Floyd Patterson Born Jan04

Floyd Patterson Born

[wp_ad_camp_1]1935 – Floyd Patterson Born. Patterson was born in Waco, North Carolina and was an Olympic Gold Medalist middle-wright boxer in the 1952 games in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. He later trained under Cus D’Amato and would go on to defeat Archie Moore...

Jesse Jackson Frees Pilot Jan03

Jesse Jackson Frees ...

[wp_ad_camp_1]1984 – Jesse Jackson Secures Release of Black Pilot. On this date in 1984, Reverend Jesse Jackson was able to secure the release of a U.S. Bombardier Navigator. Lt. Robert Goodman was part of a crew on a bombing mission over Beirut when his plane was hit by a missile. It...

Sadie Tanner Mossell...

[wp_ad_camp_1]1898 – Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Born. [wp_ad_camp_2]Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander was born on this date in 1898. She was very highly educated as a youth and lived with her Uncle, Lewis Baxter Moore, a Dean at Howard University. She would find great success in life,...

Emancipation Proclamation Signed

[wp_ad_camp_1]1863 – The Emancipation Proclamation, an executive order issued on January 1, 1863 during the American Civil War by President Abraham Lincoln declared that all slaves held in the 10 rebel states were freed. It resulted in almost four million slaves being freed over the course of the war.Although the Proclamation did not account for any compensation to the slave owners, it was never challenged in court. It was ratified by Congress in February 1063  and it was ratified by the states in December 1865. The Proclamation applied only to the ten states in rebellion against the Union. Slavery was outlawed in all of the...

Roberto Clemente Dies in Plane Crash Dec31

Roberto Clemente Die...

[wp_ad_camp_1]   1972 – Roberto Clemente Dies in Plane Crash Roberto Clemente, a 15-time Major League Baseball All-Star died at the age of 38 in a plane crash bringing aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. A member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Clemente earned 12 Golden Gloves and...

Jack Johnson Wins Heavyweight Boxing Title Dec26

Jack Johnson Wins He...

[wp_ad_camp_1]   Jack Johnson Wins Heavyweight Boxing Title 1908 – Jack Johnson Wins Heavyweight Boxing Title On this date in 1908, Jack Johnson became the first Black person to win the World’s Heavyweight Boxing title belt. Johnson was awarded the belt when police...

To Kill a Mockingbir...

[wp_ad_camp_1] To Kill a Mockingbird Opens in Theaters 1962 – To Kill a Mockingbird Opens in Theaters To Kill a Mockingbird, a major motion picture film based on the1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper opened in theaters on this day in 1962. The story takes place in the Great...

Josh Gibson Born Dec21

Josh Gibson Born

[wp_ad_camp_1]Josh Gibson Born. Josh Gibson was born on this date. He was a professional baseball player, a star of the Negro Leagues and one of the greatest players in history. He played as a catcher and was one of the most feared power hitters in history, alleged to have hit more than 800...

Florence Griffith Joyner Born Dec21

Florence Griffith Jo...

[wp_ad_camp_1]1959 – Florence Griffith-Joyner Born. Florence Delorez Griffith Joyner was born on this date in 1959. Nicknamed Flo-Jo, Griffith-Joyner was considered by many to be the faster woman on Earth as she still holds the world record for both the 100 and 200 meter dash, set...

Carter Woodson Born Dec19

Carter Woodson Born

[wp_ad_camp_1]1875 – Carter Woodson born Carter Godwin Woodson was born on this day in 1875. Woodson was a historian who found that there was very little information about the history of his own race. Together with Alexander L. Jackson, he published “The Education of the...

Gen Benjamin O. Davis Born Dec18

Gen Benjamin O. Davi...

[wp_ad_camp_1] General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. Born. 1912 – General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. was born on this day in Washington, DC. Davis was the son of Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., a renowned military officer, the first Black General in the United States Army. Davis, Jr....

O.J. Simpson Sets Rushing Record Dec16

O.J. Simpson Sets Ru...

[wp_ad_camp_1] 1973 – O.J. Simpson Sets Rushing Record O.J. Simpson, a running back for the Buffalo Bills set the record for rushing yards in a season with 2,003 yards. He set the record on a snow covered field against the New York Jets, running for 200 yards in the game. Simpson...

Guess Who’s Co...

[wp_ad_camp_1] 1967 – Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner Premieres Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, a groundbreaking movie that focused on the challenges of an interracial romantic relationship opened in theaters on this date in 1967. The film starred industry stalwarts...

Singer Sam Cooke Kil...

[wp_ad_camp_1] 1964 – Singer Sam Cooke Killed in Los Angeles Sam Cooke, a charter member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was killed on this day in 1964. Cooke, ranked the 4th Greatest Singer of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine, was shot to death at the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles,...

Otis Redding Dies in...

[wp_ad_camp_1] 1967 – Legendary Musician Otis Redding Dies in Plane Crash Otis Redding, the singer and songwriter behind such hits as “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” and “RESPECT” died on this date in 1967. The plane carrying Redding and...

Black Panthers Fred ...

[wp_ad_camp_1] 1969 – Black Panther Fred Hampton Shot to Death Fred Hampton, 21, a prominent member of the Black Panthers was gunned down by 14 police officers along with fellow member Mark Clark, 22, as they lie sleeping in their Chicago, Illinois, apartment. Police claimed...

Archie Griffin Wins Second Heisman Dec02

Archie Griffin Wins ...

[wp_ad_camp_1] Archie Griffin Win Second Heisman 1975 – Archie Griffin, running back for Ohio State University becomes the first player in history to win the Heisman Trophy two years in a row. In 1974, Griffin became only the fifth player in history to win the Heisman trophy, annual...

Wendell Scott Becomes 1st Black NASCAR Winner Dec01

Wendell Scott Become...

[wp_ad_camp_1]On December 1, 1963, Wendell Scott became the first Black driver to win a race on NASCAR’s highest level, the Grand National Series. He finished the race at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida two laps ahead of the the second place finisher Buck Baker, however...

Rosa Parks is Arrest...

[wp_ad_camp_1]Rosa Parks Arrested [wp_ad_camp_2]Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1, 1955 for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. Her actions were seen by many as starting point in the civil rights era. Her actions brought about the Birmingham Bus Boycotts in...

Football Player Jack Trice Dies Oct08

Football Player Jack...

[wp_ad_camp_1]Jack Trice, an offensive lineman playing in his second game for what is now known as Iowa State University, died the following day, October 8, 1923, from injuries sustained during the game against the University of Minnesota. Trice was alleged to have been targeted by the...