4. Few Americans know of THE BATTLE OF BLAIR MOUNTAIN, one of the largest civil uprisings in U.S. history. In 1921, a coal-mining strike in West Virginia led to a ten-day clash pitting at least 7,000 armed miners against about 3,000 deputies, hired guns and volunteers.
Federal troops stopped the fighting after the deaths of an estimated 30-100 miners and 10-30 on the other side. The situation became so serious that bombers under Gen. Billy Mitchell were deployed. When asked how he planned to stop the miners, Mitchell said: "Gas. You understand, we wouldn't try to kill people at first. In the end, his planes performed only reconnaissance, but private aircraft did drop home-made bombs.
5. UNION MEMBERSHIP: About 11% of all American workers belonged to unions in 2014, but the percentage of public-sector employees belonging was at 35.7%. Union membership peaked in the mid-1950s but never topped 35%.
--CootStriker
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