Historedia
Person

August Spies

Events
2
Episodes
7
Years
1886–1889

Every event in Historedia whose sources name August Spies, with the role they cite and all of that event’s episodes. This is not a biography, and mentions are grouped by name, so two people with the same name can share this page.

Events and episodes

  1. Event of 1886: A general strike begins in the United States, which escalates on May 4 into the

    1886–1889

    Role: Haymarket defendant executed November 11, 1887

    1. May 1, 1886 · United StatesGeneral Strike Begins

      Labor unions prepared for a general strike to enforce the eight-hour workday, as resolved by the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions in 1884.

    2. May 3, 1886 · McCormick Harvesting Machine Company plant, ChicagoMcCormick Plant Incident

      Police killed two strikers at the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company plant in Chicago on May 3, 1886, escalating tensions.

    3. May 4, 1886 · Haymarket Square, ChicagoHaymarket Bombing

      An unknown person threw a bomb at police during a labor rally at Haymarket Square in Chicago on May 4, 1886.

    4. June 21, 1886 – November 11, 1887 · ChicagoHaymarket Trials

      Trials for the Haymarket bombing began in June 1886, leading to convictions and executions in November 1887.

    5. 1889 · InternationalInternational Workers' Day

      The Haymarket affair is considered the origin of International Workers' Day, established to honor the martyrs and demand the eight-hour workday.

  2. Haymarket affair executions: Lingg's suicide and the hanging of four anarchists

    1887

    Role: Defendant executed by hanging

    1. 1887-11-10 · his cellLouis Lingg's Suicide

      Louis Lingg committed suicide in his cell on November 10, 1887, using a blasting cap concealed in a cigar, the day before his scheduled execution.

    2. 1887-11-11 · gallowsHanging of Four Anarchists

      August Spies, Albert Parsons, Adolph Fischer, and George Engel were hanged on November 11, 1887, following their convictions for conspiracy.

Sources

  1. Haymarket affair Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-08
  2. August Spies Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-05