[wp_ad_camp_1]1931 – Toni Morrison born Toni Morrison (born Chloe Anthony Wofford) was born on this day. [wp_ad_camp_2]1894 – Paul Revere Williams, renowned architect, born Paul Revere Williams, renowned architect,...

[wp_ad_camp_1] 1942 – Tuskegee Airmen initiated The Army Air Corps’ all African American 100th Pursuit Squadron, later designated a fighter squadron, was activated at Tuskegee Institute. The squadron served honorably in England and in other regions of the European continent during...

[wp_ad_camp_1] 1936 – James Nathaniel Brown’s Birthday James Nathaniel Brown, 63, Pro Football Hall of Fame Fullback, Born February 17, 1936 in St. Simons Island, GA [wp_ad_camp_2]1942 – Huey Newton Born An illiterate high-school graduate, Newton taught himself how to read...

[wp_ad_camp_1] 1970 – Joe Frazier Joe Frazier becomes world heavyweight boxing champion. [wp_ad_camp_2]1957 – Actor Levar Burton born Actor Levar Burton was born in Landsthul, Germany. Burton won fame for his acting in the television movie “roots,” which was based on...

[wp_ad_camp_1] 1965 – Nat King Cole (45), singer and pianist, died in Nat King Cole (45), singer and pianist, died in Santa Monica, California. [wp_ad_camp_2]1964 – Louis Armstrong’s “Hello Dolly” Louis Armstrong’s “Hello Dolly” recording...

1817 – Frederick Douglass born in Talbot County, Maryland. Douglas escaped from slavery to become a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York and became known as a great orator and social reformer. He met with President Lincoln in...

1920 – Andrew “Rube” Foster organizes the Negro National League. Foster, who was owner and manager of the Chicago American Giants, met with other team owners at the Kansas City YMCA and Foster was named the first league President. The initial teams were the St....

1793 – Congress passed the first Fugitive Slave Law. The law allowed that in order to reclaim an escaped slave, a master need only to go before a magistrate and provide oral or written proof of ownership. The magistrate would then issue an order for the arrest of the slave. The law...

[wp_ad_camp_1]1915  – Folk and Blues singer Josh White was born in Greenville, South Carolina. White’s music was very prominent in the 1940’s and his was a personal friend and confidant of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, but the anti-segregationist and...

1854 – Joseph Charles Price was born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Price was a great orator and was one of the founders of and was the first president of Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina.   [wp_ad_camp_1]   1927 – Noted opera singer Leontyne...

1943 – Singer Barbara Lewis, known for #1 R&B song “Hello Stranger” was born in South Lyon, Michigan. [wp_ad_camp_1] 1944 – Novelist Alice Walker, author of “The Color Purple” was born in Eatonton, Georgia. 1953 -Author Ralph Ellison’s novel...

1924 – Activist and lawyer Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher  is born in Chickasha, Oklahoma. [wp_ad_camp_1] 1944  – Harry S. McAlpin becomes the first Black reporter allowed obtain accreditation for a White House press conference. 1968 – Diminutive actor Gary...

1872 – Alcorn A&M College (now known as Alcorn State University was founded in Mississippi. Alcorn is a public, historically black, comprehensive, land-grant institution located northwest of Lorman, Mississippi, approximately 80 miles southwest of Jackson, Mississippi....

1820 – The Mayflower of Liberia – Minister Daniel Coker led a group of 86 free blacks from New York Harbor aboard the Mayflower of Liberia. They are bound for the British colony of Sierra Leone, which welcomes free African Americans as well as fugitive slaves. The group...

1869 – Minnie Cox, the first Black postmistress in U.S. was born in Lexington, Mississippi. 1894 – Willis Johnson patented a device now known as the Egg Beater. For more information on Willis Johnson, see his profile on blackinventor.com. [wp_ad_camp_1]1934 –...

1794 – The First African Methodist Episcopal Church is founded by Bishop Richard Allen of Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The church is the oldest African Methodist Episcopal congregation in the nation and was created after African-American members of St. George’s...

1870 – The 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, providing for Black suffrage. 1886 – The Southern League of Colored Base Ballists is founded, establishing the first Negro baseball league. 1903 – Jack Johnson defeated Denver Ed Martin to...

1862 – President Lincoln signed an act abolishing slavery in the District of Columbia. 1914 – Sculptor William Ellisworth Artis was born in Washington, North Carolina. [wp_ad_camp_1] 1915 – Biologist Ernest E. Just Receives Spingarn Medal for his pioneering work in cell...

1926 – Negro History Week Begins. What is now known as Black History Month, was first celebrated on this date as Negro History Week by Carter G. Woodson. It became a month long celebration in 1976. [wp_ad_camp_1] 1865 – John Sweat Rock, a doctor, lawyer and abolitionist from...

1871 – Jefferson Franklin Long  becomes first Black person to speak in the House of Representatives. A politician from Georgia, he was the second African American sworn into the US House of Representatives. He spoke in opposition to the Amnesty...