Historical eventFebruary 121968

Death of Echol Cole and Robert Walker

Following the deaths of two employees on the job, black sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee, began a strike that lasted more than two months.

Everything on February 12Original source

In context

When
Monday, February 12 196858 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1960s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1968.

What happened

Following the deaths of two employees on the job, black sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee, began a strike that lasted more than two months.

February 12 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1968Death of Echol Cole and Robert Walker
  2. 2002Iran Airtour
  3. 2003La Paz
  4. 2004San Francisco
  5. 2009Colgan Air Flight 3407
  6. 2009Buffalo Niagara International Airport
  7. 2016Pope Francis
  8. 2016Catholic Church
  9. 2019Coffin of Nedjemankh
  10. 2019North Macedonia
  11. 20262026 Bangladeshi general election

Also in 1968

  • September 13Cold WarCold War: Albania leaves the Warsaw Pact.
  • September 15Soviet UnionThe Soviet Zond 5 spaceship is launched, becoming the first spacecraft to fly around the Moon and re-enter the Earth's atmosphere.
  • November 17NBCNBC controversially cut away from an American football game between the Oakland Raiders and New York Jets to broadcast Heidi, causing vie…
  • November 17BAC One-ElevenBritish European Airways introduces the BAC One-Eleven into commercial service.
  • November 5Richard NixonRichard Nixon is elected as 37th President of the United States.
  • June 8James Earl RayJames Earl Ray, the man who assassinated Martin Luther King Jr. is arrested at London Heathrow Airport.
  • October 2Gustavo Díaz OrdazMexican President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz orders soldiers to suppress a demonstration of unarmed students, ten days before the start of the 19…
  • December 9Douglas EngelbartDouglas Engelbart gave what became known as "The Mother of All Demos", publicly debuting the computer mouse (pictured), hypertext, and th…

Everything we record for 1968 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Death of Echol Cole and Robert Walker”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/death-of-echol-cole-and-robert-walker-1968-february-12, accessed October 28, 2026.

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Questions about this entry

When did Death of Echol Cole and Robert Walker happen?

February 12 1968 — 58 years ago, on a Monday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

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