Black - African American History Facts

Dr. Mary Church Terrell, the first black person to serve on the Washington, DC, Board of Education and the first President of the National Association of Colored Women, was born in Memphis, TN, on this date in 1863.

John W. Coltrane, innovative jazz legend, was born in Hamlet, NC, on this date in 1926. Some of his famous recordings were: "My Favorite Things," "A Love Supreme," and "Ascension."

Thurgood Marshall was named to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals by President John F. Kennedy on this date in 1961.

With 935 stolen bases, Lou Brock became baseball's all-time leading base stealer, on this date in 1979.

Nelson Mandela was honored by President Clinton with the Congressional Medal of Honor on this date in 1998. Mandela received the medal at the Capital Rotunda for overcoming 27 years of unjust imprisonment and rising up to become President of South Africa.