An early 20th century tragedy that sparked workplace reform earned recognition in a recent national competition.

Laura Harkins, who just finished sixth grade at Coupeville Middle School, earned eighth place in the national History Day competition held this month in Maryland.

She produced a 10-minute documentary about the Triangle Shirtwaist fire, a blaze that killed 146 people in 1911. That fire took place in a sweatshop in New York City.

“It was just terrible and so many people were mad about this,” Harkins said after researching the fire.

In her documentary, she highlights the fashions that helped boost the textile industry during the era when a large immigrant workforce sewed garments in primitive conditions. She also described how the building’s design contributed to the disaster.

She said the fire sparked changes in labor laws and building safety. Among those changes were a 40-hour work week and requiring sprinklers in factory buildings.

Harkins said the Triangle Shirtwaist fire fit in well with this year’s History Day theme of triumph and tragedy.

She visited Western Washington University to research the disaster, how laws evolved, and the fashions of the day. She also scoured the Internet and she was able to get images from the National Archives and the Cornell University Library.

The National History Day competition took place June 12 through 15 at College Park, Md. Each state, along with American Samoa, sent two representatives in each division. Harkins earned eighth place in the junior individual documentary division.

Heading into seventh grade, she is already preparing for next year’s History Day competition. She is teaming with her friend, Claudia Bernecki, to develop a performance about the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.