The late John H. Johnson was the founder of the Johnson Publishing Company, the largest Black-owned firm of its kind in the United States. Johnson, who dabbled in other ventures beyond publications, is also the first African-American to land on the Forbes 400 list. John Harold Johnson was born in rural Arkansas City, Ark. on January […]
Linda Martell was a former country and blues artist who made her mark in the industry by becoming the first African-American woman to star in the Grand Ole Opry. Martell enjoyed a brief period of success but elected to raise her family and preserve her health instead of chasing down fame as a musician. Born […]
This weekend in Houston, Texas, the army units known as the Buffalo Soldiers celebrated their 150th Anniversary. The Buffalo Soldiers, originally composed of former slaves and free men, were the first Black troops established during peacetime after the conclusion of the Civil War. On July 28,1866, the U.S. Army was reorganized for peacetime service a […]
Harry S. Truman, the 33rd President of the United States, addressed the NAACP on this day in 1947. President Truman was the first sitting president to address the organization and is viewed as the nation’s first civil rights president. Truman’s speech to the NAACP was aired publicly on radio and took place at the Lincoln […]
Jack Daniels, the top-selling American whiskey brand in the world, has long said that a white moonshine maker was responsible for creating the popular bourbon. But this summer, the company that a slave might have been the actual mastermind behind the popular brown liquor. The original story is that preacher and moonshine man Dan Call […]
Bernie Worrell, an influential keyboardist who forged his sound while playing with George Clinton’s Parliament and Funkadelic bands, passed last Friday after battling stage four cancer. Mr. Worrell not only played with the legendary funk bands but toured with rock acts and more. Worrell was born April 19, 1944 in Long Branch, New Jersey. A […]
The Howard University Men’s Soccer team is currently the only men’s squad that plays in the MEAC conference. Through its ups and downs, the team’s legacy remains stellar after it became the first team from a HBCU to win a NCAA division I championship. In 1971, the Bisons won their first title after defeating the […]
The atrocities of slavery were met with several periods of resistance, and one of the first major uprisings in American history was the New York…
Cornelius L. Henderson was a pioneering steel engineer and architect who helped construct two of major crossings between the United States and Canada. Mr. Henderson…
The late jazz vocalist Sarah Vaughan captivated listeners with her operatic range and bold performances over the course of her decades-long career. The “Divine One”…
Harlem’s Dunbar Apartments were specifically built as the first cooperative building complex marketed to Blacks. Named after poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, the apartments were home to notable…
Lt. Commander John W. Lee Jr. was the first Black commissioned Navy officer, achieving the historic feat on this day in 1947. The late Navy…
