Black - African American History Facts

Thomas Mundy Petersen, of Perth Amboy, NJ, became the first black person to vote on this date in 1870 following the adoption of the 15th Amendment.

Jack Johnson, boxing's first black Heavyweight Champion, was born in Galveston, TX, on this date in 1878.

George "Little Chocolate" Dixon knocked out Cal McCarthy to become the first black man to hold an American title in any sport on this date in 1890.

Asa Philip Randolph, on this date in 1948, told the Senate Armed Services Committee he would encourage young blacks to resist induction using civil disobedience if segregation and discrimination were not ended in draft programs.

Jesse Owens, winner of four Olympic Gold Medals in Berlin in 1936, died in Tucson, AZ, on this date in 1980.

Toni Morrison received a "Pulitzer Prize" for her book, Beloved, on this date in 1988. Michael duCille, Miami Herald photographer, and Dean Baquet, Chicago Tribune reporter, were also awarded "Pulitzer Prizes."