January 15, 1969 Garfield McConnell Langhorn, Medal of Honor recipient, was killed in action. Langhorn was born September 10, 1948 in Cumberland, Virginia. He joined the United States Army in 1968 and by January 15, 1969 was serving as a private first class in Troop C, 7th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Aviation Brigade during […]
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Franklin Delano Raines – January 14th in African American History
January 14, 1949 Franklin Delano Raines, former chairman and chief executive officer of the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), was born in Seattle, Washington. Raines earned his Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from Harvard University in 1971, spent a year at Oxford University in England as a Rhodes Scholar, and earned his Doctor […]
Jerome Heartwell “Brud” Holland – January 13th in African American History
January 13, 1985 Jerome Heartwell “Brud” Holland, education administrator and diplomat, died. Holland was born January 9, 1916 in Auburn, New York. He graduated from Cornell University, where he was the first African American to play on the football team and an All-American in 1937, 1938, and 1939. Despite his athletic abilities, the National Football […]
Sam Langford – January 12th in African American History
January 12, 1956 Sam Langford, hall of fame boxer and, according to ESPN, “the greatest fighter nobody knows,” died. Langford was born March 4, 1883 in Weymouth Falls, Nova Scotia, Canada. Although he was only 5 feet 6 ½ inches tall and weighed 185 pounds, Langford fought greats from the lightweight division to the heavyweight […]
Ralph Henry Johnson – January 11th in African American History
January 11, 1949 Ralph Henry Johnson, Medal of Honor recipient, was born in Charleston, South Carolina. Johnson enlisted in the United States Marine Corp in July, 1967. On March 5, 1968, he was serving as a private first class with Company A, First Reconnaissance Battalion, First Marine Division in the Republic of Vietnam. His actions […]
Chester Arthur Burnett (Howlin’ Wolf) – January 10th in African American History
January 10, 1976 Chester Arthur Burnett (Howlin’ Wolf), blues singer, guitarist, and harmonica player, died. Wolf was born June 10, 1910 in White Station, Mississippi. During the 1930s, he performed in the South with a number of blues musicians, including Robert Johnson and Son House. His first recording, “How Many More Years,” was produced in […]
Richard Bowie Spikes – January 9th in African American History
January 9, 1923 Richard Bowie Spikes of Fort Bragg, California received patent number 1441383 for a brake testing machine. His invention tested the efficiency or power of the brake and recorded the results of the test. Little is known of Spikes’ life except that he was born December 4, 1884 and was an incredible inventor.