The Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire was the event that caused an increase in public support of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City on March 25, 1911, marked the deadliest industrial disaster in the life of the city, and one of the deadliest in U.S. life. The fire claimed the lives of 146 garment workers – 123 women and 23 men– who passed away from the fire, smoke inhalation, or falling or jumping to their deaths. A great number of the victims were Italian and Jewish immigrant women aged 14 to 23.