Engineer Don Thompson on his journey to becoming McDonald's first and only Black CEO

Gwendolyn Brooks

Born on June 7, 1917, to a family who belonged to Kansas but later moved to Chicago, Gwendolyn Brooks was an American poet and teacher. Even though both of her parents wanted to pursue their careers as doctors but were unable to do so due to financial constraints, they were supportive of their

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Source: Black History Resources

Jun

7

1917

A black jockey, "Monk" Overton, won six straight horse races at the Washington P

A black jockey, Monk Overton, won six straight horse races at the Washington Park race track in Chicago. In 1907, another black jockey, Jimmy Lee, also won six straight races at Churchill Downs in Louisville. Prior to 1907, only two other jockeys had equalled the achievements of Overton and

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Jul

10

1891

Martin Luther King Jr's Death

Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated by white sniper in Memphis, Tennessee. Assassination precipitated a national crisis and rioting in more than one hundred cities. Forty-six persons were killed in major rebellions in Washington, Chicago and other cities. Twenty thousand federal troops and

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Apr

4

1968

Ida B. Wells Barnett

Ida Wells was born a slave on July 16, 1862, in Holly Springs, Mississippi, to James and Elizabeth (Warrenton) Wells. The oldest in a family of four boys and four girls, she acquired from her parents a love of liberty and self-sufficiency that characterized her

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Mar

25

1931

Eleven People Arrested After Sit-In

Seven whites and four Blacks arrested after all-night sit-in at Englewood, N.J., city hall. Four Black mothers arrested after sit-in at Chicago elementary school. Mothers later received suspended $50 fines. Protests, picketing and demonstrations continued for several weeks against de facto

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Feb

2

1962

William A. Harper

William A. Harper, student of Henry O. Tanner at the Art Institute of Chicago, one of the most gifted African American artist of the early 20th century, born

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Dec

27

1873

Lane, William Henry/Master Juba (1825-c. 1852)

William Henry Lane is credited as one of the most influential figures in the creation of American tap dance. Lane developed a unique style of using his body as a musical instrument, blending African-derived syncopated rhythms with movements of the Irish jig and reel. Lane’s melding of these

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Source: Black Past

Race riot in Cincinnati

Race riot, Cincinnati. More than one thousand Blacks left the city for Canada.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Aug

10

1827

Some 225,000 students boycotted Chicago schools in

Some 225,000 students boycotted Chicago schools in Freedom Day protest of de facto segregation.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Oct

22

1963

Boxer Sugar Ray Leonard born

Sugar Ray Leonard

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Source: Blackfacts.com

May

17

1956

Ernie Davis is born

Ernie Davis was a star running back at Syracuse University; first black player to win the Heisman Trophy in 1961; drafted by the Washington Redskins and traded to Cleveland but died the following year of leukemia before playing a pro game.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Dec

14

1939

Ground is broken for the Harold Washington wing of the DuSable Museum in Chicago

Ground is broken for the Harold Washington wing of the DuSable Museum in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by artist and poet Margaret T. Burroughs in 1961, the DuSable is one of the oldest African American museums in the U.S.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Sep

17

1991

The First Black Psychic

Shirley Ajayi was the first African American given a part on a television show as a psychic! The show lasted for about one year[actually six months] in Chicago, Illinois since the show was seasonal! Shirley started her career the minute her predictions came true! She was renamed Aura and hired to

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Mar

27

2002

After the Underground Railroad: Finding the African North Americans who Returned from Canada

The Underground Railroad which fugitive slaves followed from the antebellum South to Canada is now a well-known story. But what of those who returned? In his ongoing research, University of Texas at El Paso historian Adam Arenson explores this little-known aspect of nineteenth- century African

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Source: Black Past

Philips, 1st Black nominated president

Rev. Channing E. Philips of Washington, D.C., became first Black nominated for president by a major national party. Philips was nominated as favorite son candidate by District of Columbia delegation at Democratic convention in Chicago and received 671/2 votes.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Aug

28

1968

Johnson, Gregory Lee (1945- )

On August 5, 1999 President William Clinton appointed Gregory Lee Johnson U.S. Ambassador to Swaziland. He served in that post from November 16, 1999 to October 18, 2001. Johnson began his career in the Foreign Service in 1968 and has served in Vietnam (1968-1971). His next posts were in Japan

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Source: Black Past

Squires, Bernard (1904-1947)

Bernard Squires was the president of the Omaha chapter of the Urban League from 1935 to 1939 and the Seattle chapter of the Urban League from 1939 to 1943. Squires was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1904. He graduated from high school in Toledo, and went on to Ohio State University before graduating in

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Source: Black Past

Jun

1

1939

Charles Edward Anderson--Meteorologist

Born: August 13, 1919

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Aug

13

1919

Adams, R. Miller

R. Miller Adams focuses his efforts on the private equity component of Triad Capital Partners. Miller started his career practicing law in a downtown Seattle firm focusing on business, sports, and entertainment law and early stage technology companies. He then spent a decade as a senior executive

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Source: Black Past

Florence Price, composer born

Florence Beatrice Smith Price COMPOSER Birthplace: Little Rock, Arkansas April 9, 1888- June 3, 1953 Florences mother was a music teacher, so naturally, she learned how to play the piano at an early age.She had her first recital by the age of four and had composed and published her first musical

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Apr

9

1888

Gwendolyn Brooks, poet, first Black awarded a Pulitzer Prize (poetry) in 1950.

Gwendolyn Brooks, poet, first Black awarded a Pulitzer Prize (poetry) in 1950. Brooks was born in Topeka, Kansas but grew up in Chicago. She is a witty poet who satirizes blacks and whites and attacks racial discrimination. She uses black language and rituals to proclaim black solidarity.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

May

1

1950

(1987) Clarence Thomas, “Why Black Americans Should Look to Conservative Politics”

Much has been said about blacks and conservatism. Those on the Left smugly assume blacks are monolithic and will by force of circumstances always huddle to the left of the political spectrum. The political Right watches this herd mentality in action, concedes that blacks are monolithic, picks up

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Source: Black Past

Foster, Abigail Kelley

Foster, Abigail Kelley | FactMonster

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Source: Fact Monster - Black History

On October 1, 1945, noted R&B singer and songwriter, Donny Hathaway was born in

On October 1, 1945, noted R&B singer and songwriter, Donny Hathaway was born in Chicago, Illinois. Before his death, he often teamed up with songstress, Roberta Flack, on songs such as Where Is the Love.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Oct

1

1945

Bank Organized

Independence Bank of Chicago organized.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Dec

3

1964

Abbott, Anderson Ruffin (1837-1913)

Anderson Ruffin Abbott, Canada’s first black doctor, was born April 7, 1837 in Toronto, Ontario. He was the son of free black property owners William Ruffin Abbott and his wife Ellen (Toyer) Abbott who left Alabama after their store had been destroyed. They settled briefly in New York until

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Source: Black Past

Dec

29

1913

Marlene Nourbese Philip

Marlene Nourbese Philip is the winner of the 1988 Casa de las Americas prize for poetry. She is a writer, poet, university lecturer and lawyer who lives in Canada but who hails from Tobago. Her published works include the novel Harriets Daughter and three collections of poetry including

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Feb

3

1947

NAACP Elects Kweisi Mfume

Kweisi Mfume is unanimously elected President and CEO of the NAACP.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Dec

9

1995

Charles Henry Turner

Born: 2/3/1867 Cincinnati, OhioDied: 2/14/1923 Chicago, IllinoisCharles Henry Turner was an American research biologist, educator, zoologist, and comparative psychologist born in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1892, Turner became the first African American to receive a graduate degree at the University of

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Sampson was named the 1st Black representative

Chicago Atty. Edith Sampson was named the first Black representative (alternate delegate) in the U.S. delegation to the United Nations.

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Source: Blackfacts.com

Aug

24

1950

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