June 10, 1946 John Arthur “Jack” Johnson, the first black World Heavyweight Champion, died in a car crash. Johnson was born March 31, 1878 in Galveston, Texas. By 1902, he had won at least 50 fights against white and black opponents and in 1903 he won the World Colored Heavyweight Championship. Johnson finally won the […]
Archive | June 10, 2011
June 10th in African American History – Ray Charles
June 10, 2004 Ray Charles, pioneering R&B, gospel, blues and country musician, died. Born Ray Charles Robinson on September 23, 1930 in Albany, Georgia, Charles began to lose his sight at the age of five and was completely blind by the age of seven. In 1943, he began to perform around Tallahassee and Jacksonville, Florida. […]