Working Class History
Working Class History#OtD 21 Dec 1975 Italian Football Federation called a "friendship day" to calm tensions between different "ultras" (fan groups). Many of these ultras had a political/class basis eg AC Milan & Sampdoria being left-wing, Inter & Lazio being fascist https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9365/italian-football-friendship-day
Working Class History#OtD 21 Dec 1969 the Gay Activists Alliance (GAA) was founded in NYC, a split from the more radical Gay Liberation Front. The GAA used “zaps”, confronting homophobic public officials to advocate for gay and lesbian rights. They disbanded in 1981 https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9364/gay-activists-alliance-founded
Working Class History#OtD 20 Dec 1969 the funeral of Giuseppe Pinelli took place in Milan, Italy. The funeral was a mass demonstration in protest at the police murder of the anarchist rail worker as part of the strategy of tension https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/12665/giuseppe-pinelli-funeral
Working Class History#OtD 20 Dec 1973 Spanish fascist PM due to succeed Franco, Luis Carrero Blanco, was assassinated and dubbed "Spain's first astronaut" as his car was blown over a five-storey building. His death was credited by some as hastening the return to democracy https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9258/franco's-successor-assassinated
Working Class History#OtD 18 Dec 2010 following the self-immolation of street vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi, protesters took to the streets in Tunisia, eventually toppling the dictator Ben Ali and sparking off what later became known as the Arab Spring https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8963/arab-spring-begins
Working Class HistoryToday, Dec 16, is the last day to be able to place orders for books in the US which should arrive before Christmas! (In the UK it's Dec 18.) So check out our collection of hundreds of great books about people's history: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/books
Working Class HistoryOur 2026 Wall Calendars have arrived and are shipping globally now! Order by tomorrow, 16 December, and they should still arrive before Christmas so it would make a great holiday gift for a friend, relative, or colleague! Check it out and order at https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/products/wch-wall-calendar
Working Class History#OtD 14 Dec 1841 Sam Mainwaring (pictured, centre), machinist and libertarian socialist credited with coining the term "anarcho-syndicalism," was born in Penrhiwtyn, Neath, Wales https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8550/sam-mainwaring-born
Working Class History#OtD 11 Dec 1981 a Reagan-backed death squad massacred around 1000 people in El Mozote, El Salvador. Prior to being killed, many of the victims were tortured and girls as young as 10 were raped by the US-trained troops https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8281/massacre-in-el-salvador
Working Class History#OtD 11 Dec 1958 Alberto Meschi, a prominent anti-fascist fighter and anarchist died. He fought in the Spanish Civil War, then joined the partisan resistance in Italy in Carrara which successfully ousted the fascists and seized the town hall https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8279/alberto-meschi-died