November 20, 1923 Garrett Augustus Morgan, Sr. received patent number 1,475,024 for his version of the traffic signal. Morgan was born March 4, 1877 in Paris, Kentucky. In 1895, he moved to Cleveland, Ohio where he worked repairing sewing machines for a clothing manufacturer. In 1907, he opened his own sewing machine and shoe repair […]
Archive | November, 2011
November 19th in African American History – Yolanda Gail Devers
November 19, 1966 Yolanda Gail Devers, three-time Olympic gold medalist, was born in Seattle, Washington. Devers qualified for the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, but did not medal. Also that year, she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Los Angeles. In 1990, she was diagnosed with Graves’ disease and underwent […]
November 19th in African American History – Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry (Stepin Fetchit)
November 19, 1985 Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry (Stepin Fetchit) died. Perry was born May 30, 1902 in Key West, Florida. He began entertaining in his teens as a comic character. Stepin Fetchit was his stage name and Perry parlayed his persona as “the laziest man in the world” into a successful film career, appearing […]
November 18th in African American History – Harold Warren Moon
November 18, 1956 Harold Warren Moon, hall of fame football player, was born in Los Angeles, California. Although Moon was a star high school quarterback, none of the major colleges were interested in him as a quarterback therefore he enrolled in West Los Angeles College where he set a number of records. Based on that […]
November 18th in African American History – Cabell “Cab” Calloway III
November 18, 1994 Cabell “Cab” Calloway III, jazz singer and bandleader, died. Calloway was born December 25, 1907 in Rochester, New York. After graduating from high school, Calloway joined his sister in a touring production of the black musical revue “Plantation Days.” In 1930, he assumed leadership of his orchestra and they became the co-host […]
November 14th in African American History – Booker Taliaferro Washington
November 14, 1915 Booker Taliaferro Washington, educator, author and political leader, died. Washington was born enslaved on April 5, 1856 on the Burroughs Plantation in Virginia. His family gained their freedom at the end of the Civil War and Washington was educated at Hampton Institute and Wayland Seminary. In 1881, Washington was appointed the first […]
November 14th in African American History – Mabel Fairbanks
November 14, 1916 Mabel Fairbanks, figure skater and coach, was born in New York City. Fairbanks fell in love with figure skating in the 1930s. Despite her ability, she was not allowed to join skating clubs because of her race. She was often told, “we don’t have Negroes in ice shows.” She eventually left the […]