Historical eventMay 111894

Pullman Company

In response to a 28-percent wage cut, 4,000 Pullman Palace Car Company workers went on strike in Illinois, bringing rail traffic west of Chicago to a halt.

Everything on May 11Original source

In context

When
Friday, May 11 1894132 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
19th century · 1890s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

Russia, Greece and some other countries used the Julian calendar into the early 20th century, so local records may show a date up to 13 days earlier.

At a glance

Dates: From 1894.

What came beforeAI-assisted

The Pullman Palace Car Company, founded by George Pullman in 1867, manufactured luxury railroad sleeping cars and dominated the industry by the 1890s. The company also built and controlled Pullman, Illinois, a company town where workers were required to live and pay rent to the company.

Catalyst / how it startedAI-assisted

In 1893, the economic Panic triggered a sharp decline in railroad orders and revenue. Pullman cut workers' wages by 28 percent but refused to reduce rents in the company town, squeezing workers' already meager earnings.

Who was involvedAI-assisted

About 4,000 Pullman workers initiated the strike, primarily members of the American Railway Union (ARU) led by Eugene V. Debs. George Pullman, the company's founder and owner, refused to negotiate or reduce company town rents.

TimelineAI-assisted

May 11, 1894: Pullman workers struck over wage cuts, halting rail traffic west of Chicago. June 26–July 2, 1894: Federal troops killed several workers and broke the strike; Debs was arrested for contempt of court.

What happened

In response to a 28-percent wage cut, 4,000 Pullman Palace Car Company workers went on strike in Illinois, bringing rail traffic west of Chicago to a halt.

May 11 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1894Pullman Company
  2. 20112011 Lorca earthquake
  3. 2011Istanbul Convention
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  5. 2014Kinshasa
  6. 201611 May 2016 Baghdad bombings
  7. 2022Tatmadaw
  8. 2022Myanmar civil war (2021–present)
  9. 2022Shireen Abu Akleh
  10. 2024May 2024 solar storms
  11. 2024Eurovision Song Contest 2024

Also in 1894

  • November 21First Sino-Japanese WarFirst Sino-Japanese War: After capturing the Chinese city of Port Arthur, the Japanese army began a massacre of the city's soldiers and c…
  • July 22Jules-Albert de DionJules-Albert de Dion finished first in the world's first motor race, but did not win as his steam-powered car was against the rules.
  • February 12Ère des attentatsÈre des attentats: In one of the first acts of modern terrorism, Émile Henry threw a bomb into Café Terminus in Paris, France, killing on…
  • September 1Great Hinckley FireOver 400 people die in the Great Hinckley Fire, a forest fire in Hinckley, Minnesota.
  • June 6Davis Hanson WaiteGovernor Davis Hanson Waite ordered the Colorado state militia to protect and support miners engaged in a five-month strike in Cripple Cr…
  • February 17Rudolf DieselRudolf Diesel's first working diesel engine ran for one minute.
  • April 30Coxey's ArmyA crowd of workers, unemployed due to the Panic of 1893, concluded the first significant popular protest march on Washington D.C.
  • June 30Tower BridgeTower Bridge (pictured), a combined bascule and suspension bridge over the River Thames in London, was inaugurated.

Everything we record for 1894 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Pullman Company”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/pullman-company-1894-may-11, accessed October 28, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Pullman Company happen?

May 11 1894 — 132 years ago, on a Friday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints. Panels marked AI-assisted were filled where the sources left a heading empty.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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