversaries_history #cleaners #colorado #day #denver #domestic #facts_weekly #feminism #history #history_historical #history_otd_on #history_weekly #in #iww #lives #news_everyday #stories_daily #this #wobblies #women https://www.spreaker.com/episode/15-april-1916-domestic-workers-union--7103383115 Apr 2026 04:05 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjizd3huma2chttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mjicxuudgj2t#OtD 14 Apr 1901 Valeriano Orobón Fernández, Spanish anarcho-syndicalist and lyricist of the revolutionary anthem "A las Barricadas", was born. Active in the CNT, he died of tuberculosis at the age of 31, mere weeks before the Spanish Revolution began https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8536/valeriano-orob%C3%B3n-fern%C3%A1ndez-born14 Apr 2026 21:25 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjicxuudgj2thttps://bsky.app/profile/workingclasshistory.com/post/3mji4bdiiyi2c#OtD 14 Apr 1931 radical workers attacked the women's prison on Carrer Amalia, Barcelona, freeing the prisoners therein. Anarchist Maria Rius was one of the women involved in the assault, who had previously been jailed for planning jailbreaks https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8538/barcelona-women's-prison-jailbreak14 Apr 2026 19:25 +0000at://did:plc:4zzmrr3g3mqtxptcot5ep72c/app.bsky.feed.post/3mji4bdiiyi2c