Moments in Time

The History Channel

• On March 23, 1836, in hopes of keeping pace with the furious march of technology, the U.S. Mint unveils its first steam-powered press. The new-fangled contraption helped crank out coins more efficiently.

• On March 25, 1911, at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company in New York’s Lower East Side, a fire quickly engulfs the factory and claims 146 lives, mostly young women. Because management had locked the exit doors, many of the garment workers either expired from asphyxiation or leapt from windows — a fatal, 10-story fall. The factory’s owners were eventually found guilty on ch...