October 21, 1917 John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie, jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer, was born in Cheraw, South Carolina. By the age of 12, Gillespie had taught himself to play the piano, trombone, and trumpet and he took his first professional job at 18. Together with Charlie Parker, Gillespie was a major figure in the development […]
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October 20th in African American History – The Black Revolutionary War Patriots Commemorative Silver Dollar
October 20, 1996 The Black Revolutionary War Patriots Commemorative Silver Dollar was authorized by Public Law 104-329 to honor the Black Revolutionary War patriots and the 275th anniversary of the birth of the first black Revolutionary War patriot, Crispus Attucks.
October 20th in African American History – Lee Roy Selmon
October 20, 1954 Lee Roy Selmon, hall of fame football player, was born in Eufaula, Oklahoma. Selmon played college football at the University of Oklahoma where he was an All-American in 1974 and 1975. In 1975, he won the Lombardi Award and the Outland Trophy as the best college football lineman in the country. Selmon […]
October 19th in African American History – Marjorie Lee Browne
October 19, 1979 Marjorie Lee Browne, educator and one of the first African American women to earn a doctorate in mathematics, died. Browne was born September 9, 1914 in Memphis, Tennessee. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics cum laude from Howard University in 1935 and her Master of Science degree from the […]
October 19th in African American History – Samora Moises Machel
October 19, 1986 Samora Moises Machel, the first President of Mozambique, died in an airplane crash. Machel was born September 29, 1933 in Gaza Province, Portuguese East Africa (Mozambique). In 1962, Machel joined the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) which was dedicated to creating an independent Mozambique. He received military training in other […]
October 18th in African American History – Charles Edward “Chuck” Berry
October 18, 1926 Charles Edward “Chuck” Berry, guitarist, singer and songwriter, was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Berry made his first public performances while he was still in high school and by early 1953 was performing at popular clubs in East St. Louis, Illinois. In 1955, Berry recorded “Maybelene” which sold over a million copies […]
October 18th in African American History – Cyril Valentine Briggs
October 18, 1966 Cyril Valentine Briggs, writer and political activist, died. Briggs was born May 28, 1888 in Nevis, West Indies. He moved to New York City in 1905 and got his first writing job at the Amsterdam News in 1912. In 1917, Briggs founded the African Blood Brotherhood to stop lynchings in the South […]