African American History Calendar

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May 1, 1867 - First four students enter Howard University.

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May 2, 1920 - Indianapolis ABCs defeat Chicago Giants in first Negro National League Game.

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May 4, 1961 - "Freedom Riders" begin protesting segregation of interstate bus travel in the South.

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J.H. Smith patents lawn sprinkler - May,4 1897

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May 5, 1988 - Eugene Marino becomes first African American installed as a Roman Catholic archbishop in the U.S.

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Civil Rights Act - May 6, 1960

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May 6, 1991 - The Smithsonian Institution approves the creation of the National African American Museum.

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May 7, 1878 - Joseph R. Winters patents first fire escape ladder.

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Georgia , South Carolina and Florida slaves freed - 1862

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John Albert Burr patented the rotary blade lawn mower - May 9, 1989.

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May 10, 1950 - Boston Celtics select Chuck Cooper first Black player drafted to play in the NBA.

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"Sit In" demonstration in Louisville, Ky - 1871

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May 14, 1888 - Slavery abolished in Brazil.

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Henry Ossian Flipper (21 March 1856 – 3 May 1940) was an American soldier, former slave, and the first African American to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1877, earning a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army.

Following Flipper's commission, he was transferred to one of the all-black regiments serving in the US Army which were historically led by white officers. Assigned to A Troop under the command of Captain Nicholas M. Nolan, he became the first non-white officer to lead Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry. Flipper served with competency and distinction during the Apache Wars and the Victorio Campaign but was haunted by rumors alleging improprieties. At one point he was court martialed and dismissed from the US Army.

After losing his commission in the Army, Flipper worked throughout Mexico and Latino America and as an assistant to the Secretary of the Interior. He retired to Atlanta in 1931 and died of natural causes in 1940.

In 1994 his descendants applied to the US military for a review of Flipper's court martial and dismissal. A review found that the conviction and punishment were "unduly harsh and unjust" and recommended that Flipper’s dismissal be changed to a good conduct discharge. Shortly afterwards, an application for pardon was filed with the Secretary of the Army which was forwarded to the Department of Justice. President Bill Clinton pardoned Lieutenant Henry O. Flipper on 19 February 1999.

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May 15, 1820 - U.S. Congress declares foreign slave trade an act of piracy, punishable by death.

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May 16, 1927 - William Harry Barnes becomes first African American certified by any American surgical board.

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May 19, 1925 - Malcolm X born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Neb.

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All day event

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Born on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska, Malcolm X was a prominent black nationalist leader who served as a spokesman for the Nation of Islam during the 1950s and '60s. Due largely to his efforts, the Nation of Islam grew from a mere 400 members at the time he was released from prison in 1952 to 40,000 members by 1960. Articulate, passionate and a naturally gifted and inspirational orator, Malcolm X exhorted blacks to cast off the shackles of racism "by any means necessary," including violence. The fiery civil rights leader broke with the group shortly before his assassination, February 21, 1965, at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan, where he had been preparing to deliver a speech.

http://www.biography.com/people/malcolm-x-9396195

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May 24, 1854 - Lincoln University (Pa.), the first black college, is founded.

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Voting Rights Bill passes - 1965

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C.B. Scott's patents Street Sweeper - 1896

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May 28, 1948 - National Party wins Whites-only election in South Africa and begins to institute policy of apartheid.

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May 29, 1901 - Granville T. Woods patents overhead conducting system for the electric railway.

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First meeting of the National Negro Committee(NAACP) - 1909

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Supreme Court orders school integration - 1955