October 24, 1904 George Jordan, Medal of Honor recipient, died. Jordan was born in Williamson County, Tennessee. By 1880, he was serving as a sergeant in the 9th Cavalry Regiment in New Mexico during the Indian Wars. His citation reads: “While commanding a detachment of 25 men at Fort Tularosa, New Mexico, repulsed a force […]
Archive | October RSS feed for this section
October 24th in African American History – Frizzell Gerald Gray (Kweisi Mfume)
October 24, 1948 Frizzell Gerald Gray (Kweisi Mfume), former head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), was born in Baltimore, Maryland. At the age of 16, Mfume dropped out of high school and worked a number of jobs. At the age of 23, he returned to his studies and in […]
October 23rd in African American History – The National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes
October 23, 1911 The National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes was formed. The League was formed as the result of the merger of The Committee on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, The Committee for the Improvement of Industrial Conditions Among Negroes in New York and The National League for the Protection of Colored Women.
October 23rd in African American History – Edison Arantes de Nascimento (Pele)
October 23, 1940 Edison Arantes de Nascimento (Pele), one of the greatest soccer players of all time, was born in Tres Coracoes, Brazil. Pele began playing for the Brazilian national soccer team at 16 and won his first World Cup, the international championship of soccer, at 17. Pele’s technique and athleticism has been universally praised […]
October 22nd in African American History – Milton Lee Olive, III
October 22, 1965, Milton Lee Olive, III, the first African American Medal of Honor recipient of the Vietnam War, was killed in action. Olive was born November 7, 1946 in Chicago, Illinois. He enlisted in the United States Army at 17 and by 1965 was serving as a private first class in Vietnam. On October […]
October 22nd in African American History – Henry Armstrong
October 22, 1988 Henry Armstrong, the first boxer to hold world titles in three weight classes at the same time, died. Armstrong was born Henry Jackson, Jr. on December 2, 1912 in Columbus, Mississippi. He assumed the surname of his mentor and trainer, Harry Armstrong, in 1931. Because the fight purses were small, Armstrong usually […]
October 21st in African American History – Ronald Ervin McNair
October 21, 1950 Ronald Ervin McNair, physicist and NASA astronaut, was born in Lake City, South Carolina. McNair earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in physics, magna cum laude, from North Carolina A&T State University in 1971. In 1976, he earned his Ph. D. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.