BackStory

274: Death on the Assembly Line: Industrial Tragedies in American History

On Wednesday an explosion from a gas leak in Durham, NC killed one person and injured 25 others. Local authorities say the leak started after a construction worker hit a gas line. The explosion occurred soon after. 
 

From explosions to pollution, tragedies like the one in Durham have wreaked havoc on Americans and their communities throughout history. This week, BackStory considers the history of industrial disasters and how they’ve changed the nature of American capitalism. 
 
Image: The front page of the Boston Daily Globe, January 16, 1919. Headline: "Molasses Tank Explosion Injures 50 and Kills 11." Source: <a href="http://newspapers.com">newspapers.com</a>, <a href="https://www.newspapers.com/image/430831009">https://www.newspapers.com/image/430831009</a> 
 

BackStory is funded in part by our listeners. You can help keep the episodes coming by supporting the show: <a href="https://www.backstoryradio.org/support">https://www.backstoryradio.org/support</a>

BackStory is a weekly public podcast hosted by U.S. historians Ed Ayers, Brian Balogh, Nathan Connolly and Joanne Freeman. We're based in Charlottesville, Va. at Virginia Humanities.

There’s the history you had to learn, and the history you want to learn - that’s where BackStory comes in. Each week BackStory takes a topic that people are talking about and explores it through the lens of American history. Through stories, interviews, and conversations with our listeners, BackStory makes history engaging and fun.