African American History Calendar

Description:

W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963) is widely recognized as a significant figure: for his pursuit of social justice, for his literary imagination, and for his pioneering social-scientific studies. He is read with profit today in the academic fields of sociology, literature, and history, and in the trans-disciplinary realms of urban studies and gender studies. Nevertheless, Du Bois was, and remains still, a contentious figure.

W.E.B. DuBois challenged the oppressive dimensions of the society in which he lived. His increasingly radical stances on the political and economic issues of his day, as well as his emigration to Ghana, heightened his controversy in some circles. For many, time has not lessened the more provocative aspects of his life.

Description:

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. leads a march on Washington and delivers his "I have a dream" speech - 1963.

Description:

August 28, 1888 - Granville T. Woods patents railway telegraphy.

Description:

August 30, 1983 - Lt. Col. Guion S. Bluford Jr. becomes the first African American astronaut in space.

Description:

On August 30th 1800, a group of slaves from Henrico County, Virginia, marched on Richmond. The slaves had planned the insurrection for months, under the leadership of Gabriel Prosser. They managed to secure weaponry such as clubs and swords for the revolt. Once in the city the slaves intended to capture more arms, and spark a general slave insurrection.

http://modernhistorian.blogspot.com/2008/08/on-this-day-in-history-slave-rebellion.html

Description:

The USS Harmon, the first US Navy ship to be named for an African American, is commissioned - 1943

Description:

September 1, 1891 - Halle T.D. Johnson becomes first woman of any race to practice medicine in Alabama.

Description:

September 2, 1958 - Frederick M. Jones patents control device for internal combustion engine.