Today in Labor History—April 27

April 27, 1521 – Philippine Natives ambushed and killed Ferdinand Magellan. (From the Daily Bleed)

Death of General Pike, Battle of York

April 27, 1813 – The U.S. burned down Toronto in an unsuccessful attempt to gain control of Lake Ontario during the battle of York. (From the Daily Bleed)

April 27, 1825 – The first strike for the 10-hour workday was started by carpenters in Boston. (From Workday Minnesota and the Daily Bleed)

Robert Owen, by John Cranch, 18

April 27, 1825 –Robert Owen set up his Utopian Socialist Colony at New Harmony, Indiana. (From the Daily Bleed)

SS Sultana on Fire, from Harpers Weekly

April 27, 1865 – 1,450 paroled Union POWs died when the steamer "Sultana" blew up in the worst shipping disaster in American history. The river steamer Sultana was overloaded. It was equipped with tubular boilers which were not well-suited for use in the muddy waters of the lower Mississippi. The boat blew up & sank near Memphis, Tennessee. Over 2,300 perished in all, many of them emaciated Union soldiers returning north after being released from a Confederate prison camp. (From the Daily Bleed)

April 27, 1904 – Congress extended the Chinese Exclusion Act indefinitely (first passed in 1882; again in 1902), making it unlawful for Chinese laborers to enter the U.S. and denying citizenship to those already here. (From the Daily Bleed)