October 6, 1949 Lonnie George Johnson, inventor of the Super Soaker, was born in Mobile, Alabama. Johnson earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1973 and a Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering in 1976 from Tuskegee University. After graduating, he worked for the United States Air Force and the National Aeronautics and […]
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October 6th in African American History – Anthony Kevin Tony Dungy
October 6, 1955 Anthony Kevin “Tony” Dungy, the first African American head coach to win the Super Bowl, was born in Jackson, Michigan. Dungy played quarterback for the University of Minnesota from 1973 to 1976 and finished his college career as Minnesota’s career leader in passing yards and touchdowns. He earned his Bachelor of Arts […]
October 5th in African American History – Oscar McKinley Charleston
October 5, 1954 Oscar McKinley Charleston, Negro League baseball player and manager, died. Charleston was born October 14, 1896 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He joined the U. S. Army at the age of 15 and served in the Philippines. He began his professional baseball career in 1915 with the Indianapolis ABC’s and over his career he […]
October 5th in African American History – Bernard Jeffrey Bernie Mac McCullough
October 5, 1957 Bernard Jeffrey “Bernie Mac” McCullough, comedian and actor, was born in Chicago, Illinois. Mac started as a stand-up comedian around Chicago and in 1989 won the Miller Lite Comedy Search. His first major acting role was in the 1995 film “Friday“. That was followed by other roles in films primarily directed at […]
October 4th in African American History – Bernice Johnson Reagon
October 4, 1942 Bernice Johnson Reagon, singer, composer, scholar and social activist, was born in southwest Georgia. Reagon was an active participant in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s as a member of the Freedom Singers, organized by the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). She is a specialist in African American oral history, performance, […]
October 4th in African American History – Russell Wendell Simmons
October 4, 1957 Russell Wendell Simmons, record producer and entrepreneur, was born in Queens, New York. In the mid-1970s, Simmons enrolled in City College of New York but quit to begin promoting rap music. In 1984 he co-founded Def Jam Records and within three years the companies albums such as the Beastie Boys’ “Licensed to […]
October 3rd in African American History – Charles White
October 3, 1979 Charles White, graphic artist and teacher, died. White was born April 2, 1918 in Chicago, Illinois. He became interested in art by the age of 7 and at 14 was working as a sign painter. White earned a scholarship to the Art Institute of Chicago and graduated in 1937. After graduation, he […]