Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

What factor contributed to the dangerous working conditions at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory?

• High wages for workers

• Strong union presence

• Consumer demand for cheap clothing

• Lack of interest in fashion

What was a significant issue regarding fire safety regulations at the time of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire?

• Fire alarms and sprinkler systems were mandatory in all factories.

• Buildings were not required to have any escape routes.

• New York City spent most of its budget on fire prevention.

• Available fire safety measures like sprinklers were not legally required.

Why were some of the exit doors on the 9th floor of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory locked or blocked during the fire?

• To prevent workers from leaving early.

• To keep union organizers from entering the building.

• To ensure employees could be searched for stolen goods.

• All of the above.

What was a significant outcome of the public outrage following the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire?

• The factory owners were immediately imprisoned.

• The government banned all factory work for women.

• New regulations for fire safety and working conditions were created.

• All factories were forced to close permanently.

Why was it difficult to identify many of the victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire at the time?

• The victims were mostly immigrants with no family in the city.

• No official agency or newspaper produced a complete list of the dead.

• The fire destroyed all personal identification documents.

• Families did not want their relatives identified due to shame.

What happened to many of the official documents and records related to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire over time?

• They were carefully preserved in a special museum.

• They were digitized and made available online immediately.

• They were lost or destroyed, making historical research difficult.

• They were kept secret by the factory owners.

What new information about the start of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was revealed by the rediscovered trial transcript?

• The fire was caused by an electrical malfunction.

• The fire started in a scrap bin belonging to a cloth cutter.

• The factory owners intentionally set the fire.

• The fire began due to a faulty heating system.