‘Canaries’ — Women Munitions Workers in World War I
By Barry Krause Women workers in the British munitions factories in World War I were nicknamed “canaries” because the high explosive chemical they used to fill shells was trinitrotoluene (TNT) which turned their faces bright yellow, and made their hair a bright ginger color. The color wouldn’t wash off, but it wore off gradually if they quit munitions work. A […]
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