On March 12, 1955, Charlie Parker died at the age of 34. Charlie Parker was a talented saxophonist who helped to pave the way for jazz music.
Category Archives: Today in History
10-time GRAMMY winner Bobby McFerrin was born in 1950
On March 11, 1950, Bobby McFerrin was born in New York. Bobby McFerrin is an influential musician and 10-time GRAMMY award winner.
Civil rights leader and community organizer Daisy Lampkin died in 1965
On March 10, 1965, Daisy Lampkin died at the age of 81. Daisy Lampkin was an influential civil rights leader and community organizer. Lampkin devoted her time to several prestigious black empowerment groups and organizations including the NAACP, the NACW, and the Lucy Stone Woman Suffrage League.
Floyd B. McKissick Sr., the first to attend the UNC Law School, was born in 1922
On March 9, 1922, Floyd B. McKissick Sr. was born. Floyd McKissick was an influential civil rights lawyer and advocate. McKissick gained higher education from Morehouse College.
Afterwards, he went to become the first African American to attend UNC Law School. McKissick worked alongside influential civil rights leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Famous Jazz musician Billy “Mr. B” Eckstine died in 1993
On March 8, 1993, Billy “Mr. B” Eckstine died at the age of 78 in 1993. William Clarence “Billy” Eckstine, known as “Mr.B.” was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1914. Billy Eckstine was a famous jazz musician and bandleader. Eckstine attended Howard University before pursuing his music career. He is known for musical hits like “I Apologize” and “Jelly” among others. Eckstine died in 1993 at 78 years old.
Ray Charles received a formal apology from the state of Georgia in 1979
On March 7, 1979, Ray Charles received a formal apology from the state of Georgia after being fined for not performing at a segregated club. In 1961, Ray Charles canceled a performance at an Atlanta club after learning there was a white patrons only restriction. The club promoter subsequently sued and Ray Charles was fined $757 by an Atlanta court. In 1979, nearly two decades later Ray Charles received a formal apology from the state of Georgia.
Ghana gained independence from Britain in 1957
On March 6, 1957, the Gold Coast, known today as Ghana, gained independence from Britain. Ghana Independence Day is celebrated in Ghana to commemorate their independence. The Ghanaian flag was designed by Theodosia Salome Okoh. The red signifies those who died for independence. The gold symbolizes mineral wealth and the green symbolizes the country’s nature and grasslands. The black star signifies African emancipation.
21 African American boys died in in the Wrightsville fire in 1959
On March 5, 1959, twenty-one African American boys died in the Wrightsville fire at an Arkansas reform school. The boys’ ages ranging from 13-17, were locked inside a room at Negro Boys Industrial School when the fire started. A memorial site was created in tribute at Haven of Rest Cemetery in Little Rock.
Inventor Garrett Morgan was born in 1877
On March 4, 1877, Garrett Morgan was born. Garrett Morgan was an influential inventor during the early 1900s. In 1914, esteemed inventor Garret Morgan patented a safety hood, a device that would later become a blueprint for gas masks. This is not Garrett Morgan’s only invention. Morgan also patented a sewing machine, a hair straightening product, and a three signal traffic light.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee, the first woman to ever win consecutive Olympic gold medals in the heptathlon, was born in 1962
On March 3, 1962, Olympic athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee was born in East St. Louis, Illinois. Jackie Joyner-Kersee was the first woman to ever win consecutive Olympic gold medals in the heptathlon (1992).
Jackie Joyner-Kersee earned higher education from UCLA before pursuing a professional track career. Kerese made history at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, becoming the first woman to ever win two consecutive gold medals in the heptathlon.
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