1910s
Today in Labor History February 11, 1916: Flo Kennedy was born in on this date Kansas City, Missouri. She was a feminist and civil-rights activist As a lawyer, Kennedy represented Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker and H. Rap Brown. In 1972 she formed the Feminist Party. She also filed an Internal Revenue Service complaint alleging that the Catholic Church violates tax-exempt requirements by spending money to influence political decisions. “I’m just a loud-mouthed middle-aged colored lady . . . & a lot of people think I’m crazy. Maybe you do too, but I never stop to wonder why I’m not like other people. The mystery to me is why more people aren’t like me.”
Today in Labor History February 11, 1919: The Seattle General Strike ended after five days. Both the AF of L and the IWW participated. During the strike, the workers formed councils, which took over virtually all major city services, including food distribution and security.
1930s
Today in Labor History February 11, 1937: General Motors recognized the United Auto Workers (UAW) following a 44-day sit-down strike involving 48,000 GM workers. Two months later, company guards beat up UAW leaders at the River Rouge, Michigan plant.
Today in Labor History February 11, 1938: BBC Television produced the world’s first ever science fiction television program, an adaptation of a section of the Karel Čapek play R.U.R., that coined the term “robot.” He derived the word “Robot” from the Czech word for forced labor by Serfs.
1950s-1960s
February 11, 1953: Cold War: U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower denied all appeals for clemency for Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. The government executed them at Sing Sing in 1953.
Today in Labor History February 11, 1964: 19,000 students boycotted Cincinnati schools to protest segregation.
1980s-1990s
February 11, 1981: Thirteen workers were contaminated when 105,000 gallons of radioactive coolant leaked into a containment building of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Sequoyah I plant in Tennessee.
Today in Labor History February 11, 1990: Nelson Mandela was released from Victor Verster Prison outside Cape Town, South Africa after 27 years as a political prisoner.
2000s
February 11, 2011: Arab Spring: The first wave of the Egyptian revolution culminates in the resignation of Hosni Mubarak and the transfer of power to the Supreme Military Council after 17 days of protests.