Did You Hear What Happened at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory?

The third book in Katie Kennedy’s acclaimed Did You Hear What Happened series becomes a deadly race against time as it follows the workers involved in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire — how they arrived there, how they were trapped there, and how the survivors fought to ensure it could never happen again. 

How do you kill 146 people in fifteen minutes? 

Start with the factory owners. In the first decade of the twentieth century, Max Blanck and Isaac Harris founded the Triangle Waist Company to make beautiful blouses for the modern woman. The men were ambitious, suspicious, and hard-driving, dedicated to getting every penny possible out of their workers.  

Add the real shirtmakers. The Triangle employees came from Italy, Ukraine, Ireland, Russia, pouring into New York City by the tens of thousands. Many of them were young women, who thrilled at the chance to support their families and gain some independence — and who also fought to unionize for better wages and working conditions.

Crowd everyone in a tall building — on the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors, to be exact.

Lock the doors to keep the workers from leaving early. 

Have one fewer staircase than legally required.

Let the floor fill with cloth scraps.

Light a match. 

The third book in Katie Kennedy’s acclaimed Did You Hear What Happened? series traces the causes and crimes of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire — still one of the deadliest industrial disasters in United States history — and the brave people who fought for justice afterward and shaped the way we prevent fires today. 

How do you kill 146 people in fifteen minutes? 

Start with the factory owners. In the first decade of the twentieth century, Max Blanck and Isaac Harris founded the Triangle Waist Company to make beautiful blouses for the modern woman. The men were ambitious, suspicious, and hard-driving, dedicated to getting every penny possible out of their workers.  

Add the real shirtmakers. The Triangle employees came from Italy, Ukraine, Poland, Russia, pouring into New York City by the tens of thousands. Many of them were young women who thrilled at the chance to support their families and gain some independence — and who also fought to unionize their workplaces for better wages and working conditions.

Crowd everyone in a tall building — on the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors, to be exact.

Have one fewer staircase than legally required.

Let the floor fill with cloth scraps.

Lock the doors. 

Light a match. 

Did You Hear What Happened at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory? traces the causes and crimes of the 1911 fire — still one of the deadliest industrial disasters in United States history — and the brave people who fought for justice afterward and shaped the way we prevent fires today. 

Don’t Miss The Previous Titles in the Series:

• Did You Hear What Happened in Salem?
• Did You Hear What Happened at the Alamo?