Coal mining is one of the most dangerous occupations in the world. Explosions, collapses, and flooding are just some of the ways a miner could lose their life on the job. But in the early 1900s, not being a member of the coal miner’s union could get you killed just as easily. The Coal Wars, as they were called, saw striking union members carry out some of the most violent protests in the history of labor relations in the United States. Over the course of 2 days in June 1922, the town of Herrin, Illinois became the scene of a real-life horror movie as hundreds of armed strikers brutally murdered dozens of their replacements. The media quickly dubbed the killing spree the Herrin Mine Massacre.

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