On this day in 1898, the Battle of Virden began when armed members of the United Mine Workers of America (UMW) surrounded a train full of strikebreakers and exchanged fire with company guards. 13 people were killed, dozens more wounded.

After a local chapter of the UMW began striking at a mine in Virden, Illinois, the Chicago-Virden Coal Company hired black strikebreakers from Birmingham, Alabama and shipped them to Virden by train.

The company hired armed detectives or security guards to accompany the strikebreakers, and an armed conflict broke out when armed miners surrounded the train as it arrived in town. A total of four detectives and seven striking mine workers were killed, with five guards, thirty miners, and an unrecorded number of strikebreakers wounded.

After this incident, Illinois Governor John Tanner ordered the National Guard to prevent any more strikebreakers from coming into the state by force. The next month, the Chicago-Virden Coal Company relented and allowed the unionization of its workers.

"When the last call comes for me to take my final rest, will the miners see that I get a resting place in the same clay that shelters the miners who gave up their lives on the hills of Virden, Illinois...They are responsible for Illinois being the best organized labor state in America."

Mother Jones

Megathreads and spaces to hang out:

reminders:

  • 💚 You nerds can join specific comms to see posts about all sorts of topics
  • 💙 Hexbear’s algorithm prioritizes comments over upbears
  • 💜 Sorting by new you nerd
  • 🌈 If you ever want to make your own megathread, you can reserve a spot here nerd
  • 🐶 Join the unofficial Hexbear-adjacent Mastodon instance toots.matapacos.dog

Links To Resources (Aid and Theory):

Aid:

Theory:

  • oscardejarjayes [comrade/them]
    ·
    6 days ago

    So much Isekai would be a lot better if they just did away with the Isekai part. If the main character was just from that alternate world, but grew up isolated, usually the plot would end up the same. And sometimes it seems like the author knows Isekai is a bad idea, so it's just an introduction and maybe brought up infrequently, but it's irrelevant to the plot.

    That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, for example, the slime being a salary worker in a previous work isn't too relevant. It could just as easily be "The Life and Times of an Intelligent Slime", where the slime has intelligence because it came across an artifact or was born like it. The story wouldn't change too much.

    Isekai is often just self-inserting, but like.... not good.

    • buckykat [none/use name]
      ·
      5 days ago

      In tensei slime there are a lot of things rimuru brings over from the salaryman life in things like city planning and modern conveniences to replicate. Plus, all the manga for veldora.