July 14, 1877
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877, sometimes referred to as “The Great Upheaval” began today in Martinsburg, West Virginia, after the B&O Railroad cut wages were the third time in a year. Riots spread through 17 states. An estimated 100 people were killed in the 45 strikes. Workers burned down and destroyed both physical facilities and rolling stock of the railroads. Local populations feared that workers were rising in revolutions, such as the Paris Commune of 1871.