BLACK HISTORY
ON THIS DAY IN APRIL!
APRIL 1, 1868:
Hampton University was established as a school for blacks. Hampton University was founded as Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute.
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APRIL 2, 1984:
John Thompson became the first Black coach to win a NCAA title.
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APRIL 3, 1968:
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his final speech, "I've Been to the Mountaintop", in Memphis, TN.
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APRIL 4, 1968:
Duke Ellington dedicated his concert at Carnegie Hall to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Prior to the start of Ellington's concert, Robert Moses made the announcement that Dr. King had been shot just and hour and half earlier (around 6 p.m.) in Memphis.
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APRIL 5, 1968:
James Brown is believed to have brought calmness to Boston the day after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. The plan was to broadcast his concert so that people would stay home to watch. The plan is believed to have worked, because the city did have less crime than normally on a Friday night.
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APRIL 6, 1909:
Matthew Alexander Henson was the first Black person to set foot near the North Pole.
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APRIL 7, 1940:
Booker T. Washington was the first Black person to be honored on a U.S. stamp.
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APRIL 8, 1974:
Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's record of the most home runs in Major League Baseball when he hit his 715th home run.
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APRIL 9, 1939:
African-American singer Marian Anderson gave a concert at the Lincoln Memorial with a crowd of 75,000.
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APRIL 10, 1972:
Notable entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. became the first African American to host the Academy Awards.
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APRIL 11, 1881:
Spelman college was founded by two teachers, Sophia Packers and Harriet Giles. They began to teach 11 black women in the basement of Friendship Baptist Church in Atlanta.
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APRIL 12, 1787:
The Free African Society was founded by Richard Allen and Absalom Jones. It was a mutual aid society and the first dedicated to serving Philadelphia's Black community.
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APRIL 13, 1997:
Tiger Woods became the first black and the youngest person, to win the Master's Tournament. The Master's Tournament is a championship for professional golf.
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APRIL 14, 1775:
The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage was founded in Philadelphia. It was the first American society dedicated to the cause of abolition.
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APRIL 15, 1985:
Marvin Hagler defeated Thomas Hearns, in less than eight minutes. This fight later became known as "The War", because of the intensity and aggression from both boxers at the start of the fight.
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APRIL 16, 1973:
Leila Smith Foley was elected Mayor of Taft, Oklahoma making her the first African-American woman to be elected mayor in the nation.
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APRIL 17, 1958:
"The Langston Hughes Reader" was first published.
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APRIL 18, 1966:
Bill Russell was named the coach of the Boston Celtics. He was the first African-American coach in the NBA.
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APRIL 19, 1972:
Major General Frederic E. Davison became the first African American to lead an army division.
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APRIL 20, 2016:
The U.S. Treasury Department announced a plan for Harriet Tubman to replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill.
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APRIL 21, 1974:
Lee Elder became the first black golf player to qualify for the Masters after he won the Monsanto Open.
APRIL 22, 1978:
Bob Marley headlined the One Love Peace Concert in Kingston, Jamaica. At this concert, Bob Marley joined two political rivalries' hands.
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APRIL 23, 1951:
A group of Moton High School students, led by Barbara Johns, walked out of their school to protest the overcrowded and inferior facilities.
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APRIL 24, 1972:
James M. Rodger, Jr. was honored at a White House Ceremony for National Teacher of the Year. He was the first Black teacher to win the award and one of the youngest.
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APRIL 25, 1944:
The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) was founded to provide financial support to Historically Black Colleges and Black students.
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APRIL 26, 1892:
Sarah Boone applied for and received U.S. Patent for her invention of a device that made it easier to iron clothes.
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APRIL 27, 2009:
Rep. Donna Edwards, and five other lawmakers, submitted to civil disobedience arrest at a rally to protest deteriorating condition in the Darfur region.
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APRIL 28, 1967:
Boxing champion Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the U.S. Army and was immediately stripped of his heavyweight title.
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APRIL 29, 1992:
The L.A. riots started after four police officers were acquitted fro their brutal attack of an African-American man.
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APRIL 30, 1983:
Robert C. Maynard bought "The Oakland Tribune" newspaper. He became the first African American to gain a controlling interest in a major daily newspaper.
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