This Day in History
Thursday September 15, 2022
Monday September 5, 2022
(Image from the Internet)
Sunday September 4, 2022
1957 Arkansas troops block "Little Rock Nine" from entering segregated high school (See History.com for more information)
1886 "Geronimo surrenders - On September 4, 1886, Apache leader Geronimo surrenders to U.S. government troops. For 30 years, the Native American warrior had battled to protect his tribe's homeland; however, by 1886 the Apaches were exhausted and hopelessly outnumbered. General Nelson Miles accepted Geronimo's surrender, making him the last Native American warrior to formally give in to U.S. forces and signaling the end of the Indian Wars in the Southwest." (For more information History.com)
September 3, 2022
1944 Holocaust diarist Anne Frank sent to Auschwitz concentration camp (From On This Day.com website)
September 2, 2022
1885 "Chinese miners are massacred in Wyoming Territory - On September 2, 1885, 150 white miners in Rock Springs, Wyoming, brutally attack their Chinese coworkers, killing 28, wounding 15 others, and driving several hundred more out of town.The miners working in the Union Pacific coal mine had been struggling to unionize and strike for better working conditions for years. But at every juncture the powerful railroad company had bested them. Searching for a scapegoat, the angry miners blamed the Chinese. The Chinese coal miners were hard workers, but the Union Pacific had initially brought many of them to Rock Springs as strikebreakers, and they showed little interest in the miners’ union.
Outraged by a company decision to allow Chinese miners to work the richest coal seams, a mob of white miners impulsively decided to strike back by attacking Rock Spring’s small Chinatown. When they saw the armed mob approaching, most of the Chinese abandoned their homes and businesses and fled for the hills. But those who failed to escape in time were brutally beaten and murdered. A week later, on September 9, U.S. troops escorted the surviving Chinese back into the town where many of them returned to work. Eventually the Union Pacific fired 45 of the white miners for their roles in the massacre, but no effective legal action was ever taken against any of the participants.
The Rock Springs Massacre was symptomatic of the anti-Chinese feelings shared by many Americans at that time. The Chinese had been victims of prejudice and violence ever since they first began to come to the West in the mid-nineteenth century, fleeing famine and political upheaval. Widely blamed for all sorts of social ills, the Chinese were also singled-out for attack by some national politicians who popularized strident slogans like “The Chinese Must Go” and helped pass an 1882 law that closed the U.S. to any further Chinese immigration. In this climate of racial hatred, violent attacks against the Chinese in the West became all too common, though the Rock Springs massacre was notable both for its size and savage brutality. "
READ MORE: Building the Transcontinental Railroad: How 20,000 Chinese Immigrants Made It Happen (From History.com website)
Outraged by a company decision to allow Chinese miners to work the richest coal seams, a mob of white miners impulsively decided to strike back by attacking Rock Spring’s small Chinatown. When they saw the armed mob approaching, most of the Chinese abandoned their homes and businesses and fled for the hills. But those who failed to escape in time were brutally beaten and murdered. A week later, on September 9, U.S. troops escorted the surviving Chinese back into the town where many of them returned to work. Eventually the Union Pacific fired 45 of the white miners for their roles in the massacre, but no effective legal action was ever taken against any of the participants.
The Rock Springs Massacre was symptomatic of the anti-Chinese feelings shared by many Americans at that time. The Chinese had been victims of prejudice and violence ever since they first began to come to the West in the mid-nineteenth century, fleeing famine and political upheaval. Widely blamed for all sorts of social ills, the Chinese were also singled-out for attack by some national politicians who popularized strident slogans like “The Chinese Must Go” and helped pass an 1882 law that closed the U.S. to any further Chinese immigration. In this climate of racial hatred, violent attacks against the Chinese in the West became all too common, though the Rock Springs massacre was notable both for its size and savage brutality. "
READ MORE: Building the Transcontinental Railroad: How 20,000 Chinese Immigrants Made It Happen (From History.com website)
Friday August 24, 2022
Sarah Nurse on EA Sports cover history, women in hockey and judging 'Drag Race'
Thursday August 23, 2022
International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition 2022: History, theme, and significance
(Image from the Internet)
Saturday August 20, 2022
(Image from Getty Images)
1619 First enslaved Africans arrive in Jamestown, setting the stage for slavery in North America
On August 20, 1619, "20 and odd" Angolans, kidnapped by the Portuguese, arrive in the British colony of Virginia and are then bought by English colonists. The arrival of the enslaved Africans in the New World marks a beginning of two and a half centuries of slavery in North America.
Founded at Jamestown in 1607, the Virginia Colony was home to about 700 people by 1619. The first enslaved Africans to arrive in Virginia disembarked at Point Comfort, in what is today known as Fort Monroe. Most of their names, as well as the exact number who remained at Point Comfort, have been lost to history, but much is known about their journey.
They were originally kidnapped by Portuguese colonial forces, who sent captured members of the native Kongo and Ndongo kingdoms on a forced march to the port of Luanda, the capital of modern-day Angola. From there, they were ordered on the ship San Juan Bautista, which set sail for Veracruz in the colony of New Spain. As was quite common, about 150 of the 350 captives aboard the ship died during the crossing. Then, as it approached its destination, the ship was attacked by two privateer ships, the White Lion and the Treasurer. Crews from the two ships kidnapped up to 60 of the Bautista’s enslaved people. It was the White Lion which docked at Virginia Colony's Point Comfort and traded some of the prisoners for food on August 20, 1619.
WATCH: The Middle Passage on HISTORY Vault
Scholars note that the arrivals were technically sold as indentured servants. Indentured servants agreed, or in many cases were forced, to work with no pay for a set amount of time, often to pay off a debt and could legally expect to become free at the end of the contract. Many Europeans who arrived in the Americas came as indentured servants. Despite this classification—and records which indicate that some of them did eventually obtain their freedom—it is clear that the Africans arriving at Point Comfort in 1619 were forced into servitude and that they fit the Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ definition of enslaved peoples.
The arrival at Point Comfort marked a new chapter in the history of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, which began in the early 1500s and continued into the mid-1800s. The trade uprooted roughly 12 million Africans, depositing roughly 5 million in Brazil and over 3 million in the Caribbean. Though the number of Africans brought to mainland North America was relatively small--roughly 400,000—their labor and that of their descendants was crucial to the economies of the British colonies and, later, the United States.
READ MORE: How Slavery Became the Economic Engine of the South
Two of the Africans who arrived aboard the White Lion, Antonio and Isabella, became “servants” of Captain William Tucker, commander of Point Comfort. Their son William is the first known African child to have been born in America, and under the law of the time he was born a freeman. In the coming decades, however, slavery became codified.
Servants of African origin were oftentimes forced to continue working after the end of their contract, and in 1640 a Virginia court sentenced rebellious servant John Punch to a lifetime of slavery. With fewer white indentured servants arriving from England, a racial caste system developed and African servants were increasingly held for life. In 1662, a Virginia court ruled that children born to enslaved mothers were the property of the mother’s owner.
As cash crops like tobacco, cotton and sugar became pillars of the colonial economy, slavery became its engine. Though the slave trade was outlawed in 1807, chattel slavery and the plantation economy it made possible flourished in the South. The 1860 census found that there were 3,953,760 enslaved people in the United States, making up roughly 13 percent of the total population.
The conflict between abolitionists and those who wanted to preserve and spread slavery was a major catalyst in the outbreak of the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln formally freed enslaved people in the South with the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, although it was not until the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865 that slavery was formally abolished in the United States.
In the end, 246 brutal years of slavery had an incalculable effect on American society. It would take another century after the Civil War for racial segregation to be declared unconstitutional, but the end of state-sanctioned racism was by no means the end of racism and discrimination in America. Because it became a crucial part of the culture and economy of early America after its introduction in Jamestown, slavery is often referred to as the nation’s “original sin.”
READ MORE: The Last American Slave Ship (From History website)
On August 20, 1619, "20 and odd" Angolans, kidnapped by the Portuguese, arrive in the British colony of Virginia and are then bought by English colonists. The arrival of the enslaved Africans in the New World marks a beginning of two and a half centuries of slavery in North America.
Founded at Jamestown in 1607, the Virginia Colony was home to about 700 people by 1619. The first enslaved Africans to arrive in Virginia disembarked at Point Comfort, in what is today known as Fort Monroe. Most of their names, as well as the exact number who remained at Point Comfort, have been lost to history, but much is known about their journey.
They were originally kidnapped by Portuguese colonial forces, who sent captured members of the native Kongo and Ndongo kingdoms on a forced march to the port of Luanda, the capital of modern-day Angola. From there, they were ordered on the ship San Juan Bautista, which set sail for Veracruz in the colony of New Spain. As was quite common, about 150 of the 350 captives aboard the ship died during the crossing. Then, as it approached its destination, the ship was attacked by two privateer ships, the White Lion and the Treasurer. Crews from the two ships kidnapped up to 60 of the Bautista’s enslaved people. It was the White Lion which docked at Virginia Colony's Point Comfort and traded some of the prisoners for food on August 20, 1619.
WATCH: The Middle Passage on HISTORY Vault
Scholars note that the arrivals were technically sold as indentured servants. Indentured servants agreed, or in many cases were forced, to work with no pay for a set amount of time, often to pay off a debt and could legally expect to become free at the end of the contract. Many Europeans who arrived in the Americas came as indentured servants. Despite this classification—and records which indicate that some of them did eventually obtain their freedom—it is clear that the Africans arriving at Point Comfort in 1619 were forced into servitude and that they fit the Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ definition of enslaved peoples.
The arrival at Point Comfort marked a new chapter in the history of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, which began in the early 1500s and continued into the mid-1800s. The trade uprooted roughly 12 million Africans, depositing roughly 5 million in Brazil and over 3 million in the Caribbean. Though the number of Africans brought to mainland North America was relatively small--roughly 400,000—their labor and that of their descendants was crucial to the economies of the British colonies and, later, the United States.
READ MORE: How Slavery Became the Economic Engine of the South
Two of the Africans who arrived aboard the White Lion, Antonio and Isabella, became “servants” of Captain William Tucker, commander of Point Comfort. Their son William is the first known African child to have been born in America, and under the law of the time he was born a freeman. In the coming decades, however, slavery became codified.
Servants of African origin were oftentimes forced to continue working after the end of their contract, and in 1640 a Virginia court sentenced rebellious servant John Punch to a lifetime of slavery. With fewer white indentured servants arriving from England, a racial caste system developed and African servants were increasingly held for life. In 1662, a Virginia court ruled that children born to enslaved mothers were the property of the mother’s owner.
As cash crops like tobacco, cotton and sugar became pillars of the colonial economy, slavery became its engine. Though the slave trade was outlawed in 1807, chattel slavery and the plantation economy it made possible flourished in the South. The 1860 census found that there were 3,953,760 enslaved people in the United States, making up roughly 13 percent of the total population.
The conflict between abolitionists and those who wanted to preserve and spread slavery was a major catalyst in the outbreak of the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln formally freed enslaved people in the South with the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, although it was not until the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865 that slavery was formally abolished in the United States.
In the end, 246 brutal years of slavery had an incalculable effect on American society. It would take another century after the Civil War for racial segregation to be declared unconstitutional, but the end of state-sanctioned racism was by no means the end of racism and discrimination in America. Because it became a crucial part of the culture and economy of early America after its introduction in Jamestown, slavery is often referred to as the nation’s “original sin.”
READ MORE: The Last American Slave Ship (From History website)
Friday August 19, 2022
Canada nominates O'Bonsawin as first Indigenous Supreme Court judge
1791 Benjamin Banneker writes to Thomas Jefferson, urging justice for African Americans - On August 19, 1791, the accomplished American mathematician and astronomer Benjamin Banneker pens a letter to then-Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson corresponds prolifically with luminaries from around the world, but Banneker is unique among them: the son of a free Black American woman and a formerly enslaved African man from Guinea, Banneker criticizes Jefferson’s hypocritical stance on slavery in respectful but unambiguous terms, using Jefferson’s own words to make his case for the abolition of slavery.Banneker himself was born free in what is now Ellicott City, Maryland, and was encouraged in his studies of astronomy and mathematics by the Ellicotts, a Quaker family who owned a mill and much of the land in the area. Predicting a solar eclipse and constructing a functioning clock that struck on the hour were among his early achievements. His prowess caught the eye of Jefferson after Major Andrew Ellicott chose Banneker to assist him in surveying the original boundaries of what would become the District of Columbia. Banneker also compiled several ephemerides (a type of astronomical chart) and almanacs.
In August of 1791, Banneker sent Jefferson, who was known both as a Founding Father and a devoted scientist, a draft of an almanac he was readying for publication. He felt compelled to include a personal note. In this letter, Banneker quoted the famous preamble to the Declaration of Independence (“We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal…”) and said plainly that he was disappointed in the hypocrisy of Jefferson, a slaveowner:
"…but Sir how pitiable is it to reflect, that altho you were so fully convinced of the benevolence of the Father of mankind, and of his equal and impartial distribution of those rights and privileges which he had conferred upon them, that you should at the Same time counteract his mercies, in detaining by fraud and violence so numerous a part of my brethren under groaning captivity and cruel oppression, that you should at the Same time be found guilty of that most criminal act, which you professedly detested in others, with respect to yourselves."
Jefferson’s response, eleven days later, was cordial and complimentary but also condescending and racist. Jefferson praised the almanac and informed Banneker that he was sending it along to the Marquis de Condorcet, a French philosopher, mathematician, and abolitionist. The future president praised Banneker as a credit to the Black race, essentially telling him that he considered the almanac evidence that African American’s inferiority was owed “merely to the degraded condition of their existence both in Africa and America” and not to their innate inferiority, a paternalistic sentiment that was a frequent topic of debate among whites.
After Banneker’s death, Jefferson expressed doubt that a Black man could have written the almanac. He continued to own enslaved workers, despite decrying slavery in some of his writings, until his own death in 1826. Shortly after they were written, a Philadelphia publisher circulated a pamphlet containing Banneker’s eloquent argument for abolition and Jefferson’s non-committal response, which made the rounds among the nascent abolitionist movement. Contrary to the myth that slavery was universally accepted among educated and elite circles in the early United States, Banneker’s letter stands as proof that one of the nation’s founders received first-hand criticism of his hypocritical and contradictory stance on slavery in his lifetime.
READ MORE: Why Thomas Jefferson's Anti-Slavery Passage Was Removed from the Declaration of Independence (From History website)
In August of 1791, Banneker sent Jefferson, who was known both as a Founding Father and a devoted scientist, a draft of an almanac he was readying for publication. He felt compelled to include a personal note. In this letter, Banneker quoted the famous preamble to the Declaration of Independence (“We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal…”) and said plainly that he was disappointed in the hypocrisy of Jefferson, a slaveowner:
"…but Sir how pitiable is it to reflect, that altho you were so fully convinced of the benevolence of the Father of mankind, and of his equal and impartial distribution of those rights and privileges which he had conferred upon them, that you should at the Same time counteract his mercies, in detaining by fraud and violence so numerous a part of my brethren under groaning captivity and cruel oppression, that you should at the Same time be found guilty of that most criminal act, which you professedly detested in others, with respect to yourselves."
Jefferson’s response, eleven days later, was cordial and complimentary but also condescending and racist. Jefferson praised the almanac and informed Banneker that he was sending it along to the Marquis de Condorcet, a French philosopher, mathematician, and abolitionist. The future president praised Banneker as a credit to the Black race, essentially telling him that he considered the almanac evidence that African American’s inferiority was owed “merely to the degraded condition of their existence both in Africa and America” and not to their innate inferiority, a paternalistic sentiment that was a frequent topic of debate among whites.
After Banneker’s death, Jefferson expressed doubt that a Black man could have written the almanac. He continued to own enslaved workers, despite decrying slavery in some of his writings, until his own death in 1826. Shortly after they were written, a Philadelphia publisher circulated a pamphlet containing Banneker’s eloquent argument for abolition and Jefferson’s non-committal response, which made the rounds among the nascent abolitionist movement. Contrary to the myth that slavery was universally accepted among educated and elite circles in the early United States, Banneker’s letter stands as proof that one of the nation’s founders received first-hand criticism of his hypocritical and contradictory stance on slavery in his lifetime.
READ MORE: Why Thomas Jefferson's Anti-Slavery Passage Was Removed from the Declaration of Independence (From History website)
Tuesday August 2, 2022
Project to bring stories of Black community to life
Black leaders want Canada to apologize for its history of slavery
Monday August 1, 2022
Emancipation Day organizer looks to build up London event
Londoners reflect on freedom during Emancipation Day event
Sunday July 31, 2022
Star Trek’s Nichelle Nichols dies at age 89
Nichelle Nichols, trailblazing 'Star Trek' actress, dies at 89 - CNN
(Drawing by Artist Robin Damore from LinkedIn)
Friday July 29, 2022
Windsor's Significance in the History of Emancipation Day
Thursday July 28, 2022
1917 Silent Parade organised by James Weldon Johnson of 10,000 African-Americans who march on 5th Ave in NYC to protest against lynching. James Weldon Johnson displayed an extraordinary array of talent throughout his life, becoming a lawyer, diplomat, writer, poet and civil rights leader.
Johnson was the first African American to pass the bar in Florida in 1897. He became American Consul to Venezuela in 1906 and during that appointment wrote his novel "The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man" anonymously. His earlier poem "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," (1899) was put to music by his brother and later became the anthem of the NAACP.
Johnson is best remembered as the leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from 1920-1930, its 1st African American Executive Secretary. In 1917 he organised a silent protest march of 10,000 people down NYC's 5th Avenue was working for the NAACP.
Johnson was also an important figure in the Harlem Renaissance, publishing his own poetry, and anthologies of others. In later years he was the first African American professor at a New York university.
Born: June 17, 1871 in Jacksonville, Florida, USA Died: June 26, 1938 (aged 67)
Cause of Death: Automobile accident when the car his wife [civil rights activist Grace Nail Johnson] was driving was hit by a train. (From On This Day website)
Johnson was the first African American to pass the bar in Florida in 1897. He became American Consul to Venezuela in 1906 and during that appointment wrote his novel "The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man" anonymously. His earlier poem "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," (1899) was put to music by his brother and later became the anthem of the NAACP.
Johnson is best remembered as the leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from 1920-1930, its 1st African American Executive Secretary. In 1917 he organised a silent protest march of 10,000 people down NYC's 5th Avenue was working for the NAACP.
Johnson was also an important figure in the Harlem Renaissance, publishing his own poetry, and anthologies of others. In later years he was the first African American professor at a New York university.
Born: June 17, 1871 in Jacksonville, Florida, USA Died: June 26, 1938 (aged 67)
Cause of Death: Automobile accident when the car his wife [civil rights activist Grace Nail Johnson] was driving was hit by a train. (From On This Day website)
Monday July 18, 2022
1918 Anti-apartheid activist and South African President Nelson Mandela is born. Often referred to as the father of the nation by South Africans, Nelson Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist and politician who served 27 years in prison. After being freed in 1990 he became the President of the African National Congress (1991-97) before being elected the first black President of his country in a fully multiracial election in 1994.
For his activism, he received over 250 honours, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, the US Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Soviet Order of Lenin. Birthplace: Mvezo, Umtatu, South Africa, Died: December 5, 2013 (aged 95), Cause of Death: Lung infection (From On This Day website)
For his activism, he received over 250 honours, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, the US Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Soviet Order of Lenin. Birthplace: Mvezo, Umtatu, South Africa, Died: December 5, 2013 (aged 95), Cause of Death: Lung infection (From On This Day website)
Sunday July 17, 2022
2020 Congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis dies in the midst of a pandemic and a time of unparalleled racial tensions in the United States, the nation loses one of the last towering figures of the civil rights movement. John Lewis, former Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and a 17-term congressman from Georgia’s Fifth District, dies at the age of 80.
Born to two sharecroppers in rural Alabama, Lewis preached his first sermon at the age of 15, met Martin Luther King, Jr. at the age of 18, and was ordained as a Baptist minister before attending college at Nashville’s Fisk University. Inspired by King, he quickly became a leader of the Nashville desegregation movement, organizing sit-ins and boycotts—which he called “good trouble, necessary trouble”—and getting arrested numerous times.
READ MORE: ‘Good Trouble’: How John Lewis and Other Civil Rights Crusaders Expected Arrests
Lewis was one of the very first Freedom Riders—activists who refused to follow the rules while traveling through the South on segregated buses—and made repeated Freedom Rides despite being badly beaten and arrested on multiple occasions. After becoming Chairman of SNCC, of which he was a founding member, in 1963, he took a leading role in organizing a number of civil rights actions, including the Mississippi Freedom Summer, the March on Washington and the Selma to Montgomery marches. During the latter march, a policeman fractured Lewis’ skull as law enforcement attacked a group of protesters crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The assault, dubbed “Bloody Sunday,” opened the eyes of many across America to the brutal behavior of police in the South. In the years since, many have suggested renaming the bridge after Lewis.
Lewis continued to work in voter education and community organizing until 1981, when he was elected to the Atlanta City Council. In 1986, he ran for Congress, where he would represent a district that included most of Atlanta for the rest of his life. Though sometimes referred to as a “partisan” Democrat, he often took positions that set him to the left of the party’s establishment. Lewis was an early advocate of gay rights, opposed both the Gulf War and the War in Iraq, sided against the popular Democratic President Bill Clinton on welfare reform and the North America Free Trade Agreement, and refused to attend President George W. Bush’s inauguration on the grounds that Bush’s claim to victory was not valid. In his first term in Congress, Lewis introduced a bill to create a national museum of African American history and remained dedicated to this cause, despite decades of resistance from Republican legislators, until the museum opened on the National Mall in 2016.
As news broke of his death from pancreatic cancer, tributes to Lewis poured in from all across the country, with many celebrating his lifetime of activism and his support of the protests against police violence which largely defined the summer of 2020. His casket traveled from Troy, Alabama, where his rejection from the local college prompted his first correspondence with King, across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and then to Washington, where it lay in state in the U.S. Capitol. In a New York Times op-ed written shortly before his death and published the day of his funeral, Lewis cited the recent killing of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police, expressed his admiration for the Black Lives Matter movement, and urged the generations that followed him to have the courage to speak out against injustice, to participate in democracy, and to “let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.”
READ MORE: The MLK Graphic Novel That Inspired John Lewis and Generations of Civil Rights Activists
(From History website)
Born to two sharecroppers in rural Alabama, Lewis preached his first sermon at the age of 15, met Martin Luther King, Jr. at the age of 18, and was ordained as a Baptist minister before attending college at Nashville’s Fisk University. Inspired by King, he quickly became a leader of the Nashville desegregation movement, organizing sit-ins and boycotts—which he called “good trouble, necessary trouble”—and getting arrested numerous times.
READ MORE: ‘Good Trouble’: How John Lewis and Other Civil Rights Crusaders Expected Arrests
Lewis was one of the very first Freedom Riders—activists who refused to follow the rules while traveling through the South on segregated buses—and made repeated Freedom Rides despite being badly beaten and arrested on multiple occasions. After becoming Chairman of SNCC, of which he was a founding member, in 1963, he took a leading role in organizing a number of civil rights actions, including the Mississippi Freedom Summer, the March on Washington and the Selma to Montgomery marches. During the latter march, a policeman fractured Lewis’ skull as law enforcement attacked a group of protesters crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The assault, dubbed “Bloody Sunday,” opened the eyes of many across America to the brutal behavior of police in the South. In the years since, many have suggested renaming the bridge after Lewis.
Lewis continued to work in voter education and community organizing until 1981, when he was elected to the Atlanta City Council. In 1986, he ran for Congress, where he would represent a district that included most of Atlanta for the rest of his life. Though sometimes referred to as a “partisan” Democrat, he often took positions that set him to the left of the party’s establishment. Lewis was an early advocate of gay rights, opposed both the Gulf War and the War in Iraq, sided against the popular Democratic President Bill Clinton on welfare reform and the North America Free Trade Agreement, and refused to attend President George W. Bush’s inauguration on the grounds that Bush’s claim to victory was not valid. In his first term in Congress, Lewis introduced a bill to create a national museum of African American history and remained dedicated to this cause, despite decades of resistance from Republican legislators, until the museum opened on the National Mall in 2016.
As news broke of his death from pancreatic cancer, tributes to Lewis poured in from all across the country, with many celebrating his lifetime of activism and his support of the protests against police violence which largely defined the summer of 2020. His casket traveled from Troy, Alabama, where his rejection from the local college prompted his first correspondence with King, across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and then to Washington, where it lay in state in the U.S. Capitol. In a New York Times op-ed written shortly before his death and published the day of his funeral, Lewis cited the recent killing of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police, expressed his admiration for the Black Lives Matter movement, and urged the generations that followed him to have the courage to speak out against injustice, to participate in democracy, and to “let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.”
READ MORE: The MLK Graphic Novel That Inspired John Lewis and Generations of Civil Rights Activists
(From History website)
Thursday July 14, 2022
13-Year-Old Is Youngest Black Person to Get Accepted Into Med School
Wednesday July 13, 2022
The greatest discoveries and advancements in the history of astronomy
(Image from Getty Images)
2013 The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter first appears, sparking a movement - Outraged and saddened after the acquittal of George Zimmerman, the Florida man who killed a Black teenager in 2012, Oakland, California resident Alicia Garza posts a message on Facebook on July 13, 2013. Her post contains the phrase "Black lives matter," which soon becomes a rallying cry and a movement throughout the United States and around the world.Garza said she felt "a deep sense of grief" after Zimmerman was acquitted. She was further saddened to note that many people appeared to blame the victim, Trayvon Martin, and not the "disease" of racism. Patrice Cullors, a Los Angeles community organizer and friend of Garza, read her post and replied with the first instance of #BlackLivesMatter.
As the hashtag became popular on Facebook and Twitter, Garza, Cullors and fellow activist Opal Tometi built a network of community organizers and racial justice activists using the name Black Lives Matter. The phrase and the hashtag were then quickly adopted by grassroots activists and protests all across the country, particularly after the subsequent killings of Michael Brown, Eric Garner and a number of other African Americans at the hands of police officers or would-be vigilantes like Zimmerman.
Simple and clear in its demand for Black dignity, the phrase became one of the major symbols of the protests that erupted after Brown's killing in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014. While polling showed that a majority of Americans disapproved of the Black Lives Matter movement when it first began, in the years following, support for its central arguments grew.
After the May 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis unleashed a nationwide protest movement against police brutality and racism, support for the Black Lives Matter movement increased by a 28-point margin in two weeks—almost as much as it had in the preceding two years, according to the New York Times.
Perhaps more than any other phrase since “Black Power,” “Black Lives Matter” became a singular rallying cry for the American and global racial justice movements."
READ MORE: Black History Milestones: Timeline (From History website)
1934 Wole Soyinka born. In 1986 Wole Soyinka was the first person from the African continent to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Soyinka is primarily a playwright, but has also written poetry, novels and essays.
A member of the Yoruba People of Nigeria, Soyinka often employs elements of Yoruba folklore into his work. His style is lyrical, satirical and humorous, much of his work criticizes figures in authority. Soyinka was imprisoned for 22 months 1966-67 during the Biafra war for speaking out against the war. His major works include the plays "Dance of the Forests" (1960),"The Strong Breed" (1964) and "Kongi's Harvest" (1965).
Born: July 13, 1934, Birthplace: Abeokuta, near Ibadan, Nigeria, Age: 88 years old (From On This Day website)
As the hashtag became popular on Facebook and Twitter, Garza, Cullors and fellow activist Opal Tometi built a network of community organizers and racial justice activists using the name Black Lives Matter. The phrase and the hashtag were then quickly adopted by grassroots activists and protests all across the country, particularly after the subsequent killings of Michael Brown, Eric Garner and a number of other African Americans at the hands of police officers or would-be vigilantes like Zimmerman.
Simple and clear in its demand for Black dignity, the phrase became one of the major symbols of the protests that erupted after Brown's killing in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014. While polling showed that a majority of Americans disapproved of the Black Lives Matter movement when it first began, in the years following, support for its central arguments grew.
After the May 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis unleashed a nationwide protest movement against police brutality and racism, support for the Black Lives Matter movement increased by a 28-point margin in two weeks—almost as much as it had in the preceding two years, according to the New York Times.
Perhaps more than any other phrase since “Black Power,” “Black Lives Matter” became a singular rallying cry for the American and global racial justice movements."
READ MORE: Black History Milestones: Timeline (From History website)
1934 Wole Soyinka born. In 1986 Wole Soyinka was the first person from the African continent to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Soyinka is primarily a playwright, but has also written poetry, novels and essays.
A member of the Yoruba People of Nigeria, Soyinka often employs elements of Yoruba folklore into his work. His style is lyrical, satirical and humorous, much of his work criticizes figures in authority. Soyinka was imprisoned for 22 months 1966-67 during the Biafra war for speaking out against the war. His major works include the plays "Dance of the Forests" (1960),"The Strong Breed" (1964) and "Kongi's Harvest" (1965).
Born: July 13, 1934, Birthplace: Abeokuta, near Ibadan, Nigeria, Age: 88 years old (From On This Day website)
Tuesday July 12, 2022
Monday July 11, 2022
1656 First Quaker colonists land at Boston Ann Austin and Mary Fisher, two Englishwomen, become the first Quakers to immigrate to the American colonies when the ship carrying them lands at Boston in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The pair came from Barbados, where Quakers had established a center for missionary work.The Religious Society of Friends, whose members are commonly known as Quakers, was a Christian movement founded by George Fox in England during the early 1650s. Quakers opposed central church authority, preferring to seek spiritual insight and consensus through egalitarian Quaker meetings. They advocated sexual equality and became some of the most outspoken opponents of slavery in early America.
Shortly after arriving to Massachusetts, Austin and Fisher, whose liberal teachings enraged the Puritan colonial government, were arrested and jailed. After five years in prison, they were deported back to Barbados. In October 1656, the Massachusetts colonial government enacted their first ban on Quakers, and in 1658 it ordered Quakers banished from the colony “under penalty of death.” Quakers found solace in Rhode Island and other colonies, and Massachusetts’ anti-Quaker laws were later repealed.
In the mid-18th century, John Woolman, an abolitionist Quaker, traveled the American colonies, preaching and advancing the anti-slavery cause. He organized boycotts of products made by slave labor and was responsible for convincing many Quaker communities to publicly denounce slavery. Another of many important abolitionist Quakers was Lucretia Mott, who worked on the Underground Railroad in the 19th century, helping lead fugitive slaves to freedom in the Northern states and Canada. In later years, Mott was a leader in the movement for women’s rights." (From History website)
Shortly after arriving to Massachusetts, Austin and Fisher, whose liberal teachings enraged the Puritan colonial government, were arrested and jailed. After five years in prison, they were deported back to Barbados. In October 1656, the Massachusetts colonial government enacted their first ban on Quakers, and in 1658 it ordered Quakers banished from the colony “under penalty of death.” Quakers found solace in Rhode Island and other colonies, and Massachusetts’ anti-Quaker laws were later repealed.
In the mid-18th century, John Woolman, an abolitionist Quaker, traveled the American colonies, preaching and advancing the anti-slavery cause. He organized boycotts of products made by slave labor and was responsible for convincing many Quaker communities to publicly denounce slavery. Another of many important abolitionist Quakers was Lucretia Mott, who worked on the Underground Railroad in the 19th century, helping lead fugitive slaves to freedom in the Northern states and Canada. In later years, Mott was a leader in the movement for women’s rights." (From History website)
Sunday July 10, 2022
1943 Arthur Ashe born. Arthur Ashe was ranked number one in the world and won three Grand Slam titles. An African American, he was the first black player ever selected to the United States Davis Cup team and the only black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open.
He is thus considered to be one of the best tennis players in history from the United States.
Birthplace: Richmond, Virginia, U.S.A., Died: February 6, 1993 (aged 49)" (From On This Day website)
He is thus considered to be one of the best tennis players in history from the United States.
Birthplace: Richmond, Virginia, U.S.A., Died: February 6, 1993 (aged 49)" (From On This Day website)
Saturday July 9, 2022
(Image courtesy of/& used with permission by Nova Scotia Archives)
2000 Venus Williams wins Wimbledon for the first time Venus Williams wins at Wimbledon for the first time. Her victory over defending champion, Lindsay Davenport, made Williams the first Black female Wimbledon champion since Althea Gibson won back-to-back titles in 1957 and 1958.
Overcoming a tough childhood in Compton, California, Williams became a champion women’s tennis player with seven Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam doubles titles and four Olympic gold medals. Williams and her sister Serena are considered two of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Williams was born on June 17, 1980, in Lynwood, California. Her father, a self-taught tennis coach, trained his daughters on the local courts. When Williams was 10 years old, the family relocated to West Palm Beach, Florida so Venus and Serena could attend a tennis academy.
By the age of 10, Williams’ serve topped off at an impressive 100 miles per hour. Thanks to that serve and athletic prowess on the court, Williams was 63-0 on the United States Tennis Association junior tour.
On October 31, 1994, Williams turned pro at 14 years old. In 1997, she became the first woman since Pam Shriver in 1978 to reach the final of her first U.S. Open. In 1998, she won her first Grand Slam at the Australian Open. A year later, she won the French Open women’s doubles tournament with her sister.
When Williams won at Wimbledon in 2000, she said, “It’s really great because I’ve been working so hard all my life to be here… It’s strange. I’d go to bed at night and I’d dream I’d won a Grand Slam, but when I woke up, there was the nightmare. Now, I don’t have to wake up like that anymore.”
That same year she went on to win the U.S. Open, two gold medals at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney and signed a $40 million sponsorship deal with Reebok.
In 2011, Williams revealed she was battling Sjögren syndrome, a chronic, incurable immune system disorder. Many expected her to take a step back from tennis. Instead, she went on to win gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics and the women’s doubles title at Wimbledon.
READ MORE: Trailblazing Black Women in Sports" (From History website)
1877 Wimbledon tournament begins
Overcoming a tough childhood in Compton, California, Williams became a champion women’s tennis player with seven Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam doubles titles and four Olympic gold medals. Williams and her sister Serena are considered two of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Williams was born on June 17, 1980, in Lynwood, California. Her father, a self-taught tennis coach, trained his daughters on the local courts. When Williams was 10 years old, the family relocated to West Palm Beach, Florida so Venus and Serena could attend a tennis academy.
By the age of 10, Williams’ serve topped off at an impressive 100 miles per hour. Thanks to that serve and athletic prowess on the court, Williams was 63-0 on the United States Tennis Association junior tour.
On October 31, 1994, Williams turned pro at 14 years old. In 1997, she became the first woman since Pam Shriver in 1978 to reach the final of her first U.S. Open. In 1998, she won her first Grand Slam at the Australian Open. A year later, she won the French Open women’s doubles tournament with her sister.
When Williams won at Wimbledon in 2000, she said, “It’s really great because I’ve been working so hard all my life to be here… It’s strange. I’d go to bed at night and I’d dream I’d won a Grand Slam, but when I woke up, there was the nightmare. Now, I don’t have to wake up like that anymore.”
That same year she went on to win the U.S. Open, two gold medals at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney and signed a $40 million sponsorship deal with Reebok.
In 2011, Williams revealed she was battling Sjögren syndrome, a chronic, incurable immune system disorder. Many expected her to take a step back from tennis. Instead, she went on to win gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics and the women’s doubles title at Wimbledon.
READ MORE: Trailblazing Black Women in Sports" (From History website)
1877 Wimbledon tournament begins
Friday July 8, 2022
1777 Independent Vermont introduces a new constitution, prohibiting slavery
Thursday July 7, 2022
1921 Ezzard Charles born in Lawrenceville, Georgia, U.S.A.. Defeated numerous Hall of Fame fighters in three different weight classes. He retired with a record of 93 wins, 25 losses and 1 draw. Died: May 27, 1975 (aged 53) Cause of Death: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)" (From On This Day website)
Wednesday July 6, 2022
1971 Louis Armstorng dies. Louis Armstrong or 'Satchmo' as he was also known as, remains one of the most famous and influential jazz artists. He was the leading trumpet player of his day and in his later career, with his famous gravelly voice, was even able to kick The Beatles off the number 1 spot in the charts.
Born and bred in New Orleans, he was educated by the city's early and important jazz scene before moving to play in Chicago jazz bands, recording such hits as "Star Dust" and "La Via En Rose".
From the end of the 1920s Armstrong further developed his singing and is one of the inventors of scat singing. In the 1940s he formed the Louis Armstrong and His All Stars band, producing such famous hits as “Mack the Knife” and "Hello Dolly" Armstrong appeared in more than a dozen Hollywood films, often as himself, singing alongside Bing Crosby in "High Society" and with Barbra Streisand in "Hello Dolly". Born August 4, 1901, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A., Died: July 6, 1971 (aged 69), Cause of Death: Heart attack (From On This Day website)
1957 Althea Gibson is first African American to win Wimbledon. Althea Gibson claims the women's singles tennis title at Wimbledon and becomes the first African American to win a championship at London's All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Gibson was born on August 25, 1927, in Silver, South Carolina, and raised in the Harlem section of New York City. She began playing tennis as a teenager and went on to win the national Black women’s championship twice. At a time when tennis was largely segregated, four-time U.S. Nationals winner Alice Marble advocated on Gibson’s behalf and the 5’11” player was invited to make her United States National Championships (now known as the U.S. Open) debut in 1950. In 1956, Gibson’s tennis career took off and she won the singles title at the French Championships (now known as the French Open)—the first African American to do so—as well as the doubles’ title there. In July 1957, Gibson won Wimbledon, defeating Darlene Hard, 6-3, 6-2. (In 1975, Arthur Ashe became the first African American man to win the men’s singles title at Wimbledon, when he defeated Jimmy Connors.) In September 1957, she won the U.S. Open, and the Associated Press named her Female Athlete of the Year in 1957 and 1958. During the 1950s, Gibson won 56 singles and doubles titles, including 11 major titles.
After winning Wimbledon and the U.S. Open again in 1958, Gibson retired from amateur tennis. In 1960, she toured with the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, playing exhibition tennis matches before their games. In 1964, Gibson joined the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour, the first Black woman to do so. The trailblazing athlete played pro golf until 1971, the same year in which she was voted into the National Lawn Tennis Association Hall of Fame.
After serving as New Jersey’s commissioner of athletics from 1975 to 1985, Althea Gibson died at age 76 from respiratory failure on September 28, 2003, at a hospital in East Orange, New Jersey.
READ MORE: Trailblazing Black Women in Sports (From History website)
Born and bred in New Orleans, he was educated by the city's early and important jazz scene before moving to play in Chicago jazz bands, recording such hits as "Star Dust" and "La Via En Rose".
From the end of the 1920s Armstrong further developed his singing and is one of the inventors of scat singing. In the 1940s he formed the Louis Armstrong and His All Stars band, producing such famous hits as “Mack the Knife” and "Hello Dolly" Armstrong appeared in more than a dozen Hollywood films, often as himself, singing alongside Bing Crosby in "High Society" and with Barbra Streisand in "Hello Dolly". Born August 4, 1901, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A., Died: July 6, 1971 (aged 69), Cause of Death: Heart attack (From On This Day website)
1957 Althea Gibson is first African American to win Wimbledon. Althea Gibson claims the women's singles tennis title at Wimbledon and becomes the first African American to win a championship at London's All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Gibson was born on August 25, 1927, in Silver, South Carolina, and raised in the Harlem section of New York City. She began playing tennis as a teenager and went on to win the national Black women’s championship twice. At a time when tennis was largely segregated, four-time U.S. Nationals winner Alice Marble advocated on Gibson’s behalf and the 5’11” player was invited to make her United States National Championships (now known as the U.S. Open) debut in 1950. In 1956, Gibson’s tennis career took off and she won the singles title at the French Championships (now known as the French Open)—the first African American to do so—as well as the doubles’ title there. In July 1957, Gibson won Wimbledon, defeating Darlene Hard, 6-3, 6-2. (In 1975, Arthur Ashe became the first African American man to win the men’s singles title at Wimbledon, when he defeated Jimmy Connors.) In September 1957, she won the U.S. Open, and the Associated Press named her Female Athlete of the Year in 1957 and 1958. During the 1950s, Gibson won 56 singles and doubles titles, including 11 major titles.
After winning Wimbledon and the U.S. Open again in 1958, Gibson retired from amateur tennis. In 1960, she toured with the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, playing exhibition tennis matches before their games. In 1964, Gibson joined the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour, the first Black woman to do so. The trailblazing athlete played pro golf until 1971, the same year in which she was voted into the National Lawn Tennis Association Hall of Fame.
After serving as New Jersey’s commissioner of athletics from 1975 to 1985, Althea Gibson died at age 76 from respiratory failure on September 28, 2003, at a hospital in East Orange, New Jersey.
READ MORE: Trailblazing Black Women in Sports (From History website)
Tuesday July 5, 2022
1975 Arthur Ashe becomes the first Black man to win Wimbledon
1946 Bikini introduced (From History website)
1852 Frederick Douglass, fugitive slave, delivers his 'What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?' speech to the Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society in Rochester, condemns the celebration as hypocritical sham (From On This Day website)
1946 Bikini introduced (From History website)
1852 Frederick Douglass, fugitive slave, delivers his 'What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?' speech to the Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society in Rochester, condemns the celebration as hypocritical sham (From On This Day website)
Sunday July 3, 2022
1863 Battle of Gettysburg ends - On the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s last attempt at breaking the Union line ends in disastrous failure, bringing the most decisive battle of the American Civil War to an end.In June 1863, following his masterful victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville, General Lee launched his second invasion of the Union in less than a year. He led his 75,000-man Army of Northern Virginia across the Potomac River, through Maryland, and into Pennsylvania, seeking to win a major battle on Northern soil that would further dispirit the Union war effort and induce Britain or France to intervene on the Confederacy’s behalf. The 90,000-strong Army of the Potomac pursued the Confederates into Maryland, but its commander, General Joseph Hooker, was still stinging from his defeat at Chancellorsville and seemed reluctant to chase Lee further. Meanwhile, the Confederates divided their forces and investigated various targets, such as Harrisburg, the Pennsylvania capital.
On June 28, President Abraham Lincoln replaced Hooker with General George Meade, and Lee learned of the presence of the Army of the Potomac in Maryland. Lee ordered his army to concentrate in the vicinity of the crossroads town of Gettysburg and prepare to meet the Federal army. At the same time, Meade sent ahead part of his force into Pennsylvania but intended to make a stand at Pipe Creek in Maryland.
On July 1, a Confederate division under General Henry Heth marched into Gettysburg hoping to seize supplies but finding instead three brigades of Union cavalry. Thus began the Battle of Gettysburg, and Lee and Meade ordered their massive armies to converge on the impromptu battle site. The Union cavalrymen defiantly held the field against overwhelming numbers until the arrival of Federal reinforcements. Later, the Confederates were reinforced, and by mid-afternoon some 19,000 Federals faced 24,000 Confederates. Lee arrived to the battlefield soon afterward and ordered a general advance that forced the Union line back to Cemetery Hill, just south of the town.
During the night, the rest of Meade’s force arrived, and by the morning Union General Winfield Hancock had formed a strong Union line. On July 2, against the Union left, General James Longstreet led the main Confederate attack, but it was not carried out until about 4 p.m., and the Federals had time to consolidate their positions. Thus began some of the heaviest fighting of the battle, and Union forces retained control of their strategic positions at heavy cost. After three hours, the battle ended, and the total number of dead at Gettysburg stood in the thousands.
READ MORE: How the Battle of Gettysburg Turned the Tide of the Civil War
On July 3, Lee, having failed on the right and the left, planned an assault on Meade’s center. A 15,000-man strong column under General George Pickett was organized, and Lee ordered a massive bombardment of the Union positions. The 10,000 Federals answered the Confederate artillery onslaught, and for more than an hour the guns raged in the heaviest cannonade of the Civil War. At 3 p.m., Pickett led his force into no-man’s-land and found that Lee’s bombardment had failed. As Pickett’s force attempted to cross the mile distance to Cemetery Ridge, Union artillery blew great holes in their lines. Meanwhile, Yankee infantry flanked the main body of “Pickett’s charge” and began cutting down the Confederates. Only a few hundred Virginians reached the Union line, and within minutes they all were dead, dying, or captured. In less than an hour, more than 7,000 Confederate troops had been killed or wounded.
Both armies, exhausted, held their positions until the night of July 4, when Lee withdrew. The Army of the Potomac was too weak to pursue the Confederates, and Lee led his army out of the North, never to invade it again. The Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point in the Civil War, costing the Union 23,000 killed, wounded, or missing in action. The Confederates suffered some 25,000 casualties. On November 19, 1863, President Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address during the dedication of a new national cemetery at the site of the Battle of Gettysburg. The Civil War effectively ended with the surrender of General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia in April 1865. (From History website)
On June 28, President Abraham Lincoln replaced Hooker with General George Meade, and Lee learned of the presence of the Army of the Potomac in Maryland. Lee ordered his army to concentrate in the vicinity of the crossroads town of Gettysburg and prepare to meet the Federal army. At the same time, Meade sent ahead part of his force into Pennsylvania but intended to make a stand at Pipe Creek in Maryland.
On July 1, a Confederate division under General Henry Heth marched into Gettysburg hoping to seize supplies but finding instead three brigades of Union cavalry. Thus began the Battle of Gettysburg, and Lee and Meade ordered their massive armies to converge on the impromptu battle site. The Union cavalrymen defiantly held the field against overwhelming numbers until the arrival of Federal reinforcements. Later, the Confederates were reinforced, and by mid-afternoon some 19,000 Federals faced 24,000 Confederates. Lee arrived to the battlefield soon afterward and ordered a general advance that forced the Union line back to Cemetery Hill, just south of the town.
During the night, the rest of Meade’s force arrived, and by the morning Union General Winfield Hancock had formed a strong Union line. On July 2, against the Union left, General James Longstreet led the main Confederate attack, but it was not carried out until about 4 p.m., and the Federals had time to consolidate their positions. Thus began some of the heaviest fighting of the battle, and Union forces retained control of their strategic positions at heavy cost. After three hours, the battle ended, and the total number of dead at Gettysburg stood in the thousands.
READ MORE: How the Battle of Gettysburg Turned the Tide of the Civil War
On July 3, Lee, having failed on the right and the left, planned an assault on Meade’s center. A 15,000-man strong column under General George Pickett was organized, and Lee ordered a massive bombardment of the Union positions. The 10,000 Federals answered the Confederate artillery onslaught, and for more than an hour the guns raged in the heaviest cannonade of the Civil War. At 3 p.m., Pickett led his force into no-man’s-land and found that Lee’s bombardment had failed. As Pickett’s force attempted to cross the mile distance to Cemetery Ridge, Union artillery blew great holes in their lines. Meanwhile, Yankee infantry flanked the main body of “Pickett’s charge” and began cutting down the Confederates. Only a few hundred Virginians reached the Union line, and within minutes they all were dead, dying, or captured. In less than an hour, more than 7,000 Confederate troops had been killed or wounded.
Both armies, exhausted, held their positions until the night of July 4, when Lee withdrew. The Army of the Potomac was too weak to pursue the Confederates, and Lee led his army out of the North, never to invade it again. The Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point in the Civil War, costing the Union 23,000 killed, wounded, or missing in action. The Confederates suffered some 25,000 casualties. On November 19, 1863, President Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address during the dedication of a new national cemetery at the site of the Battle of Gettysburg. The Civil War effectively ended with the surrender of General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia in April 1865. (From History website)
Friday July 1, 2022
(Image from the Internet)
1867 Canada Day The autonomous Dominion of Canada, a confederation of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the future provinces of Ontario and Quebec, is officially recognized by Great Britain with the passage of the British North America Act. July 1 will later become known as Canada Day.During the 19th century, colonial dependence gave way to increasing autonomy for a growing Canada. In 1841, Upper and Lower Canada—now known as Ontario and Quebec—were made a single province by the Act of Union. In the 1860s, a movement for a greater Canadian federation grew out of the need for a common defense, the desire for a national railroad system, and the necessity of finding a solution to the problem of French and British conflict. When the Maritime provinces, which sought union among themselves, called a conference in 1864, delegates from the other provinces of Canada attended. Later in the year, another conference was held in Quebec, and in 1866 Canadian representatives traveled to London to meet with the British government.
On July 1, 1867, with passage of the British North America Act, the Dominion of Canada was officially established as a self-governing entity within the British Empire. Two years later, Canada acquired the vast possessions of the Hudson’s Bay Company, and within a decade the provinces of Manitoba and Prince Edward Island had joined the Canadian federation. In 1885, the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed, making mass settlement across the vast territory of Canada possible.
READ MORE: Canada's Long, Gradual Road to Independence (From History website)
On July 1, 1867, with passage of the British North America Act, the Dominion of Canada was officially established as a self-governing entity within the British Empire. Two years later, Canada acquired the vast possessions of the Hudson’s Bay Company, and within a decade the provinces of Manitoba and Prince Edward Island had joined the Canadian federation. In 1885, the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed, making mass settlement across the vast territory of Canada possible.
READ MORE: Canada's Long, Gradual Road to Independence (From History website)
Monday June 27, 2022
1890 Canadian boxer George Dixon becomes first black world champion when he stops English bantamweight champion Edwin "Nunc" Wallace in 18 rounds in London, England (From On This Day website)
Canadian boxer George Dixon
1872 Paul Laurence Dunbar has been called the first great black poet in America. He wrote not only verse but short stories and novels and lyrics during his short career before his premature death from tuberculosis at just 33.
Many of his works were written in black dialect. His first poems were published when he was just 16 in a local newspaper in Dayton. He was school friends with Orville and Wilbur Wright, whose printing company printed the first African American weekly newspaper in Dayton, which Dunbar edited.
Dunbar's first book of short stories "Folks From Dixie" was published in 1898, the same year as his first novel "The Uncalled". Dunbar also wrote the lyrics for the musical " In Dahomey", the first musical produced and performed by African Americans which successfully performed on Broadway in 1903.
Dunbar's work went on to have a tremendous influence on writers during the Harlem Renaissance and later writers including Maya Angelou whose autobiography title "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" is taken from one of Dunbar's poems. Died: February 9, 1906 (aged 33) Cause of Death: Tuberculosis." (From On This Day website)
Many of his works were written in black dialect. His first poems were published when he was just 16 in a local newspaper in Dayton. He was school friends with Orville and Wilbur Wright, whose printing company printed the first African American weekly newspaper in Dayton, which Dunbar edited.
Dunbar's first book of short stories "Folks From Dixie" was published in 1898, the same year as his first novel "The Uncalled". Dunbar also wrote the lyrics for the musical " In Dahomey", the first musical produced and performed by African Americans which successfully performed on Broadway in 1903.
Dunbar's work went on to have a tremendous influence on writers during the Harlem Renaissance and later writers including Maya Angelou whose autobiography title "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" is taken from one of Dunbar's poems. Died: February 9, 1906 (aged 33) Cause of Death: Tuberculosis." (From On This Day website)
Saturday June 25, 2022
- 2009 "King of Pop" Michael Jackson dies at age 50
- 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn - On June 25, 1876, Native American forces led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull defeat the U.S. Army troops of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer in the Battle of the Little Bighorn near southern Montana’s Little Bighorn River.
Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, Lakota Sioux leaders, strongly resisted the mid-19th-century efforts of the U.S. government to confine their people to reservations. In 1875, after gold was discovered in South Dakota’s Black Hills, the U.S. Army ignored previous treaty agreements and invaded the region. This betrayal led many Sioux and Cheyenne tribesmen to leave their reservations and join Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse in Montana. By the late spring of 1876, more than 10,000 Native Americans had gathered in a camp along the Little Bighorn River–which they called the Greasy Grass—in defiance of a U.S. War Department order to return to their reservations or risk being attacked.
In mid-June, three columns of U.S. soldiers lined up against the camp and prepared to march. A force of 1,200 Native Americans turned back the first column on June 17. Five days later, General Alfred Terry ordered Custer’s 7th Cavalry to scout ahead for enemy troops. On the morning of June 25, Custer drew near the camp and decided to press on ahead rather than wait for reinforcements.
READ MORE: What Really Happened at the Battle of the Little Bighorn?
At mid-day, Custer’s 600 men entered the Little Bighorn Valley. Among the Native Americans, word quickly spread of the impending attack. The older Sitting Bull rallied the warriors and saw to the safety of the women and children, while Crazy Horse set off with a large force to meet the attackers head on. Despite Custer’s desperate attempts to regroup his men, they were quickly overwhelmed. Custer and some 200 men in his battalion were attacked by as many as 3,000 Native Americans; within an hour, Custer and every last one of his soldier were dead.
The Battle of the Little Bighorn—also called Custer’s Last Stand—marked the most decisive Native American victory and the worst U.S. Army defeat in the long Plains Indian War. The gruesome fate of Custer and his men outraged many white Americans and confirmed their image of the Native Americans as "wild." Meanwhile, the U.S. government increased its efforts to subdue the tribes. Within five years, almost all of the Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne would be confined to reservations." (From History website and On This Day website)
Friday June 24, 2022
1997 U.S. Air Force reports on Roswell - U.S. Air Force officials release a 231-page report dismissing long-standing claims of an alien spacecraft crash in Roswell, New Mexico, almost exactly 50 years earlier.
READ MORE: What Really Happened at Roswell?
Public interest in Unidentified Flying Objects, or UFOs, began to flourish in the 1940s, when developments in space travel and the dawn of the atomic age caused many Americans to turn their attention to the skies. The town of Roswell, located near the Pecos River in southeastern New Mexico, became a magnet for UFO believers due to the strange events of early July 1947, when ranch foreman W.W. Brazel found a strange, shiny material scattered over some of his land. He turned the material over to the sheriff, who passed it on to authorities at the nearby Air Force base. On July 8, Air Force officials announced they had recovered the wreckage of a “flying disk.” A local newspaper put the story on its front page, launching Roswell into the spotlight of the public’s UFO fascination.
READ MORE: How the U.S. Air Force Investigated UFOs During the Cold War
The Air Force soon took back their story, however, saying the debris had been merely a downed weather balloon. Aside from die-hard UFO believers, or “ufologists,” public interest in the so-called “Roswell Incident” faded until the late 1970s, when claims surfaced that the military had invented the weather balloon story as a cover-up. Believers in this theory argued that officials had in fact retrieved several alien bodies from the crashed spacecraft, which were now stored in the mysterious Area 51 installation in Nevada. Seeking to dispel these suspicions, the Air Force issued a 1,000-page report in 1994 stating that the crashed object was actually a high-altitude weather balloon launched from a nearby missile test-site as part of a classified experiment aimed at monitoring the atmosphere in order to detect Soviet nuclear tests.
INTERACTIVE MAP: UFO Sightings Taken Seriously by the U.S. Government
On July 24, 1997, barely a week before the extravagant 50th anniversary celebration of the incident, the Air Force released yet another report on the controversial subject. Titled “The Roswell Report, Case Closed,” the document stated definitively that there was no Pentagon evidence that any kind of life form was found in the Roswell area in connection with the reported UFO sightings, and that the “bodies” recovered were not aliens but dummies used in parachute tests conducted in the region. Any hopes that this would put an end to the cover-up debate were in vain, as furious ufologists rushed to point out the report’s inconsistencies. With conspiracy theories still alive and well on the Internet, Roswell continues to thrive as a tourist destination for UFO enthusiasts far and wide, hosting the annual UFO Encounter Festival each July and welcoming visitors year-round to its International UFO Museum and Research Center. (From History website)
READ MORE: What Really Happened at Roswell?
Public interest in Unidentified Flying Objects, or UFOs, began to flourish in the 1940s, when developments in space travel and the dawn of the atomic age caused many Americans to turn their attention to the skies. The town of Roswell, located near the Pecos River in southeastern New Mexico, became a magnet for UFO believers due to the strange events of early July 1947, when ranch foreman W.W. Brazel found a strange, shiny material scattered over some of his land. He turned the material over to the sheriff, who passed it on to authorities at the nearby Air Force base. On July 8, Air Force officials announced they had recovered the wreckage of a “flying disk.” A local newspaper put the story on its front page, launching Roswell into the spotlight of the public’s UFO fascination.
READ MORE: How the U.S. Air Force Investigated UFOs During the Cold War
The Air Force soon took back their story, however, saying the debris had been merely a downed weather balloon. Aside from die-hard UFO believers, or “ufologists,” public interest in the so-called “Roswell Incident” faded until the late 1970s, when claims surfaced that the military had invented the weather balloon story as a cover-up. Believers in this theory argued that officials had in fact retrieved several alien bodies from the crashed spacecraft, which were now stored in the mysterious Area 51 installation in Nevada. Seeking to dispel these suspicions, the Air Force issued a 1,000-page report in 1994 stating that the crashed object was actually a high-altitude weather balloon launched from a nearby missile test-site as part of a classified experiment aimed at monitoring the atmosphere in order to detect Soviet nuclear tests.
INTERACTIVE MAP: UFO Sightings Taken Seriously by the U.S. Government
On July 24, 1997, barely a week before the extravagant 50th anniversary celebration of the incident, the Air Force released yet another report on the controversial subject. Titled “The Roswell Report, Case Closed,” the document stated definitively that there was no Pentagon evidence that any kind of life form was found in the Roswell area in connection with the reported UFO sightings, and that the “bodies” recovered were not aliens but dummies used in parachute tests conducted in the region. Any hopes that this would put an end to the cover-up debate were in vain, as furious ufologists rushed to point out the report’s inconsistencies. With conspiracy theories still alive and well on the Internet, Roswell continues to thrive as a tourist destination for UFO enthusiasts far and wide, hosting the annual UFO Encounter Festival each July and welcoming visitors year-round to its International UFO Museum and Research Center. (From History website)
1864 Colorado governor orders Native Americans to Sand Creek reservation - Colorado Governor John Evans warns that all peaceful Native Americans in the region must report to the Sand Creek reservation or risk being attacked, creating the conditions that will lead to the Sand Creek Massacre.
Evans’ offer of sanctuary was at best halfhearted. His primary goal in 1864 was to eliminate all Native American activity in eastern Colorado Territory, an accomplishment he hoped would increase his popularity and eventually win him a U.S. Senate seat. Immediately after ordering the local Native Americans to the reservation, Evans issued a second proclamation that invited white settlers to indiscriminately “kill and destroy all…hostile Indians.” At the same time, Evans began creating a temporary 100-day militia force to wage war on the Native Americans. He placed the new regiment under the command of Colonel John Chivington, another ambitious man who hoped to gain high political office by fighting Native Americans.
The Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapahoe peoples of eastern Colorado were unaware of these duplicitous political maneuverings. Although some bands had violently resisted white settlers in years past, by the autumn of 1864 many Native Americans were becoming more receptive to Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle’s argument that they must make peace. Black Kettle had recently returned from a visit to Washington, D.C., where President Abraham Lincoln had given him a huge American flag of which Black Kettle was very proud. He had seen the vast numbers of the white people and their powerful machines. The Native Americans, Black Kettle argued, must make peace or be crushed.
When word of Governor Evans’ June 24 offer of sanctuary reached the Native Americans, however, most of the Indians remained distrustful and were unwilling to give up the fight. Only Black Kettle and a few lesser chiefs took Evans up on his offer of amnesty. In truth, Evans and Chivington were reluctant to see hostilities further abate before they had won a glorious victory, but they grudgingly promised Black Kettle his people would be safe if they came to Fort Lyon in eastern Colorado. In November 1864, the Indians reported to the fort as requested. Major Edward Wynkoop, the commanding federal officer, told Black Kettle to settle his band about 40 miles away on Sand Creek, where he promised they would be safe.
Wynkoop, however, could not control John Chivington. By November, the 100-day enlistment of the soldiers in his Colorado militia was nearly up, and Chivington had seen no action. His political stock was rapidly falling, and he seems to have become almost insane in his desire to kill Native Americans. “I long to be wading in gore!” he is said to have proclaimed at a dinner party. In this demented state, Chivington apparently concluded that it did not matter whether he killed peaceful or hostile Indians. In his mind, Black Kettle’s village on Sand Creek became a legitimate and easy target.
At daybreak on November 29, 1864, Chivington led 700 men, many of them drunk, in a savage assault on Black Kettle’s peaceful village. Most of the Cheyenne warriors were away hunting. In the awful hours that followed, Chivington and his men brutally slaughtered 105 women and children and killed 28 men. The soldiers scalped and mutilated the corpses, carrying body parts back to display in Denver as trophies. Amazingly, Black Kettle and a number of other Cheyenne managed to escape.
In the following months, the nation learned of Chivington’s treachery at Sand Creek, and many Americans reacted with horror and disgust. By then, Chivington and his soldiers had left the military and were beyond reach of a court-martial. Chivington’s political ambitions, however, were ruined, and he spent the rest of his inconsequential life wandering the West. The scandal over Sand Creek also forced Evans to resign and dashed his hopes of holding political office. Evans did, however, go on to a successful and lucrative career building and operating Colorado railroads.
READ MORE: Native American History Timeline
Evans’ offer of sanctuary was at best halfhearted. His primary goal in 1864 was to eliminate all Native American activity in eastern Colorado Territory, an accomplishment he hoped would increase his popularity and eventually win him a U.S. Senate seat. Immediately after ordering the local Native Americans to the reservation, Evans issued a second proclamation that invited white settlers to indiscriminately “kill and destroy all…hostile Indians.” At the same time, Evans began creating a temporary 100-day militia force to wage war on the Native Americans. He placed the new regiment under the command of Colonel John Chivington, another ambitious man who hoped to gain high political office by fighting Native Americans.
The Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapahoe peoples of eastern Colorado were unaware of these duplicitous political maneuverings. Although some bands had violently resisted white settlers in years past, by the autumn of 1864 many Native Americans were becoming more receptive to Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle’s argument that they must make peace. Black Kettle had recently returned from a visit to Washington, D.C., where President Abraham Lincoln had given him a huge American flag of which Black Kettle was very proud. He had seen the vast numbers of the white people and their powerful machines. The Native Americans, Black Kettle argued, must make peace or be crushed.
When word of Governor Evans’ June 24 offer of sanctuary reached the Native Americans, however, most of the Indians remained distrustful and were unwilling to give up the fight. Only Black Kettle and a few lesser chiefs took Evans up on his offer of amnesty. In truth, Evans and Chivington were reluctant to see hostilities further abate before they had won a glorious victory, but they grudgingly promised Black Kettle his people would be safe if they came to Fort Lyon in eastern Colorado. In November 1864, the Indians reported to the fort as requested. Major Edward Wynkoop, the commanding federal officer, told Black Kettle to settle his band about 40 miles away on Sand Creek, where he promised they would be safe.
Wynkoop, however, could not control John Chivington. By November, the 100-day enlistment of the soldiers in his Colorado militia was nearly up, and Chivington had seen no action. His political stock was rapidly falling, and he seems to have become almost insane in his desire to kill Native Americans. “I long to be wading in gore!” he is said to have proclaimed at a dinner party. In this demented state, Chivington apparently concluded that it did not matter whether he killed peaceful or hostile Indians. In his mind, Black Kettle’s village on Sand Creek became a legitimate and easy target.
At daybreak on November 29, 1864, Chivington led 700 men, many of them drunk, in a savage assault on Black Kettle’s peaceful village. Most of the Cheyenne warriors were away hunting. In the awful hours that followed, Chivington and his men brutally slaughtered 105 women and children and killed 28 men. The soldiers scalped and mutilated the corpses, carrying body parts back to display in Denver as trophies. Amazingly, Black Kettle and a number of other Cheyenne managed to escape.
In the following months, the nation learned of Chivington’s treachery at Sand Creek, and many Americans reacted with horror and disgust. By then, Chivington and his soldiers had left the military and were beyond reach of a court-martial. Chivington’s political ambitions, however, were ruined, and he spent the rest of his inconsequential life wandering the West. The scandal over Sand Creek also forced Evans to resign and dashed his hopes of holding political office. Evans did, however, go on to a successful and lucrative career building and operating Colorado railroads.
READ MORE: Native American History Timeline
Wednesday June 22, 2022
1783 Zong slave ship trial - Hearing arguments in the case of the Zong, a slave ship, the Chief Justice of the King’s Bench in London states that a massacre of enslaved African “was the same as if Horses had been thrown over board” on June 22, 1783. The crew of the Zong had thrown at least 142 captive Africans into the sea, but the question before the court was not who had committed this atrocity but rather whether the lost “cargo” was covered by insurance. The trial laid bare the horror and inhumanity of the Atlantic slave trade and galvanized the nascent movement to abolish it.
The Zong left Accra in August of 1781, carrying 442 enslaved Africans and bound for the colonial plantations of Jamaica. As was common in the slave trade, the Zong was grossly overcrowded, carrying more than double the amount of people a ship its size could safely transport. Running low on water and having lengthened their journey due to a navigation error, the crew voted to jettison some of its human “cargo” in order to ensure the safe delivery of the rest, a loss for which the shipping company could be compensated under British law. Over the course of several days, the crew threw at least 122 Africans overboard. The Zong arrived in Black River, Jamaica with 208 enslaved people on board.
READ MORE: Details of Brutal First Slave Voyages Discovered
The trial commenced in March of 1783, and the court found that the insurance company was liable for the damages, as enslaved people were the same as any other cargo. Two months later, the Chief Justice overturned the decision due to new evidence, but his statement that the enslaved were equivalent to horses remained the opinion of Britain’s highest court.
Formerly enslaved man and abolitionist Olaudah Equiano told the abolitionist Granville Sharp of the Zong affair, leading Sharp to explore the possibility of having the crew tried for murder. Nothing approaching that level of justice would ever touch those responsible for the massacre, but Sharp and Equiano’s efforts to publicize the story did build momentum for the abolitionist movement. A few months after the Zong trial, the Society of Friends began to campaign against slavery, and the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade was founded four years later. Thanks largely to their efforts, in which the story of the Zong featured prominently, Parliament outlawed the Atlantic slave trade in 1807 and abolished slavery throughout the British Empire in 1833.
READ MORE: U.S. Slavery: Timeline, Figures & Abolition (From History website)
The Zong left Accra in August of 1781, carrying 442 enslaved Africans and bound for the colonial plantations of Jamaica. As was common in the slave trade, the Zong was grossly overcrowded, carrying more than double the amount of people a ship its size could safely transport. Running low on water and having lengthened their journey due to a navigation error, the crew voted to jettison some of its human “cargo” in order to ensure the safe delivery of the rest, a loss for which the shipping company could be compensated under British law. Over the course of several days, the crew threw at least 122 Africans overboard. The Zong arrived in Black River, Jamaica with 208 enslaved people on board.
READ MORE: Details of Brutal First Slave Voyages Discovered
The trial commenced in March of 1783, and the court found that the insurance company was liable for the damages, as enslaved people were the same as any other cargo. Two months later, the Chief Justice overturned the decision due to new evidence, but his statement that the enslaved were equivalent to horses remained the opinion of Britain’s highest court.
Formerly enslaved man and abolitionist Olaudah Equiano told the abolitionist Granville Sharp of the Zong affair, leading Sharp to explore the possibility of having the crew tried for murder. Nothing approaching that level of justice would ever touch those responsible for the massacre, but Sharp and Equiano’s efforts to publicize the story did build momentum for the abolitionist movement. A few months after the Zong trial, the Society of Friends began to campaign against slavery, and the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade was founded four years later. Thanks largely to their efforts, in which the story of the Zong featured prominently, Parliament outlawed the Atlantic slave trade in 1807 and abolished slavery throughout the British Empire in 1833.
READ MORE: U.S. Slavery: Timeline, Figures & Abolition (From History website)
Tuesday June 21, 2022
(Image courtesy of/& used with permission)
Sunday June 19, 2022
(Image from LinkedIn)
1865 Abolition of slavery announced in Texas on "Juneteenth" In what is now known as Juneteenth, on June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrive in Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War is over and slavery in the United States is abolished.
A mix of June and 19th, Juneteenth has become a day to commemorate the end of slavery in America. Despite the fact that President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was issued more than two years earlier on January 1, 1863, a lack of Union troops in the rebel state of Texas made the order difficult to enforce.
Some historians blame the lapse in time on poor communication in that era, while others believe Texan slave-owners purposely withheld the information.
READ MORE: What Is Juneteenth?
Upon arrival and leading the Union soldiers, Major Gen. Gordon Granger announced General Order No. 3: "The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere."
On that day, 250,000 enslaved people were freed, and despite the message to stay and work for their owners, many left the state immediately and headed north or to nearby states in search of family members who had been taken to other regions during slavery.
For many African Americans, June 19 is considered an independence day. Before 2021, nearly all 50 states recognized Juneteenth as a state holiday. On June 17, 2021, President Biden signed legislation officially declaring it a federal holiday." (From History website)
1968 “Solidarity Day” rally at Resurrection City a long-term anti-poverty demonstration known as Resurrection City reaches its high-water mark. On “Solidarity Day,” over 50,000 people flock to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. to protest, sing, hear speeches and demonstrate on behalf of national legislation to address the plight of the American poor. “Today is really only the beginning,” Rev. Ralph Abernathy tells the crowd. “We will not give up the battle until the Congress of the United States decides to open the doors of America and allow the nation’s poor to enter as full-fledged citizens into this land of wealth and opportunity.” (From History website)
A mix of June and 19th, Juneteenth has become a day to commemorate the end of slavery in America. Despite the fact that President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was issued more than two years earlier on January 1, 1863, a lack of Union troops in the rebel state of Texas made the order difficult to enforce.
Some historians blame the lapse in time on poor communication in that era, while others believe Texan slave-owners purposely withheld the information.
READ MORE: What Is Juneteenth?
Upon arrival and leading the Union soldiers, Major Gen. Gordon Granger announced General Order No. 3: "The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere."
On that day, 250,000 enslaved people were freed, and despite the message to stay and work for their owners, many left the state immediately and headed north or to nearby states in search of family members who had been taken to other regions during slavery.
For many African Americans, June 19 is considered an independence day. Before 2021, nearly all 50 states recognized Juneteenth as a state holiday. On June 17, 2021, President Biden signed legislation officially declaring it a federal holiday." (From History website)
1968 “Solidarity Day” rally at Resurrection City a long-term anti-poverty demonstration known as Resurrection City reaches its high-water mark. On “Solidarity Day,” over 50,000 people flock to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. to protest, sing, hear speeches and demonstrate on behalf of national legislation to address the plight of the American poor. “Today is really only the beginning,” Rev. Ralph Abernathy tells the crowd. “We will not give up the battle until the Congress of the United States decides to open the doors of America and allow the nation’s poor to enter as full-fledged citizens into this land of wealth and opportunity.” (From History website)
Thursday June 16, 2022
1858 Lincoln warns that America is becoming a “house divided” newly nominated senatorial candidate Abraham Lincoln addresses the Illinois Republican Convention in Springfield and warns that the nation faces a crisis that could destroy the Union. Speaking to more than 1,000 delegates in an ominous tone, Lincoln paraphrased a passage from the New Testament: “a house divided against itself cannot stand.”READ MORE: Why Lincoln's 'House Divided' Speech Was So Important
The issue dividing the nation was slavery’s place in the growing western territories and the extent of federal power over individual states’ rights. Lincoln declared that only the federal government had the power to end slavery. While the southern states relied on an economy and lifestyle dependent upon the labor provided by enslaved African Americans, the North opposed slavery. The northern states also considered industrialization and manufacturing the key to America’s economic future, not farming. The entrance of new states into the Union, such as Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska, brought to a head unresolved conflicts over which government entity—state or federal—should make the final decision regarding slavery. For his part, Lincoln firmly believed that slavery was immoral and was wholly incompatible with the principles of the Declaration of Independence embodied in the phrase “all men are created equal.” However, Lincoln prioritized preserving the Union above all else." (from History website)
The issue dividing the nation was slavery’s place in the growing western territories and the extent of federal power over individual states’ rights. Lincoln declared that only the federal government had the power to end slavery. While the southern states relied on an economy and lifestyle dependent upon the labor provided by enslaved African Americans, the North opposed slavery. The northern states also considered industrialization and manufacturing the key to America’s economic future, not farming. The entrance of new states into the Union, such as Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska, brought to a head unresolved conflicts over which government entity—state or federal—should make the final decision regarding slavery. For his part, Lincoln firmly believed that slavery was immoral and was wholly incompatible with the principles of the Declaration of Independence embodied in the phrase “all men are created equal.” However, Lincoln prioritized preserving the Union above all else." (from History website)
Wednesday June 15, 2022
1877 First African American graduate of West Point Henry Ossian Flipper, born into slavery in Thomasville, Georgia, in 1856, becomes the first African American cadet to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York on June 15, 1877. The United States Military Academy—the first military school in America—was founded by Congress in 1802 for the purpose of educating and training young men in the theory and practice of military science. Established at West Point, New York, the U.S. Military Academy is often simply known as West Point.
In 1870, the first African American cadet, James Webster Smith, was admitted to West Point but never reached the graduation ceremonies. It was not until 1877 that Henry Ossian Flipper became the first Black cadet to graduate.
Flipper was born to enslaved parents but came of age in Atlanta during Reconstruction. He was educated at American Missionary Association schools and Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University). In 1873, he was appointed to West Point. As he later wrote in his 1878 autobiography, The Colored Cadet at West Point, he was socially ostracized by white peers and professors during his four years there.
After graduation, Flipper was appointed to serve as second lieutenant in the all-African American 10th Cavalry and stationed at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. The Ninth and 10th Cavalry were regiments of Black enlisted men who became known as the Buffalo Soldiers." (From History website)
In 1870, the first African American cadet, James Webster Smith, was admitted to West Point but never reached the graduation ceremonies. It was not until 1877 that Henry Ossian Flipper became the first Black cadet to graduate.
Flipper was born to enslaved parents but came of age in Atlanta during Reconstruction. He was educated at American Missionary Association schools and Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University). In 1873, he was appointed to West Point. As he later wrote in his 1878 autobiography, The Colored Cadet at West Point, he was socially ostracized by white peers and professors during his four years there.
After graduation, Flipper was appointed to serve as second lieutenant in the all-African American 10th Cavalry and stationed at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. The Ninth and 10th Cavalry were regiments of Black enlisted men who became known as the Buffalo Soldiers." (From History website)
Saturday June 11, 2022
(Image courtesy of/& used with permission)
Tuesday May 31, 2022
1921 Tulsa Race Massacre begins
'Beginning on the night of May 31, 1921, thousands of white citizens in Tulsa, Oklahoma descended on the city’s predominantly Black Greenwood District, burning homes and businesses to the ground and killing hundreds of people. Long mischaracterized as a race riot, rather than mass murder, the Tulsa Race Massacre stands as one of the worst incidents of racial violence in the nation’s history.
In the years following World War I, segregation was the law of the land, and the Ku Klux Klan was gaining ground—not only in the Jim Crow South, but across the United States. Amid that charged environment, Tulsa’s African American community was nationally recognized for its affluence. The Greenwood District, known as “Black Wall Street,” boasted more than 300 Black-owned businesses, including two movie theaters, doctors’ offices and pharmacies.
READ MORE: Tulsa's 'Black Wall Street' Flourished as a Self-Contained Hub in Early 1900s
On May 30, 1921, a young Black man named Dick Rowland entered an elevator in an office building in downtown Tulsa. At some point, Rowland was alone in the elevator with its white operator, Sarah Page. It’s unclear what happened next (one common version is that Rowland stepped on Page’s foot) but Page screamed, and Rowland fled the scene. The next day, the police arrested him.
Rumors about the incident spread quickly through Tulsa’s white community, some members of which undoubtedly resented the prosperity of the Greenwood District. After a story published in the Tulsa Tribune on the afternoon of May 31 claimed that Rowland had attempted to rape Page, an angry white mob gathered in front of the courthouse, demanding that Rowland be handed over.
Seeking to prevent a lynching, a group of some 75 Black men arrived on the scene that night, some of them World War I veterans who were carrying weapons. After a white man tried to disarm a Black veteran and the gun went off, chaos broke out.
READ MORE: What Role Did Airplanes Play in the Tulsa Race Massacre?
Over the next 24 hours, thousands of white rioters poured into the Greenwood District, shooting unarmed Black citizens in the streets and burning an area of some 35 city blocks, including more than 1,200 Black-owned houses, numerous businesses, a school, a hospital and a dozen churches. Historians believe as many as 300 people were killed in the rampage, though official counts at the time were much lower.
By the time Governor James Robertson declared martial law, and National Guard troops arrived in Tulsa by noon on June 1, the Greenwood District lay in ruins. Survivors of the massacre worked to rebuild the neighborhood, but segregation remained in force in Tulsa (and the nation) and racial tensions only grew, even as the massacre and its lingering scars were left largely unacknowledged by the white community for decades to come.
In 1997, the Oklahoma state legislature created the Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 (later renamed the Tulsa Race Massacre Commission), which studied the massacre and recommended that reparations be paid to the remaining Black survivors. City officials continue to investigate the events of May 31-June 1, 1921, and to search for unmarked graves used to bury the massacre’s many victims." (From History website)
In the years following World War I, segregation was the law of the land, and the Ku Klux Klan was gaining ground—not only in the Jim Crow South, but across the United States. Amid that charged environment, Tulsa’s African American community was nationally recognized for its affluence. The Greenwood District, known as “Black Wall Street,” boasted more than 300 Black-owned businesses, including two movie theaters, doctors’ offices and pharmacies.
READ MORE: Tulsa's 'Black Wall Street' Flourished as a Self-Contained Hub in Early 1900s
On May 30, 1921, a young Black man named Dick Rowland entered an elevator in an office building in downtown Tulsa. At some point, Rowland was alone in the elevator with its white operator, Sarah Page. It’s unclear what happened next (one common version is that Rowland stepped on Page’s foot) but Page screamed, and Rowland fled the scene. The next day, the police arrested him.
Rumors about the incident spread quickly through Tulsa’s white community, some members of which undoubtedly resented the prosperity of the Greenwood District. After a story published in the Tulsa Tribune on the afternoon of May 31 claimed that Rowland had attempted to rape Page, an angry white mob gathered in front of the courthouse, demanding that Rowland be handed over.
Seeking to prevent a lynching, a group of some 75 Black men arrived on the scene that night, some of them World War I veterans who were carrying weapons. After a white man tried to disarm a Black veteran and the gun went off, chaos broke out.
READ MORE: What Role Did Airplanes Play in the Tulsa Race Massacre?
Over the next 24 hours, thousands of white rioters poured into the Greenwood District, shooting unarmed Black citizens in the streets and burning an area of some 35 city blocks, including more than 1,200 Black-owned houses, numerous businesses, a school, a hospital and a dozen churches. Historians believe as many as 300 people were killed in the rampage, though official counts at the time were much lower.
By the time Governor James Robertson declared martial law, and National Guard troops arrived in Tulsa by noon on June 1, the Greenwood District lay in ruins. Survivors of the massacre worked to rebuild the neighborhood, but segregation remained in force in Tulsa (and the nation) and racial tensions only grew, even as the massacre and its lingering scars were left largely unacknowledged by the white community for decades to come.
In 1997, the Oklahoma state legislature created the Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 (later renamed the Tulsa Race Massacre Commission), which studied the massacre and recommended that reparations be paid to the remaining Black survivors. City officials continue to investigate the events of May 31-June 1, 1921, and to search for unmarked graves used to bury the massacre’s many victims." (From History website)
LISTEN: Blindspot: Tulsa Burning from The HISTORY® Channel and WNYC Studios
Thursday May 26, 2022
1968 Resurrection City In May 1968, poor people from all over the country came to the National Mall and made temporary homes in plywood shelters, creating a settlement they called Resurrection City. The protest began less than two months after the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and grew out of the Poor People’s Campaign and the campaign for an Economic Bill of Rights, both of which had been major focuses of King’s at the time of his death. The goal was to convince legislators of the need for laws that would lift poor people of all races out of poverty, and to sway public opinion by making the plight of the poor impossible to ignore. Protesters came from all over the country—“caravans” drove from as far away as Los Angeles and Seattle while a “Freedom Train” brought people from Memphis and one group from Marks, Mississippi rode mule-drawn wagons.
READ MORE: When Protesters Occupied D.C. for Six Weeks to Demand Economic Justice
Marches and demonstrations took place in Washington as more and more activists arrived throughout May, including a Mother’s Day march organized by the National Welfare Rights Organization and led by Coretta Scott King. Ethel Kennedy, wife of Sen. Robert Kennedy, was involved with the demonstrations, and his funeral procession stopped at Resurrection City on June 8, following his assassination on June 5. Businesses, schools and other fixtures of normal life flourished within the settlement, which also saw conflicts stemming from animosities between different groups living there, leadership disputes and the inherent uncertainty of living in makeshift dwellings on the National Mall. During this time, leaders of the movement met and testified before members of Congress. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, dubbed the “mayor” of Resurrection City, sought to lift spirits with his sermons, one of which became famous for the chant of “I am somebody!” which temporarily re-energized the protesters. The original permit issued by the National Parks Service expired a few days before Solidarity Day, but it was extended by four days.
After being moved due to an internal conflict among organizers, Solidarity Day took place on Juneteenth and was attended by over 50,000 people. Abernathy and Coretta Scott King spoke, along with leaders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Native American activist Martha Grass, the president of the United Auto Workers (80 busloads of UAW members were in attendance) and Democratic presidential hopefuls Eugene McCarthy and Hubert Humphrey.
The day may well have gone down as a powerful and peaceful day of activism on par with the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, but the conclusion to the story of Resurrection City was far less inspiring. Allegedly in response to rocks thrown at them from the camp, and with the Parks Service permit expiring, the police moved to evict residents on June 23, firing tear gas into Resurrection City and rounding up its occupants for arrest. One SCLC leader remembered the eviction as “worse than anything I saw in Mississippi or Alabama.”
Today, Solidarity Day and Resurrection City are footnotes in the overall story of the civil rights movement, overshadowed by earlier, more successful protests and by the violence and conflict that defined 1968. At the time, however, the settlement by the Reflecting Pool was impossible to ignore—particularly for lawmakers and residents of Washington, D.C.—and regardless of its failure to achieve sweeping social change or anti-poverty legislation, it remains one of the largest and most sustained social justice protests in the history of the United States.
READ MORE: Civil Rights Movement Timeline (From History website)
READ MORE: When Protesters Occupied D.C. for Six Weeks to Demand Economic Justice
Marches and demonstrations took place in Washington as more and more activists arrived throughout May, including a Mother’s Day march organized by the National Welfare Rights Organization and led by Coretta Scott King. Ethel Kennedy, wife of Sen. Robert Kennedy, was involved with the demonstrations, and his funeral procession stopped at Resurrection City on June 8, following his assassination on June 5. Businesses, schools and other fixtures of normal life flourished within the settlement, which also saw conflicts stemming from animosities between different groups living there, leadership disputes and the inherent uncertainty of living in makeshift dwellings on the National Mall. During this time, leaders of the movement met and testified before members of Congress. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, dubbed the “mayor” of Resurrection City, sought to lift spirits with his sermons, one of which became famous for the chant of “I am somebody!” which temporarily re-energized the protesters. The original permit issued by the National Parks Service expired a few days before Solidarity Day, but it was extended by four days.
After being moved due to an internal conflict among organizers, Solidarity Day took place on Juneteenth and was attended by over 50,000 people. Abernathy and Coretta Scott King spoke, along with leaders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Native American activist Martha Grass, the president of the United Auto Workers (80 busloads of UAW members were in attendance) and Democratic presidential hopefuls Eugene McCarthy and Hubert Humphrey.
The day may well have gone down as a powerful and peaceful day of activism on par with the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, but the conclusion to the story of Resurrection City was far less inspiring. Allegedly in response to rocks thrown at them from the camp, and with the Parks Service permit expiring, the police moved to evict residents on June 23, firing tear gas into Resurrection City and rounding up its occupants for arrest. One SCLC leader remembered the eviction as “worse than anything I saw in Mississippi or Alabama.”
Today, Solidarity Day and Resurrection City are footnotes in the overall story of the civil rights movement, overshadowed by earlier, more successful protests and by the violence and conflict that defined 1968. At the time, however, the settlement by the Reflecting Pool was impossible to ignore—particularly for lawmakers and residents of Washington, D.C.—and regardless of its failure to achieve sweeping social change or anti-poverty legislation, it remains one of the largest and most sustained social justice protests in the history of the United States.
READ MORE: Civil Rights Movement Timeline (From History website)
Saturday May 21, 2022
1539 Black Spanish explorer Estevan is reported killed
"Word reaches Fray Marcos that Native Americans have killed his guide Estevan, a Black enslaved man who was the first non-Indian to visit the pueblo lands of the American Southwest.
Thought to have been born sometime around 1500 on the west coast of Morocco, Estevan was sold to the Spanish as an enslaved worker. He ended up in the hands of Andres Dorantes de Carranza, who took him on an ill-fated expedition to Florida in 1527. A series of disasters reduced the original exploratory party of 300 to four men: Estevan, Dorantes de Carranza, Cabeza de Vaca, and Alonso del Castillo. The four survivors lived with Indians on the Gulf of Mexico for several years before finally heading west in hopes of reaching Mexico City. With the assistance of Spanish slave hunters they encountered, they finally made it to Mexico City in 1536, where their amazing story of survival caused a sensation....However, it was Estevan, not the white nobleman Coronado, who was the first non-Indian to penetrate the southwest territory.
Thought to have been born sometime around 1500 on the west coast of Morocco, Estevan was sold to the Spanish as an enslaved worker. He ended up in the hands of Andres Dorantes de Carranza, who took him on an ill-fated expedition to Florida in 1527. A series of disasters reduced the original exploratory party of 300 to four men: Estevan, Dorantes de Carranza, Cabeza de Vaca, and Alonso del Castillo. The four survivors lived with Indians on the Gulf of Mexico for several years before finally heading west in hopes of reaching Mexico City. With the assistance of Spanish slave hunters they encountered, they finally made it to Mexico City in 1536, where their amazing story of survival caused a sensation....However, it was Estevan, not the white nobleman Coronado, who was the first non-Indian to penetrate the southwest territory.
Thrusday May 17, 2022
Ceremony planned to mark anniversary of discovery of unmarked graves at former residential school site
The elderly Black Buffalo victims survived Jim Crow. Then they went shopping in 2022.
Wednesday May 18, 2022
Reconstruction II: The First Presidential Impeachment
"Eric Foner and Henry Louis Gates, Jr. join host Sally to discuss W.E.B. Du Bois' Black Reconstruction,... the great project of rebuilding the nation after the Civil War. What made many members of Congress declare President Andrew Johnson unfit to lead that effort? And what motivated this former ally of Abraham Lincoln to declare himself an enemy of true Reconstruction? (From History website)" Listen to the podcast.
1980 Mount St. Helens erupts "At 8:32 a.m. PDT on May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens, a volcanic peak in southwestern Washington, suffers a massive eruption, killing 57 people and devastating some 210 square miles of wilderness. Called Louwala-Clough, or “the Smoking Mountain,” by Native Americans, Mount St. Helens is located in the Cascade Range and stood 9,680 feet before its eruption. The volcano has erupted periodically during the last 4,500 years, and the last active period was between 1831 and 1857. On March 20, 1980, noticeable volcanic activity began with a series of earth tremors centered on the ground just beneath the north flank of the mountain. These earthquakes escalated, and on March 27 a minor eruption occurred, and Mount St. Helens began emitting steam and ash through its crater and vents." (From History website)
Tuesday May 17, 2022
1954 - Brown v. Board of Ed is decided
"In a major civil rights victory, the U.S. Supreme Court hands down an unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, ruling that racial segregation in public educational facilities is unconstitutional. The historic decision, which brought an end to federal tolerance of racial segregation, specifically dealt with Linda Brown, a young African American girl who had been denied admission to her local elementary school in Topeka, Kansas, because of the color of her skin." (From History website)
Friday May 13, 2022
Canada Post unveils its innovative new parcel facility named after civil rights hero Albert Jackson
Legacy of pioneering Black advocate, publisher honoured with sculpture
(Image courtesy of/& used with permission)
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(Image courtesy of/& used with permission)
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On May 12, 2022, the unveiling of a sculpture of Mary Ann Shadd Cary by Sculptor Donna Mayne occurred in downtown Windsor at Windsor Hall at the University of Windsor. The pictures above were taken by a friend, Jim Shreve.
Thursday May 12, 2022
Poem that J. Norma Watson, second-year graduate student at Penn State University, presented at the Transatlantic Memories, Blackness, and African Diasporic Identity: Now and in the Future Conference, by the Harriet Tubman Institute.
Tuesday May 10, 2022
Happy National Nurses Week
Canada Post celebrates the incomparable Salome Bey
"On April 22, 2022, Canada Post launch[ed] a new commemorative stamp to honour the legendary Salome Bey. Fans of the acclaimed singer know her as Canada’s First Lady of the Blues, but Bey’s legacy far exceeds the title."
(2022, ©Canada Post Corporation, copied with permission)
Getting started
"Initially, Bey – who was born in 1933 in Newark, New Jersey – intended to become a lawyer. But after spending time studying law at Rutgers University, she decided to dedicate her life to performance where she felt she could make a greater impact on a larger number of people.
She began her musical career in the 1950s touring North America and Europe with her brother and sister as Andy Bey and the Bey Sisters. In the early 1960s – after meeting her future husband, Howard Matthews, in Toronto – she made Canada her home and went on to pursue a solo career.
The pair became leaders in the Black artist community, hosting local and touring performers in their home, which was always filled with music. It was here, in Canada, that Bey flourished creatively. She began writing songs, testing new boundaries and constantly evolving herself as an artist." (From Canada Post website)
"Initially, Bey – who was born in 1933 in Newark, New Jersey – intended to become a lawyer. But after spending time studying law at Rutgers University, she decided to dedicate her life to performance where she felt she could make a greater impact on a larger number of people.
She began her musical career in the 1950s touring North America and Europe with her brother and sister as Andy Bey and the Bey Sisters. In the early 1960s – after meeting her future husband, Howard Matthews, in Toronto – she made Canada her home and went on to pursue a solo career.
The pair became leaders in the Black artist community, hosting local and touring performers in their home, which was always filled with music. It was here, in Canada, that Bey flourished creatively. She began writing songs, testing new boundaries and constantly evolving herself as an artist." (From Canada Post website)
Writer, producer, director, mentor
"Bey started appearing in musicals, such as the off-Broadway Love Me, Love My Children (Justine in Canada), for which she earned an Obie Award in 1972, and Broadway’s Tony Award–winning Your Arms Too Short to Box With God, which earned her and other performers a Grammy nomination for the original cast recording.
Among her many achievements, she wrote and starred in Indigo, a revue celebrating the history of Black music. Running from 1978 to 1980 to sold-out audiences, the show was a critical hit. It earned her two Dora Mavor Moore Awards, and was later brought to TV, airing on CBC in 1984. Featuring an all-Black cast, the show fulfilled her desire to create more meaningful opportunities for Black artists.
“I ended up doing several different pieces in Indigo and I just felt like wow she really loves what I do. She made me feel exceptional and that I had the talent and ability to perform these works,” says four-time Juno Award Winner, Vocalist Billy Newton-Davis. “She instilled that in me, that I was worthy.”
After Indigo, Bey went on to write more theatre productions. She wrote and starred in Shimmytime (1983) about American performer Ethel Waters, and she wrote and directed Madame Gertrude (1985) about blues legend Ma Rainey.
Her beloved children’s musical Rainboworld – which in 1988 was performed at the Young People’s Theatre – featured a cast of more than 40 children. Many in the diverse young cast got their first taste of performing through the show and Bey thrust herself into a mentoring role. Several of the performers would go on to have successful careers in the arts.
“I remember being enthralled by this woman who was so comfortable in her, for lack of a better term, in her Blackness,” says Toronto singer Divine Brown, who as a youth was part of the Rainboworld cast. “As a young aspiring singer and actor just wanting to be on stage, what Salome provided for me was hope and confidence… She had so much to give.”
Throughout her career, Bey continued singing for audiences. From blues to jazz to pop, she sang at festivals and concerts, in clubs, and on TV and radio. She also released several solo albums and appeared on recordings with the likes of jazz pianist Horace Silver and composer/pianist Galt MacDermot. She later performed with her daughters, TUkU and SATE, along with other musicians as Salome Bey and the Relatives." (From Canada Post website)
"Bey started appearing in musicals, such as the off-Broadway Love Me, Love My Children (Justine in Canada), for which she earned an Obie Award in 1972, and Broadway’s Tony Award–winning Your Arms Too Short to Box With God, which earned her and other performers a Grammy nomination for the original cast recording.
Among her many achievements, she wrote and starred in Indigo, a revue celebrating the history of Black music. Running from 1978 to 1980 to sold-out audiences, the show was a critical hit. It earned her two Dora Mavor Moore Awards, and was later brought to TV, airing on CBC in 1984. Featuring an all-Black cast, the show fulfilled her desire to create more meaningful opportunities for Black artists.
“I ended up doing several different pieces in Indigo and I just felt like wow she really loves what I do. She made me feel exceptional and that I had the talent and ability to perform these works,” says four-time Juno Award Winner, Vocalist Billy Newton-Davis. “She instilled that in me, that I was worthy.”
After Indigo, Bey went on to write more theatre productions. She wrote and starred in Shimmytime (1983) about American performer Ethel Waters, and she wrote and directed Madame Gertrude (1985) about blues legend Ma Rainey.
Her beloved children’s musical Rainboworld – which in 1988 was performed at the Young People’s Theatre – featured a cast of more than 40 children. Many in the diverse young cast got their first taste of performing through the show and Bey thrust herself into a mentoring role. Several of the performers would go on to have successful careers in the arts.
“I remember being enthralled by this woman who was so comfortable in her, for lack of a better term, in her Blackness,” says Toronto singer Divine Brown, who as a youth was part of the Rainboworld cast. “As a young aspiring singer and actor just wanting to be on stage, what Salome provided for me was hope and confidence… She had so much to give.”
Throughout her career, Bey continued singing for audiences. From blues to jazz to pop, she sang at festivals and concerts, in clubs, and on TV and radio. She also released several solo albums and appeared on recordings with the likes of jazz pianist Horace Silver and composer/pianist Galt MacDermot. She later performed with her daughters, TUkU and SATE, along with other musicians as Salome Bey and the Relatives." (From Canada Post website)
(2022, ©Canada Post Corporation, copied with permission)
Awards and giving back
"Always willing to contribute to charitable initiatives, Bey participated in the charity single “Tears Are Not Enough” in support of Ethiopian famine relief in 1985 and was also a member of Artists Against Racism. She was a key organizer of and songwriter for the 1986 Toronto Arts Against Apartheid Festival – the event, which was attended by the then Bishop Desmond Tutu, was held to protest apartheid in South Africa and to raise funds for local Toronto charities.
Over her career, Bey received several awards and honours, including a Toronto Arts Award (1992), the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award from Montréal’s Black Theatre Workshop (1996) and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012). In 2005, she became an Honorary Member of the Order of Canada, and in 2021 was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame.
Salome Bey passed away August 8, 2020, in Toronto." (From Canada Post website)
"Always willing to contribute to charitable initiatives, Bey participated in the charity single “Tears Are Not Enough” in support of Ethiopian famine relief in 1985 and was also a member of Artists Against Racism. She was a key organizer of and songwriter for the 1986 Toronto Arts Against Apartheid Festival – the event, which was attended by the then Bishop Desmond Tutu, was held to protest apartheid in South Africa and to raise funds for local Toronto charities.
Over her career, Bey received several awards and honours, including a Toronto Arts Award (1992), the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award from Montréal’s Black Theatre Workshop (1996) and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012). In 2005, she became an Honorary Member of the Order of Canada, and in 2021 was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame.
Salome Bey passed away August 8, 2020, in Toronto." (From Canada Post website)
Sunday May 8, 2022
(Image from the Government of Canada website)
- 1963 Sean Connery stars in his first Bond movie, "Dr. No"
- 1753 Phillis Wheatley [born on this day] was both the second published African-American poet and first published African-American woman. The publication of her "Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral" (1773) brought her fame both in England and the American colonies leading to historical figures such as George Washington praising her work. [She] died December 5, 1784 at 31 years old. (From On This Day.com website)
Friday May 6, 2022
2004 Final episode of "Friends" airs on NBC
1994 English Channel tunnel opens
1961 George Clooney turns 61 years old
1942 All American forces in the Philippines surrender unconditionally
1940 John Steinbeck wins a Pulitzer for "The Grapes of Wrath"
1931 Possibly the greatest all-around baseball player of all-time, Willie Mays is 91 years old
1937 German airship Hindenburg explodes in flames at Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 35 of the 97 on board and 1 on the ground
1895 Silent Film Idol Rudolph Valentino born in Italy (died August 23, 1926, aged 31)
1840 World's first adhesive postage stamp, the "Penny Black", is first used in Great Britain
1626 Dutch colonist Peter Minuit organizes the purchase of Manhattan Island from Native Americans for 60 guilders worth of goods, believed to have been Canarsee Indians of the Lenape
1994 English Channel tunnel opens
1961 George Clooney turns 61 years old
1942 All American forces in the Philippines surrender unconditionally
1940 John Steinbeck wins a Pulitzer for "The Grapes of Wrath"
1931 Possibly the greatest all-around baseball player of all-time, Willie Mays is 91 years old
1937 German airship Hindenburg explodes in flames at Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 35 of the 97 on board and 1 on the ground
1895 Silent Film Idol Rudolph Valentino born in Italy (died August 23, 1926, aged 31)
1840 World's first adhesive postage stamp, the "Penny Black", is first used in Great Britain
1626 Dutch colonist Peter Minuit organizes the purchase of Manhattan Island from Native Americans for 60 guilders worth of goods, believed to have been Canarsee Indians of the Lenape
Thursday May 5, 2022
Grade 9 student delivers powerful speech about racism and change in national competition
(Listens to the full speech 1:00:218)
Wednesday May 4, 2022
May the Fourth be with you!
National Candied Orange Peel Day
National Orange Juice Day
National Renewal Day
National Skilled Trades Day
National Weather Observers Day
National Orange Juice Day
National Renewal Day
National Skilled Trades Day
National Weather Observers Day
- 1990 Electric chair malfunctions in Florida, leading states to change execution methods
- 1979 Margaret Thatcher becomes the first woman to be elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- 1972 "The Don't Make A Wave Committee," a fledgling environmental organization founded in Canada in 1971, officially changes its name to the "Greenpeace Foundation"
- 1970 National Guard kills four students in Kent State shootings
- 1966 Willie Mays breaks National League home run record
- 1961 The first Freedom Ride departs from Washington, D.C.
- 1929 Legendary actress Audrey Hepburn is born
- 1916 Germany agrees to limit its submarine warfare
- 1910 Wilfrid Laurier passes the Naval Service Act, which creates the Royal Canadian Navy
- 1905 The U.S. officially begins construction on the Panama Canal
- 1865 President Lincoln is buried in Springfield, Illinois
- 1776 Rhode Island becomes first colony to declare independence from England
Monday May 2, 2022
"1933 Loch Ness "Monster" sighted for the first time, igniting the modern legend. The modern legend of the Loch Ness Monster is born when a sighting makes local news on May 2, 1933. "The newspaper Inverness Courier relates an account of a local couple who claim to have seen “an enormous animal rolling and plunging on the surface.” The story of the “monster” (a moniker chosen by the Courier editor) becomes a media phenomenon, with London newspapers sending correspondents to Scotland and a circus offering a 20,000 pound sterling reward for capture of the beast." (From History website)
National Brothers and Sisters Day
Early May Bank Holiday
Melanoma Monday
National Life Insurance Day
National Truffle Day
- 2011 Osama bin Laden, the suspected mastermind behind the September 11 attacks and the FBI's most wanted man is killed by US special forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan
- 2008 Cyclone Nargis makes landfall in Myanmar killing over 130,000 people and leaving millions of people homeless
- 1982 Falklands War: Argentine cruiser General Belgrano sunk by British submarine Conqueror, killing more than 350 men
- 1972 Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson's 50th birthday
- 1967 Stanley Cup Final, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON: Terry Sawchuk makes 40 saves as Toronto Maple Leafs beat Montreal Canadiens, 3-1 in Game 6 to take title, 4-2 (From Today
- 1945 More than 1,000,000 German soldiers officially surrender to the Western Allies in Italy and Austria
- 1945 World War II: Battle of Berlin ends as Soviet army takes Berlin and General Weidling surrenders
- 1949 Arthur Miller wins Pulitzer Prize for "Death of a Salesman"
- 1844 Elijah McCoy, Canadian-American inventor of African descent, notable for his 57 US patents (lubrication of steam engines), born in Colchester, Ontario (d. 1929)
Sunday May 1, 2022
Ontario's First Long-Term Care Home For Afro-Caribbean Community to be Built in Durham
Setting the record straight - Updating four Black history plaques
(Image from the Internet)
National Lemonade Day
National Chocolate Parfait Day
National Infertility Survival Day
National Mother Goose Day
National Chocolate Parfait Day
National Infertility Survival Day
National Mother Goose Day
- 1960 U-2 spy plane shot down over Soviet Union
- 1958 the match was born by Chemist John Walker
- 1931 Empire State Building opens in New York City
- 1915 International Congress of Women adopts resolutions on peace, women's suffrage
- 1896 Seven days after parliament was dissolved, Charles Tupper is sworn in as the 6th Prime Minister of Canada
- 1886 US general strike for 8-hour working day begins
- 1852 Adventurer and performer Calamity Jane is born
- 1851 First-ever "Great Exhibition" opens in London
- 1738 - King of Hawaii, Kamehameha I was born. He united the Hawaiian islands and formally established the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi in 1810
- 1707 Acts of Union comes into force, uniting England and Scotland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain
Friday April 29, 2022
A Rare Black Moon Is Going to Coincide With Tomorrow's Solar Eclipse — How to See It
Charles Young: A century after his death, the first Black US Army colonel is promoted to general
Hate crimes in Hamilton in 2021 hit highest number in recent history
International Dance Day
National Arbor Day
National Hairball Awareness Day
National Peace Rose Day
National Shrimp Scampi Day
National Zipper Day
National Arbor Day
National Hairball Awareness Day
National Peace Rose Day
National Shrimp Scampi Day
National Zipper Day
- 2004 World War II monument opens in Washington, D.C.
- 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993 comes into force, outlaws production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons among its signatories
- 1992 Riots erupt in Los Angeles after police officers are acquitted in Rodney King trial
- 1991 Cyclone strikes the Chittagong district in Bangladesh, killing 139,000 people and leaving 10 million homeless
- 1990 Wrecking cranes began tearing down the Berlin Wall at the Brandenburg Gate
- 1975 Vietnam War: US begins to evacuate its citizens from Saigon in Operation Frequent Wind in response to advancing North Vietnamese forces, bringing an end to US involvement in the war
- 1968 "Hair" premieres on Broadway
- 1945 US Army liberates 31,601 people from the Dachau Nazi concentration camp in Germany
- 1916 Irish republicans abandon the post office in Dublin and surrender unconditionally, marking the end of the Easter Rising
- 1864 Battle of Gate Pa (Pukehinahina): 1,700 British troops suffer their worst defeat of the New Zealand Wars at the hands of 230 entrenched Maori warriors in Tauranga
- 1862 New Orleans falls to Union forces during US Civil War
- 1854 First African American college chartered
- 1429 Joan of Arc relieves Orleans
Thursday April 28, 2022
Historic Black town lies one hurricane away from disaster
Meet 10 Black Icons Who’ve Shaped Fashion History
National Superhero Day
Great Poetry Reading Day
National Blueberry Pie Day
National BraveHearts Day
National Kids and Pets Day
Stop Food Waste Day
Take Our Kids To Work Day
Great Poetry Reading Day
National Blueberry Pie Day
National BraveHearts Day
National Kids and Pets Day
Stop Food Waste Day
Take Our Kids To Work Day
- 1967 Muhammad Ali refuses Army induction
- 1945 Benito Mussolini executed
- 1937 1st commercial flight across Pacific operated by Pan Am
- 1910 First night air flight by Claude Grahame-White in England
- 1789 Fletcher Christian leads a mutiny on HMS Bounty against its captain William Bligh in the South Pacific
- 1611 Establishment of the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines, oldest existing university in Asia and largest Catholic university in the world
Wednesday April 27, 2022
(Image from the Internet credit: Latestly.com)
International Guide Dog Day
Babe Ruth Day
Denim Day - Sexual assault victims deserve all your support and your voice this Denim Day!
National Devil Dog Day
National Prime Rib Day
National Tell A Story Day
Yom HaShoah - is a Holocaust Remembrance Day
Babe Ruth Day
Denim Day - Sexual assault victims deserve all your support and your voice this Denim Day!
National Devil Dog Day
National Prime Rib Day
National Tell A Story Day
Yom HaShoah - is a Holocaust Remembrance Day
- 2009 GM announces plans to phase out Pontiac
- 2005 The superjumbo jet aircraft Airbus A380 makes its first flight from Toulouse, France
- 1994 South Africa holds first multiracial elections
- 1993 D.A. announces negligence caused death of "The Crow" actor Brandon Lee
- 1967 Expo 67 opens in Montreal, Canada, featuring a giant Biosphere designed by Buckminster Fuller
- 1959 The last Canadian missionary leaves the People's Republic of China.
- 1904 The Australian Labor Party under Prime Minister Chris Watson becomes the first Labor government in the world
- 1865 Union soldiers die in steamship explosion (From History website) killing 1,800 of the 2,427 passengers in the greatest maritime disaster in United States history (From On This Day website)
- 4977 B.C. Universe is created, according to Kepler. On April 27, 4977 B.C., the universe is created, according to German mathematician and astronomer Johannes Kepler, considered a founder of modern science. Kepler is best known for his theories explaining the motion of planets. Kepler was born on December 27, 1571, in Weil der Stadt, Germany. As a university student, he studied the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus’ theories of planetary ordering. Copernicus (1473-1543) believed that the sun, not the earth, was the center of the solar system, a theory that contradicted the prevailing view of the era that the sun revolved around the earth....Kepler’s research was slow to gain widespread traction during his lifetime, but it later served as a key influence on the English mathematician Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727) and his law of gravitational force....Kepler’s calculation about the universe’s birthday, scientists in the 20th century developed the Big Bang theory, which showed that his calculations were off by about 13.7 billion years. (From History website)
Tuesday April 26, 2022
National Pretzel Day
Audubon Day - Learn about an enduring conservation legacy, complete with some fun tips and activity suggestions.
Get Organized Day
National Dissertation Day
National Help A Horse Day
Richter Scale DayRichter Scale DayToday we pay a tribute to the man who invented the Richter scale.
Audubon Day - Learn about an enduring conservation legacy, complete with some fun tips and activity suggestions.
Get Organized Day
National Dissertation Day
National Help A Horse Day
Richter Scale DayRichter Scale DayToday we pay a tribute to the man who invented the Richter scale.
- 2005 Under international pressure, Syria withdraws the last of its 14,000 troop military garrison in Lebanon, ending its 29-year military domination of that country.
- 1994 TV series "Due South" about Canadian Mounties starring Paul Gross premieres in Canada
- 1986 World's worst nuclear disaster: 4th reactor at Chernobyl nuclear power station in USSR explodes, 31 die, radioactive contamination reaches much of Western Europe
- 1977 Studio 54 opens in New York City
- 1956 First modern container ship, the Ideal X, leaves Port Newark, New Jersey for Houston, Texas
- 1954 Polio vaccine trials begin
- 1954 Geneva Conference to resolve problems in Asia begins
- 1920 Ice hockey makes its Olympic debut at the Antwerp Games with center Frank Fredrickson scoring 7 goals in Canada's 12-1 drubbing of Sweden in the gold medal match
- 1920 Harlow Shapley and Heber D. Curtis hold "great debate" on the nature of nebulae, galaxies and size of the universe at US National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C.
- 1478 Pazzi conspirators attack Lorenzo de'Medici and kill Giuliano de'Medici in Florence
Monday April 25, 2022
10 Incredible Asian-Canadians You Didn’t Learn About in History Class
It's National Volunteer Week!
(Image courtesy of/& used with permission)
"National Volunteer Week runs from April 24-30. Please join us in celebrating the many volunteers who support Oxford County Library programs. The theme for National Volunteer Week this year is Empathy in Action. Empathy is at the heart of stronger communities and our volunteers put empathy into action by providing books to individuals in our Home Outreach Program and by being caring literacy mentors in our Virtual Reading Buddies Program. Thank you so much to all our volunteers!" (From Oxford County Library e-newsletter)
National Hug a Plumber Day
National Telephone Day
World Malaria Day
Anzac Day - one of Australia and New Zealand's most important and revered national occasions
National DNA Day
National Hairstylist Appreciation Day
National Lingerie Day
National Zucchini Bread Day
National Telephone Day
World Malaria Day
Anzac Day - one of Australia and New Zealand's most important and revered national occasions
National DNA Day
National Hairstylist Appreciation Day
National Lingerie Day
National Zucchini Bread Day
- 2015 Magnitude 7.8 earthquake kills thousands in Nepal
- 1990 Hubble Space Telescope placed in orbit
- 1985 For 2nd time, Wayne Gretzky, scores 7 points in a Cup game (3 goals, 4 assists)
- 1954 Bell labs announces the 1st Solar Battery made from silicon. It has about 6% efficiency.
- 1953 Francis Crick and James Watson's discovery of the double helix structure of DNA is published in "Nature" magazine
- 1950 Chuck Cooper becomes first African American selected in NBA draft
- 1917 Jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald is born
- 1859 Ground broken for Suez Canal
- 1849 The Governor General of Canada, Lord Elgin, signs the Rebellion Losses Bill, outraging Montreal's English population and triggering the Montreal Riots.
- 1846 Thornton Affair: Open conflict begins over the disputed border of Texas, triggering the Mexican–American War
- 1792 Guillotine first used in France, executes highwayman Nicolas Pelletier
- 1719 Daniel Defoe publishes "Robinson Crusoe", regarded as the 1st English novel
Saturday April 23, 2022
National Email Day
National Cherry Cheesecake Day
National Lost Dogs Awareness Day
National Lover's Day
National Picnic Day
National Take a Chance Day
Shakespeare Day
St. George's Day - The patron saint of England has captivated British imaginations since the Crusades and Hundred Years' War
Talk Like Shakespeare Day
UN English Language Day
World Book Day
National Cherry Cheesecake Day
National Lost Dogs Awareness Day
National Lover's Day
National Picnic Day
National Take a Chance Day
Shakespeare Day
St. George's Day - The patron saint of England has captivated British imaginations since the Crusades and Hundred Years' War
Talk Like Shakespeare Day
UN English Language Day
World Book Day
- 1984 AIDS--virus identified as HTLV-III (acquired immune deficiency syndrome)
- 1968 1st decimal coins issued in Britain (5 & 10 new pence, replacing shilling and two-shilling pieces)
- 1961 Judy Garland plays Carnegie Hall
- 1954 Hank Aaron hits first home run of his MLB career
- 1861 Robert E. Lee named commander of Virginia Confederate forces (US Civil War)
- 1851 Canada issues its 1st postage stamps
- 1597 William Shakespeare's "The Merry Wives of Windsor" is first performed, with Queen Elizabeth I of England in attendance
- 1564 William Shakespeare born. According to tradition, the great English dramatist and poet William Shakespeare is born in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 23, 1564. It is impossible to be certain thee exact day on which he was born, but church records show that he was baptized on April 26, and three days was a customary amount of time to wait before baptizing a newborn. Shakespeare’s date of death is conclusively known, however: it was April 23, 1616. He was 52 years old and had retired to Stratford three years before. (From History website)
Friday April 22, 2022
Earth Day
(Image from Weebly.com)
Day of Silence A campaign that seeks to shed light on what many LGBTQ youth experience daily
National Jelly Bean Day
Orthodox Good Friday
National Jelly Bean Day
Orthodox Good Friday
- 2003 Patrick Roy plays his final career NHL game
- 1994 7,000 Tutsi slaughtered by Hutus in the stadium at Kibuye, Rwanda
- 1994 Former President Richard Nixon dies
- 1993 Holocaust Memorial Museum dedicated in Washington, D.C.
- 1979 The Rolling Stones play two benefit concerts for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, in Oshawa, Ontario;
- 1978 The Blues Brothers make their world premiere on "Saturday Night Live"
- 1970 The first Earth Day. Earth Day, an event to increase public awareness of the world's environmental problems, is celebrated in the United States for the first time on April 22, 1970. Millions of Americans, including students from thousands of colleges and universities, participated in rallies, marches and educational programs across the country. (From History website)
- 1963 Lester B. Pearson is sworn in as the 14th Prime Minister of Canada
- 1915 1st military use of poison gas (chlorine, by Germany) in WW I
- 1889 The Oklahoma land rush begins
- 1876 First National League baseball game played
- 1370 Building begins on the Bastille fortress in Paris
Thursday April 21, 2022
National Bulldogs Are Beautiful Day
National Chocolate Covered Cashews Day
National High Five Day
National Kindergarten Day
National Tea Day
National Yellow Bat Day
Tiradentes Day - Brazilians recognize the martyrdom of Tiradentes every year on Tiradentes Day
National Chocolate Covered Cashews Day
National High Five Day
National Kindergarten Day
National Tea Day
National Yellow Bat Day
Tiradentes Day - Brazilians recognize the martyrdom of Tiradentes every year on Tiradentes Day
- 2016 Legendary musician and megawatt star Prince dies at 57. On the morning of April 21, 2016, Prince, the polymathic musician who created more than 30 albums and won seven Grammy Awards over a 40-year career, is found dead in Paisley Park, his Minnesota home and recording studio. The cause of death was an accidental overdose of the opioid fentanyl. (From History website)
- 2010 "Shrek Forever After" directed by Mike Mitchell with voices by Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival
- 1989 Thousands of Chinese crowd into Beijing's Tiananmen Square cheering students demanding greater political freedom
- 1967 GM celebrates 100 millionth U.S.-made car
- 1918 World War I: German fighter ace Baron Manfred von Richthofen "The Red Baron", shot down and killed over Vaux sur Somme in France, Canadian pilot Arthur Roy Brown credited with the kill. (From On This Day website)
- 1865 Abraham Lincoln's funeral train leaves D.C.
- 1816 Charlotte Brontë born
- 753 B.C. Rome founded
Wednesday April 20, 2022
Chinese Language Day
National Look-Alike Day
Lima Bean Respect Day
National Banana Day
National Cheddar Fries Day
National Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Day
National Look-Alike Day
Lima Bean Respect Day
National Banana Day
National Cheddar Fries Day
National Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Day
- 1999 Teen gunmen kill 13 at Columbine High School
- 1992 All-star concert in memory of Freddie Mercury held at Wembley Stadium, London
- 1971 Supreme Court declares desegregation busing constitutional
- 1902 Marie and Pierre Curie isolate the radioactive compound radium chloride
- 1968 Pierre Trudeau sworn in as Canada's 15th Prime Minister
- 1777 New York adopts state constitution
- 1887 World's First Motor Race
- 1841 First detective story is published
Tuesday April 19, 2022
- 2011 Fidel Castro resigns from the Communist Party of Cuba's central committee after 45 years of holding the title.
- 1971 Vietnam Veterans Against the War demonstrate
- 1897 First Boston Marathon held
- 1824 Lord Byron dies in Greece
- 1775 American Revolution begins in Lexington, Massachusetts. The "Shot Heard Round the World" took place in Concord later that day
- 607 Comet 1P/607 H1 (Halley) approaches within 0.0898 AUs of Earth
Monday April 18, 2022
(Image from Internet)
Adult Autism Awareness Day
National Animal Crackers Day
National Lineman Appreciation Day
National Velociraptor Awareness Day
National Animal Crackers Day
National Lineman Appreciation Day
National Velociraptor Awareness Day
- 2014 Mt. Everest sees its single deadliest day
- 2012 Dick Clark, host of "American Bandstand" and "New Year's Rockin' Eve," dies
- 1989 Chinese students protest against government
- 1982 Canada Constitution Act replaces British North America Act
- 1977 81st Boston Marathon: Canadian Jerome Drayton wins men's race in 2:14:46; American Miki Gorman takes her 2nd women's event in 2:48:33
- 1956 Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco marry
- 1953 Rick Moranis, Canadian actor (SCTV; Spaceballs; Ghostbusters; Honey I Shrunk the Kids), born in Toronto, Ontario
- 1910 14th Boston Marathon won by Canadian Fred Cameron in 2:28:52.4
- 1906 The Great San Francisco Earthquake topples buildings, killing thousands On April 18, 1906, at 5:13 a.m., an earthquake estimated at close to 8.0 on the Richter scale strikes San Francisco, California, killing an estimated 3,000 people as it topples numerous buildings. The quake was caused by a slip of the San Andreas Fault over a segment about 275 miles long, and shock waves could be felt from southern Oregon down to Los Angeles." (From History website)
- 1506 The cornerstone of the current St. Peter's Basilica is laid in the Vatican by Pope Julius I
Sunday April 17, 2022
(Image from the Internet)
- 2002 "General Hospital" airs 10,000th episode
- 1982 Proclamation of the Constitution Act by Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau
- 1970 Apollo 13 returns to Earth
- With the world anxiously watching, Apollo 13, a U.S. lunar spacecraft that suffered a severe malfunction on its journey to the moon, safely returns to Earth. On April 11, the third manned lunar landing mission was launched from Florida, carrying astronauts James A. Lovell, John L. Swigert and Fred W
- 1961 The Bay of Pigs invasion begins
- 1941 Yugoslavia surrenders to the Nazis
- 1945 Americans seize 1,100 pounds of uranium in effort to prevent Soviets from developing A-bomb
- 1815 Indonesian volcano erupts, killing 80,000
- 1790 Benjamin Franklin dies
- 1387 Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" characters begin their pilgrimage to Canterbury (according to scholars)
Saturday April 16, 2022
National Park Week April 16 - 24th (U.S.A.)
"Every April, during the presidentially proclaimed National Park Week, we join with the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America's national parks, to celebrate America's treasures." (From National Park Week - NPS Celebrates! (U.S. National Park Service)
National Librarian Day
(Image from the Internet)
- 2022 NBA Legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, full name: Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr., is 75 years old
- 2018 Kendrick Lamar becomes the first rapper to win the Pulitzer Prize
- 2007 Virginia Tech shooting leaves 32 dead
- 1982 Queen Elizabeth proclaims Canada's new constitution
- 1972 Apollo 16 departs for moon
- 1934 38th Boston Marathon won by Dave Komonen of Canada in 2:32:53.8
- 1900 4th Boston Marathon won by Canadian Jim Caffrey in race record 2:39:44.4
- 1900 US Post Office issues 1st books of postage stamps
- 1889 Hollywood legend Charlie Chaplin born
- 1869 Ebenezer Bassett, 1st African American diplomat, begins service as Minister to Haiti
- 1862 Slavery abolished in District of Columbia
- 1705 Queen Anne of England knights Isaac Newton at Trinity College, Cambridge
Wednesday April 13, 2022
- 2017 U.S. military drops "Mother of All Bombs" on ISIS tunnel complex
- 1997 Tiger Woods wins the Masters Tournament for the first time. On April 13, 1997, 21-year-old Tiger Woods wins the prestigious Masters Tournament by a record 12 strokes in Augusta, Georgia. It was Woods' first victory in one of golf's four major championships-the U.S. Open, the British Open, the PGA Championship and the Masters-and the greatest performance by a professional golfer in more than a century. It also made him the youngest golfer by two years to win the Masters and the first person of Asian or African heritage to win a major. (From History website)
- 1970 Apollo 13 oxygen tank explodes
- 1964 Sidney Poitier wins Best Actor Oscar for "Lilies of the Field"
- 1945 Canadian army liberates Teuge & Assen, Netherlands, from Nazis
- 1928 First nonstop flight from Europe to North America
- 1919 British and Gurkha troops massacre hundreds of unarmed demonstrators in Amritsar Massacre
- 1870 Metropolitan Museum of Art opens in New York City
- 1860 1st Pony Express reaches Sacramento, California
- 1861 Union forces surrender at Fort Sumter
Tuesday April 12, 2022
Mimi Reinhardt, woman who typed up Schindler’s list, dead at 107
- 1981 The space shuttle Columbia is launched for the first time
- 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. is jailed; writes "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"
- 1961 Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first man in space
- 1954 Bill Haley and His Comets record "Rock Around The Clock"
- 1945 FDR dies
- 1917 Canadians capture Vimy Ridge in northern France
- 1872 Jesse James gang robs bank in Columbia, Kentucky (1 dead/$1,500)
- 1864 Hundreds of Union soldiers killed in Fort Pillow Massacre
- 1861 Civil War begins as Confederate forces fire on Fort Sumter
- The bloodiest four years in American history begin when Confederate shore batteries under General P.G.T. Beauregard open fire on Union-held Fort Sumter in South Carolina's Charleston Harbor. During the next 34 hours, 50 Confederate guns and mortars launched more than 4,000 rounds at the poorly supplied fort." (From History website)
- 1633 Galileo is accused of heresy
Thursday April 7, 2022
- 1999 The World Trade Organisation rules in favor of the United States in its long-running trade dispute with the European Union over bananas
- 1994 "Violence erupts in Rwanda, foreshadowing genocide On April 7, 1994, violence fuels the launch of what would become the worst episode of genocide since World War II: the massacre of an estimated 500,000 to 1 million innocent civilian Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Following the first wave of massacres, Rwandan forces manage to discourage international intervention with the murder of 10 Belgian peacekeeping officers. The Tutsis, a minority group that made up about 10 percent of Rwanda’s population, received no assistance from the international community, although the United Nations later conceded that a mere 5,000 soldiers deployed at the outset would have stopped the wholesale slaughter." (From History website)
- 1970 John Wayne wins Best Actor Oscar
- 1969 The Internet's symbolic birth date: publication of RFC 1
- 1954 Jackie Chan, full name: Chan Kong-sang, born
- 1948 World Health Organization formed by the United Nations
- 1915 Billie Holiday born Nicknamed "Lady Day", Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing
- 1868 Thomas D'Arcy McGee, one of the Canadian Fathers of Confederation is assassinated by the Irish, in one of the few Canadian political assassinations, and only federal politician
Monday April 4, 2022
1968 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated
(Image courtesy of the Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, PA)
"Just after 6 p.m. on April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. is fatally shot while standing on the balcony outside his second-story room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. The civil rights leader was in Memphis to support a sanitation workers’ strike and was on his way to dinner when a bullet struck him in the jaw and severed his spinal cord. King was pronounced dead after his arrival at a Memphis hospital. He was 39 years old." (From History website)
- 2013 Movie critic Roger Ebert dies
- 1986 Wayne Gretzky sets NHL record with 213th point of season
- 1975 Microsoft founded
- 1974 Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth's home run record
- 1973 World Trade Center, then the world's tallest building, opens in New York City
- 1967 Martin Luther King Jr. speaks out against the war
- 1960 "Ben-Hur" wins 11 Academy Awards
- 1949 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) treaty signed in Washington, D.C.
- 1928 Maya Angelou is born
- 1918 Second Battle of the Somme ends
- 1896 Announcement of gold discovery in Yukon
- 1865 President Lincoln dreams about his assassination
Sunday April 3, 2022
- 1996 Unabomber arrested
- 1978 "Annie Hall" beats out "Star Wars" for Best Picture
- 1973 1st mobile phone call is made
- 1936 Bruno Hauptmann, convicted of kidnapping Lindbergh's son, executed
1882 Jesse James is murdered - 1860 Pony Express debuts between St Joseph, Missouri & Sacramento, California
What is Ramadan?
Friday April 1, 2022
Sweet Potato Day
- 2001 Netherlands becomes the first country in the world to make same-sex marriage legal
- 1999 Nunavut is established as a Canadian territory carved out of the eastern part of the Northwest Territories.
- 1996 The Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia is created.
- 1984 Marvin Gaye is shot and killed by his own father
- 1976 Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs found Apple Computer in the garage of Jobs' parents house in Cupertino, California
- 1969 Royal Canadian Mint formally forms as a Crown Corporation
- 1963 Soap operas "General Hospital" and "The Doctors" premiere
- 1952 Big Bang theory proposed in Physical Review by Alpher, Bethe & George Gamow
- 1945 World War II: Canadian troops free the Dutch cities of Doetinchem, Enschede, Borculo and Eibergen
- 1917 Scott Joplin, American ragtime composer (The Entertainer, Maple Leaf Rag), dies at 48
- 1924 The Royal Canadian Air Force is formed.
- 1873 British White Star steamship Atlantic sinks off Nova Scotia, 547 die
- 1748 Ruins of Pompeii rediscovered by Spaniard Rocque Joaquin de Alcubierre
- 1700 April Fools' tradition popularized
Thursday March 31, 2022
UN highlights human cost of transatlantic slave trade
- 1980 Jesse Owens, American athlete (4 Olympic gold 1936), dies of lung cancer at 66
- 1967 1st time Jimi Hendrix burns his guitar (The Astoria, London)
- 1949 Newfoundland becomes Canada's 10th province
- 1889 Eiffel Tower opens
- 1878 Jack Johnson, American boxer (1st African-American world heavyweight champion 1908-15), born in Galveston, Texas (d. 1946)
- 1855 Charlotte Brontë, English novelist (Jane Eyre), dies at 38
- 1831 Quebec & Montreal incorporated
- 1727 Isaac Newton, English physicist and astronomer (Principia), dies in London at 84
- 1547 King Francis I of France (1515-47), dies complaining about the weight of the crown at 52
Monday March 21, 2022
Today is the first anniversary of the passage of M-36 making August 1st as Emancipation Day a national day of commemoration in Canada! (From LinkedIn)
(Image courtesy of/& used with permission)
"Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Adopted on October 26th, 1966, the UN General Assembly Resolution 2142 proclaimed March 21st as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
This date was chosen in honour of the 69 people who were killed in Sharpeville, South Africa when racist police officers opened fire on peaceful demonstrators in 1960.
Since and despite this adoption, racism, racial profiling, and racial discrimination continues to persist in and permeate every part of the Western society – whether in the US, UK, Canada, Europe and even in South Africa where the despicable incident upon which the UN Resolution was made.
To commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, we pay homage to the thousands of Indigenous children who were murdered in the Residential School System in Canada.
We pay homage to the thousands of indigenous people who are still fighting to simply have drinking water and a functional social system in their communities.
We pay homage to the thousands of Africans who were killed, abused, raped, hanged, lynched and tossed into the ocean during the slave trade.
We pay homage to the souls of over ten million Africans who were snatched from their families and homes in Africa and used to build monumental structures like the White House, Buckingham Palace, etc.
To the millions of people from Africa who were exploited to transform war-torn countries like the UK, US, Canada, France and others into developed nations.
We pay homage to the millions of blacks, Indigenous and racialized people who are languishing in jail for the lack of equitable justice due to racism, racial profiling and racial discrimination.
Who would you like to pay homage to in commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination?" (From Canadian Congress enewsletter)
Adopted on October 26th, 1966, the UN General Assembly Resolution 2142 proclaimed March 21st as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
This date was chosen in honour of the 69 people who were killed in Sharpeville, South Africa when racist police officers opened fire on peaceful demonstrators in 1960.
Since and despite this adoption, racism, racial profiling, and racial discrimination continues to persist in and permeate every part of the Western society – whether in the US, UK, Canada, Europe and even in South Africa where the despicable incident upon which the UN Resolution was made.
To commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, we pay homage to the thousands of Indigenous children who were murdered in the Residential School System in Canada.
We pay homage to the thousands of indigenous people who are still fighting to simply have drinking water and a functional social system in their communities.
We pay homage to the thousands of Africans who were killed, abused, raped, hanged, lynched and tossed into the ocean during the slave trade.
We pay homage to the souls of over ten million Africans who were snatched from their families and homes in Africa and used to build monumental structures like the White House, Buckingham Palace, etc.
To the millions of people from Africa who were exploited to transform war-torn countries like the UK, US, Canada, France and others into developed nations.
We pay homage to the millions of blacks, Indigenous and racialized people who are languishing in jail for the lack of equitable justice due to racism, racial profiling and racial discrimination.
Who would you like to pay homage to in commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination?" (From Canadian Congress enewsletter)
1965
Martin Luther King, Jr. begins the march from Selma to Montgomery
Quote: "We are not makers of history. We are made by history." ~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ~
