What was the Haymarket Square incident of 1886?

Answer 1

"Haymarket bombing" redirects here. For the 2007 car bombs in London, see 2007 London car bombs.

Coordinates: 41°53′06″N 87°38′39″W / 41.8849°N 87.6441°W / 41.8849; -87.6441

Haymarket Martyrs' Monument U.S. National Register of Historic Places U.S. National Historic Landmark

Haymarket Martyrs Monument in Forest Home Cemetery

Location: Forest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, Illinois Built/Founded: 1887 Governing body: Private Added to NRHP: February 18, 1997[1] Designated NHL: February 18, 1997[2] NRHP Reference#: 97000343

The Haymarket affair (also known as the Haymarket riot or Haymarket massacre) was a disturbance that took place on Tuesday May 4, 1886, at the Haymarket Square[3] in Chicago, and began as a rally in support of striking workers. An unknown person threw a bomb at police as they dispersed the public meeting. The bomb blast and ensuing gunfire resulted in the deaths of eight police officers and an unknown number of civilians.[4][5] In the internationally publicized legal proceedings that followed, eight anarchists were tried for murder. Four were put to death, and one committed suicide in prison.

The Haymarket affair is generally considered to have been an important influence on the origin of international May Day observances for workers.[6][7] In popular literature, this event inspired the caricature of "a bomb-throwing anarchist." The causes of the incident are still controversial, although deeply polarized attitudes separating business and working class people in late 19th century Chicago are generally acknowledged as having precipitated the tragedy and its aftermath. The site of the incident was designated as a Chicago Landmark on March 25, 1992.[8] The Haymarket Martyrs' Monument in nearby Forest Park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and as a National Historic Landmark on February 18, 1997.[2]