Today in Labor History--May 14

Robert Owen portrait by John Cranch

May 14, 1771 – Utopianist-socialist Robert Owen was born on this day in Wales. (From the Daily Bleed)

William Walker photo. by Mathew Brady

May 14, 1856 – U.S. President Franklin Pierce unofficially "recognized" the proslavery dictatorship of Nicaragua, by the American pirate William Walker. Walker was later deposed after interfering with Cornelius Vanderbilt's transportation network. (Vanderbilt ran the transcontinental transport between the Atlantic and the Pacific, the predecessor to the Panamanian Canal. Walker would ultimately be executed and buried in Trujillo, Honduras, after a failed takeover of Central America. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 14, 1932 – “We Want Beer" marches were held throughout the U.S. 15,000 unionized workers demonstrated in Detroit. Prohibition was repealed within a year. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 14, 1940 – Emma Goldman (1869-1940) died in Toronto  at the age of 70. She had been raising money for anti-Franco forces in Spain. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 14 , 1953 — Milwaukee brewery workers began a 10-week strike, demanding contracts comparable to East and West coast workers. They won when Blatz Brewery accepted their demands. Blatz was later ousted from the Brewers Association for “unethical” business methods. (From the Unionist)

May 14, 1960 –Police beat 200 anti-HUAC protesters in San Francisco, California. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 14, 1961 –The first group of Freedom Riders had their bus bombed & burned in Alabama. Segregationist mobs shot out the tires and threw smoke bombs into the bus. Trapped occupants were attacked with sticks. Doctors at the local hospital refused to treat the wounded. (From the Daily Bleed and Workday Minnesota)

May 14, 1968 – Sorbonne students occupied the university. Workplace occupations are started through France. Factories were occupied in Nantes. By the end of May, over 10 million workers had been involved in occupations. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 14, 1970 – Two African-American students were gunned down and 10 others were wounded when state police fired into a woman's dorm at Jackson State during anti-war demonstrations. (From the Daily Bleed)

May 14, 1980 – 600 Salvadoran refugees were killed attempting to cross the Sumpul River from El Salvador to Honduras by government soldiers from both countries. (From the Daily Bleed)