Working Class History
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
Working Class History#OtD 10 Dec 1924 the first gay rights organisation in the US, the Society the Human Rights, was founded in Chicago by postalworker and veteran, Henry Gerber (pictured). It lasted a few months until police arrested Gerber and several others. https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8179/society-for-human-rights-founded
Working Class History#OtD 9 Dec 1959 British government Operation Legacy memo ordered the destruction of official files containing evidence of colonial crimes and brutality. The operation was highly successful as few in the UK know of its crimes. Learn more about Empire: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/products/insurgent-empire-anticolonial-resistance-and-british-dissent-priyamvada-gopal
Working Class History#OtD 8 Dec 2008 two days after the killing of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos by police, protests across Greece escalated into a full-blown revolt which was so powerful and widespread it resulted in the imprisonment of the killer https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10780/greece-anti-police-revolt
Working Class History#OtD 8 Dec 1949 dock workers in France agreed to prevent cargo destined for Indochina from being transported from multiple ports in solidarity with the anti-colonial war in Vietnam, which had spilled over into Cambodia and Laos https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10779/dockers-block-arms-to-indochina
Working Class History#OtD 7 or 8 Dec 1970 the "Golpe Borghese" coup in Italy was attempted. The plot by 100s of neofascists, led by war criminal Junio Borghese (pictured) and assisted by some within the government, was suspended just hours before it was due to take place https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8024/golpe-borghese-coup-plot
Working Class History#OtD 6 Dec 1994 Italian actor, Gian Maria Volonté, died. Most famous for his role in A Fistful of Dollars, he also starred in many politically radical films and was arrested while supporting striking workers (pictured). More about his life and films: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/12653/gian-maria-volont%C3%A9-dies