Send us Fan Mail

The 1888 Matchstick Strike: Phossy Jaw, White Slavery & The Matchgirls Who Built Modern Unionism

In the late 1800s, British industrial titan Bryant & May dominated the global match market. But behind their shiny reputation as a "model factory" lay a grim reality: 12-hour workdays, predatory fines, low wages, and "phossy jaw"—a devastating disease caused by white phosphorus exposure that turned gums green and destroyed the human jawbone.

When socialist activist Annie Besant published an exposé titled White Slavery in London, factory owners tried to force their workers to sign a statement calling the article a lie. The workers refused. On July 5, 1888, after a woman was fired for standing her ground, 1,400 factory girls walked out—sparking the legendary Match Workers' Strike of 1888.

In this episode, we break down:

• The brutal science of white phosphorus vs. red phosphorus matches.
• The reality of Victorian "sweating" systems and factory fines.
• How strike leaders like Sarah Chapman organized over a thousand women to take on an international corporate giant.
• How a group of working-class women forced Bryant & May to yield to every single demand, formed the largest female union in Britain, and ignited the New Unionism movement.

Enjoyed this episode? Check out these related episodes involving sketchy work practices and the corporations that tried to cover it all up.

The Byford Dolphin Incident: Saturation Diving and Boiling Bodies Alive Through Decompression

The Panama Canal: 22,000 Lives, Lost Millions, and the Ultimate French Failure

Flixborough Chemical Fire: How Making Nylon Incinerated a Factory

Enjoying the show? If you love deep dives into historical blunders, corporate greed, and the people who fought back, share this episode with a friend or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!

Support the show

Hey before you go!

If have ideas for future episodes that you want Kara and Ed to look into, email them at thedaysdumpsterfire@gmail.com. They would love to hear from you!

You can also send them a text message by clicking on the link at the top.

Be sure to head on over to www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com for the ever growing library of historical dumpster fires.

Check us out on the ol Instagrams!
https://www.instagram.com/thedaysdumpsterfire/

Send us Fan Mail

What happens when a city known for rivers that literally catch on fire tries to fix its reputation by launching 1,429,643 balloons into a storm? We'll give you a hint: two missing bodies, multiple car wrecks, ecological issues everywhere, and a horse with brain damage!

In this episode, we trace the wild, century-long history of Cleveland, Ohio—from its rise as an industrial titan to one of the most famous PR blunders in American history.

Here’s what’s inside the episode:

• A land Destined For Greatness: The Ohio River Valley was the poster child of a region of America that made it famous for its resources and adapatibility... at the expense of indigineous people of course...
• 100 Years of Runoff: How oil, steel, and tire booms turned the Cuyahoga River into a 3-foot-thick sludgy tar pit.
• One River Catching Fire 13 TIMES!: The mundane accidents that set the river ablaze and sparked the birth of the Clean Water Act and the EPA.
• Operation Comeback: The decades of hard work and political leadership that actually cleaned up the city.
• Balloonfest '86: The tragicomic disaster where a massive cloud of party balloons grounded flights, caused highway pile-ups, and shut down Coast Guard rescue operations.

For a complete run down of Ed's notes he made for this episode as well as all the other episodes Kara and Ed have put together, check out The Day's Dumpster Fire website HERE

Enjoyed this episode? Check out these related episodes burning cities and humanity's attempts at cleaning itself up with limited success:

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871: Did a Cow Really Burn Down the Windy City?

The Torrey Canyon Oil Disaster: Being the First to Crash an Oil Tanker Really Sucks

The Panama Canal: 22,000 Lives, Lost Millions, and the Ultimate French Failure

Support the show

Hey before you go!

If have ideas for future episodes that you want Kara and Ed to look into, email them at thedaysdumpsterfire@gmail.com. They would love to hear from you!

You can also send them a text message by clicking on the link at the top.

Be sure to head on over to www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com for the ever growing library of historical dumpster fires.

Check us out on the ol Instagrams!
https://www.instagram.com/thedaysdumpsterfire/

Send us Fan Mail

How do you go from censoring a kiss longer than three seconds to a woman giving birth to the Devil’s baby in under two decades?

In the epic conclusion to our three-part series on movie censorship, we’re tracing the final, messy downfall of the Hays Code. Armed with Catholic boycotts, $25,000 fines, and the iron fist of Joseph Breen, the Production Code Administration thought they had Hollywood on a leash. What they didn't count on was the sheer spite, loop-holing genius, and legal maneuvering of iconic directors determined to push the envelope.

From Howard Hughes suing censors over Jane Russell’s cleavage to Alfred Hitchcock orchestrating a flush heard 'round the world in Psycho, discover how code-breaking filmmakers, Supreme Court battles, and a rapidly changing 1960s culture finally burned the Hays Code to the ground—paving the way for the MPAA ratings system we know today.

In this episode, we cover:

• The Gatekeeper Era: Joseph Breen, the Catholic Legion of Decency, and the strict rules of 1930s Hollywood.
• Bending the Code: How The Maltese Falcon, Gone With the Wind, and Notorious used loopholes, fast talking, and subtext to dodge censors.
• The Legal Turning Point: The landmark Supreme Court ruling that gave movies First Amendment protection.
• The Final Nail in the Coffin: How 1960s masterpieces like Some Like It Hot, Bonnie and Clyde, and Rosemary’s Baby proved the Code was dead in the water.
• The Birth of Modern Ratings: The transition from rigid censorship to G, PG, R, and X.

If you want more instances of humanity messing things up, check out the The Day's Dumpster with some suggested episodes below!

The Prequels: If you missed how Tinseltown first lost its innocence, stream Movie Ratings (Pt. 1): Early Hollywood Scandals and the Silent Era - Episode 78 and Movie Ratings (Pt. 2): Rise of Popular Movie Genres and Their Codes

Throwing Money Into the Ocean: Movie Busts: How Waterworld Became the Most Expensive Disaster in Hollywood History - Episode 55

Adam Savage Talks About Dodos, Maltese Falcons and the Art of Obsession

Support the show

Hey before you go!

If have ideas for future episodes that you want Kara and Ed to look into, email them at thedaysdumpsterfire@gmail.com. They would love to hear from you!

You can also send them a text message by clicking on the link at the top.

Be sure to head on over to www.thedaysdumpsterfire.com for the ever growing library of historical dumpster fires.

Check us out on the ol Instagrams!
https://www.instagram.com/thedaysdumpsterfire/