coal from Rive-de-Gier. Until then these glass makers had operated in Franche-Comté and in Alsace, but were experiencing a shortage of wood for fuel. Givors became well known as a glass making center during the later part of the 18th century. On 6 September 1761 the brothers François and Guillaume Zaccharie were granted letters patent to build the Givors canal between Givors and Rive-de-Gier to carry coal and other goods (originally planned to continue on to the Loire). After many difficulties, the canal was opened in 1781. Construction of the Saint-Étienne–Lyon railway began in September 1826, the first in France. The section from Givors to Rive-de-Gier was opened for freight on 28 June 1830, with wagons initially pulled by horses. The full length from Saint-Étienne to Lyon was open by 4 April 1833. With the construction of the canal and, subsequently, of the railway in the Gier valley, the city became a center of metallurgical industry from the middle of the 19th century until 1960. The new pottery works were recognized throughout Europe. Other industries included brick and tile works, a light bulb factory and a manufacturer of children's pedal carts and prams. Workers gradually demanded better conditions. The city supported the Revolution of 1848. Strikes grew more common by the end of the Second Empire in 1870. There were major strikes in March and April 1870 that affected all corporations of the city. The city remained industrial with periodic strikes until the 1960s, when factories began closing. The glassworks closed in 2003. Today there is little industry and Givors is a dormitory town for Lyon.:fr:Givors As of 2009, the former glassworkers were granted national media coverage around their struggle over occupational diseases. On 1 January 1965 Givors was merged with Saint-Martin-de-Cornas. Givors became of a member of the Urban Community of Lyon in 2007. On 1 January 2015 Givors left the department of Rhône to join the Metropolis of Lyon. Population People Algerian community A significant proportion of Givors' population is of Algerian descent. This includes Algerian international footballers Khaled Lemmouchia and Karim Kerkar, judoka Djamel Bouras, who won a gold medal in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, and professional footballer Salim Kerkar. Famous people Étienne Blanc - politician Jean-François Bony - artist Djamel Bouras - Olympic gold medalist judoka Sylvain Marconnet - professional rugby union player Karim Kerkar - professional football player Salim Kerkar - professional football