On this day in 1927, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts executed the Italian-born anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti for murder, despite large holes in the evidence against them and world-wide protests against their conviction and sentencing.

Here’s Woody Guthrie performing his song about Sacco and Vanzetti, “Two Good Men.”

Ed Kilgore

Ed Kilgore is a political columnist for New York and managing editor at the Democratic Strategist website. He was a contributing writer at the Washington Monthly from January 2012 until November 2015, and was the principal contributor to the Political Animal blog.