Black - African American History Facts

John Henry Conyers became the first black person to enter the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD, on this date in 1872.

F. W. Leslie, inventor, patented the Envelope Seal on this date in 1887. Patent # 590,325.

Clifford Alexander, Jr., the first black Secretary of the U.S. Army, was born in New York City on this date in 1933.

Juanita Kidd Stout was named by the Governor to serve as a Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge on this date in 1959. Later that year Stout won the election for a full term on the Court and became the first black woman elected judge in the United States.

Florence Griffith Joyner (Flo Jo), legendary track star, died in Santa Monica, CA, on this date in 1998. At the time of her death Joyner held world records in the women's 100 and 200 meter dashes.