This is America in Pursuit, a limited-run series from NPR and ThruLine.

I'm Randab del Fattah.

Each week, we bring you stories about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the U.S. that began 250 years ago.

In 1911, a deadly fire broke out in a factory in Manhattan, where hundreds of workers,

mostly young immigrant women, were employed.

On the night the fire broke out, the building's exit doors were locked.

The owners of the company had closed some of the other doors

to prevent people from stealing.

And the building became a trap

for the workers inside.

By-sanders started to gather in the streets.

And witnessed the first of the women

jumping out of the windows

to escape the flames.

On that night, 146 workers died.

Sixty-two of them jumped to their death.

It was the worst industrial accident in New York City up until that point, and hundreds

of people witnessed it, including a young woman named Francis Perkins.

What she saw disturbed her

and led her on an epic journey

that would ultimately transform the country.

The things that she created remain fundamental pieces

...