FLSA Enacted: Minimum Wage and 40-Hour Week Born
The forty-hour week became law, but only for some. The Fair Labor Standards Act exempted farmworkers, domestic workers, and most retail employees—millions of people, disproportionately Black and brown. The minimum wage started at 25 cents an hour. Southern Democrats had demanded the carve-outs to protect their region's labor practices. The gaps remained for decades. Some still exist today.
October 24, 1938
88 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on October 24
Vespasian’s legions crushed the forces of Emperor Vitellius at the Second Battle of Bedriacum, ending the chaotic Year of the Four Emperors. This decisive victo…
Vitellius had held Rome for eight months. His soldiers were drunk and undisciplined. Antonius Primus commanded legions from the Danube—hardened troops who'd bee…
Afonso Henriques took Lisbon back from the Moors with help from 13,000 Crusaders who'd stopped on their way to the Holy Land. The siege lasted four months. The …
Chartres Cathedral was dedicated on October 24, 1260, in the presence of King Louis IX—Saint Louis. Construction had taken 66 years. The previous cathedral burn…
Qutuz had stopped the Mongols at Ain Jalut two months earlier, the first time anyone had defeated them in open battle. He was returning to Cairo in triumph. Bai…
The cathedral had burned in 1194. Only the crypt and west facade survived. Rebuilding took 66 years. King Louis IX attended the dedication with his entire court…
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