International Women's Day, or International Woman's Day (IWD), is marked on 8 March every year. It is a major day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women. Among other relevant historic events, it commemorates the Triangle Factory Fire (New York, 1911), where over 140 women lost their lives. March 8 is the 67th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (68th in Leap years). ... The Triangle Factory fire in New York City on March 25, 1911, was a major industrial disaster, causing the death of more than one hundred garment workers who either died in the fire or jumped to their deaths. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... 1911 is a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ...

The idea of having an international women's day was first put forward at the turn of the 20th century amid rapid world industrialization and economic expansion that led to protests over working conditions. Women from clothing and textile factories staged one such protest on March 8, 1857 in New York City. The garment workers were protesting what they saw as very poor working conditions and low wages. The protesters were attacked and dispersed by police. These women established their first labor union in the same month two years later. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... (See also List of types of clothing and Clothing terminology) Humans often wear articles of clothing (also known as dress, garments or attire) on the body (for the alternative, see nudity). ... Textile is also a kind of ReStructured Text. ... March 8 is the 67th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (68th in Leap years). ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the state of New York and the entire United States. ... A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers...

More protests followed on March 8 in subsequent years, most notably in 1908 when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. Even so, the first IWD was observed on 28 February 1909 in the United States following a declaration by the Socialist Party of America. In 1910 the first international women's conference was held in Copenhagen by the Socialist International and an 'International Women's Day' was established. The following year, IWD was marked by over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. However, soon thereafter, the Triangle Factory Fire in New York City killed over 140 garment workers. A lack of safety measures was blamed for the high death toll. Furthermore, on the eve of World War I, women across Europe held peace rallies on March 8, 1913. 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1909 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Socialist Party of America is a socialist political party in the United States. ... 1910 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... City nickname: none Location in Denmark Area  - Total  - Water 526 km² xxx km² xx% Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density 502,204 1,116,979 954/km2 [including water] xxx/km2 [land only] Time zone Eastern: UTC+1 Latitude Longitude 55°43 N 12°34 W Copenhagen (Danish: København) is... The official symbol of Socialist International The Socialist International (SI) is an international organisation for social democratic and democratic socialist parties. ... The Triangle Factory fire in New York City on March 25, 1911, was a major industrial disaster, causing the death of more than one hundred garment workers who either died in the fire or jumped to their deaths. ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the largest city, by population, in the United States. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... March 8 is the 67th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (68th in Leap years). ... 1913 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

Demonstrations marking International Women's Day in Russia proved to be the first stage of the Russian Revolution. Following the October Revolution, the Bolshevik feminist Alexandra Kollontai persuaded Lenin to make it an official holiday, and during the Soviet period it continued to celebrate "the heroic woman worker". However, the holiday quickly lost its political flavour and became an occasion for men to express their sympathy or love to the women around them - somewhat similar to Western Mother's Day and St. Valentine's Day mixed together. The day remains an official holiday in Russia, and is observed by men congratulating women (any woman) and giving them flowers and gifts. When Czechoslovakia was part of Soviet Block this celebration was supported officially and gradually turned into parody - see MDŽ. The phrase Russian Revolution can refer to three specific events in the history of Imperial Russia. ... The October Revolution, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was the second phase of the Russian Revolution, the first having been instigated by the events around the February Revolution. ... Bolshevik Party Meeting. ... Alexandra Mikhailovna Kollontai (Алекса́ндра Миха́йловна Коллонта́й — born Domontovich, Домонто́вич) (March 31 (March 19, O.S.), 1872 - March 9, 1952) was a Ukrainian Communist revolutionary, first as a member of the Mensheviks, then from 1914 on as a Bolshevik. ... Vladimir Ilyich Lenin ( Russian: Влади́мир Ильи́ч Ле́нин  listen?), original surname Ulyanov (Улья́нов) ( April 22 (April 10 ( O.S.)), 1870 – January 21, 1924), was a Russian revolutionary, the leader of the Bolshevik party, the first Premier of the Soviet Union, and the founder of the ideology of Leninism. ... Mothers Day is a day for celebrating motherhood and thanking mothers. ... Valentines Day postcard, c. ... The word holiday has related but different meanings in English-speaking countries, with the exception of the United States where usage differs greatly. ...

In the West, International Women's Day was commemorated during the 1910s and 1920s, but dwindled. It was revived by the rise of feminism in the 1960s. In 1975, the United Nations began sponsoring International Women's Day. Events and trends Technology Gideon Sundback patents the first modern zipper Harry Brearley invents stainless steel Charles P. Strite invents first pop-up bread toaster Science Einsteins theory of general relativity Max von Laue discovers the diffraction of x-rays by crystals Alfred Wegener puts forward his theory of... Sometimes referred to as the Roaring Twenties or the Jazz Age. ... Feminism is a body of social theory and a political movement primarily based on, and motivated by, the experiences of women. ... Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around the world. ... 1975 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... The United Nations, or UN, is an international organization established in 1945 and now made up of 191 states. ...

See also

• Feminism
• Women's rights

Feminism is a body of social theory and a political movement primarily based on, and motivated by, the experiences of women. ... Feminism is a body of social theory and political movement primarily based on and motivated by the experiences of women. ...

External links

• http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/women/womday97.htm
• http://www0.un.org/cyberschoolbus/womensday/index.asp
• http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/messages/intl_womens_day.html
• http://www.internationalwomensday.com/
• http://www.isis.aust.com/iwd/