In 1865, Henry Highland Garnet (December 23, 1815 – February 13, 1882) an African American abolitionist and orator becomes the first black minister to preach to the United States House of Representatives.

In 1900, For a Lincoln birthday celebration, James Weldon Johnson writes the lyrics for “Lift Every Voice and Sing”. With music by his brother, J. Rosamond, the song is first sung by 500 children in Jacksonville, Fla. It will become known as the “Negro National Anthem”.

In 1903, American baritone opera singer Todd Duncan, the first performer of the role of Porgy in Porgy and Bess, is born in Danville, Kentucky. Duncan would be the first African American to sing with a major opera company and the first black person to sing in an opera all white cast, when he performed the role of Tonio in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci with the New York City Opera.

1907 – Gospel great Roberta Martin was born this day in Helena, AR. Martin worked with other gospel greats like Thomas Dorsey and Theodore Frye and became owner of one of the largest gospel publishing houses in Chicago.

1909, NAACP ~ Founded in New York City by a group of black and white citizens committed to social justice, following a riot that took place in Springfield Il. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the nation’s largest and strongest civil rights organization.

– On this day in 1934, basketball legend and Boston Celtics great Bill Russell was born.

1946: WW II Army veteran Isaac Woodard was beaten and permanently blinded after a run-in with the South Carolina police. During his radio show, Orson Welles read an affidavit sent to him by the NAACP, signed by Woodard. Welles promised to root out the officer responsible, and made the case a major focus of his weekly show. The events and outcome of the Woodard case partially inspired Welles’ 1958 film, Touch of Evil. Woody Guthrie later recalled “I sung ‘The Blinding of Isaac Woodard’ in the Lewisohn Stadium one night for more than 36,000 people, and I got the loudest applause I’ve ever got in my whole life.”

– On this day in 1956, the first black late-night talk show host Arsenio Hall was born.

The bus boycott opens in Macon, Georgia in solidarity with the Montgomery Bus Boycott, in 1956

1965 – Malcolm X visits Smethwick in Birmingham, England, following the racially-charged 1964 United Kingdom general election.

In 1983, James Herbert “Eubie” Blake ~ (composer and pianist) dies in New York City at age 100

And on 2000: Jalacy Hawkins aka Screamin’ Jay Hawkins passed away, aged 70.

Also on This day in history…

1818 – Bernardo O'Higgins formally approves the Chilean Declaration of Independence near Concepción, Chile.

1855 – Michigan State University is established.

1909 – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is founded.

1915 – In Washington, D.C., the first stone of the Lincoln Memorial is put into place.

1924 – George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue received its premiere in a concert titled "An Experiment in Modern Music", in Aeolian Hall, New York, by Paul Whiteman and his band, with Gershwin playing the piano.

1946 – African American United States Army veteran Isaac Woodard is severely beaten by a South Carolina police officer to the point where he loses his vision in both eyes. The incident later galvanizes the civil rights movement and partially inspires Orson Welles' film Touch of Evil.

1947 – Christian Dior unveils a "New Look", helping Paris regain its position as the capital of the fashion world.

1963 – Construction begins on the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.

1965 – Malcolm X visits Smethwick in Birmingham, England, following the racially-charged 1964 United Kingdom general election.

1974 – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1970, is exiled from the Soviet Union.

1983 – One hundred women protest in Lahore, Pakistan against military dictator Zia-ul-Haq's proposed Law of Evidence. The women were tear-gassed, baton-charged and thrown into lock-up. The women were successful in repealing the law.

1990 – Carmen Lawrence becomes the first female Premier in Australian history when she becomes Premier of Western Australia.

1999 – United States President Bill Clinton is acquitted by the United States Senate in his impeachment trial.

2002 – The trial of Slobodan Milošević, the former President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, begins at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, Netherlands. He dies four years later before its conclusion.

2004 – The city of San Francisco begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in response to a directive from Mayor Gavin Newsom.

…and if today is your birthday, Happy Birthday To You! You share this special day with

1877 – Louis Renault, French engineer and businessman, co-founded Renault (d. 1944)

1880 – John L. Lewis, American miner and union leader (d. 1969)

1881 – Anna Pavlova, Russian-English ballerina and actress (d. 1931)

1893 – Omar Bradley, American general (d. 1981)

1904 – Ted Mack, American radio and television host (d. 1976)

1915 – Lorne Greene, Canadian-American actor (d. 1987)

1915 – Olivia Hooker, American sailor (d. 2018)

1916 – Joseph Alioto, American lawyer and politician, 36th Mayor of San Francisco (d. 1998)

1917 – Dom DiMaggio, American baseball player (d. 2009)

1919 – Forrest Tucker, American actor (d. 1986)

1926 – Joe Garagiola, Sr., American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2016)

1926 – Charles Van Doren, American academic (d. 2019)

1933 – Costa-Gavras, Greek-French director and producer

1934 – Bill Russell, American basketball player and coach

1938 – Judy Blume, Jewish-American author and educator

1939 – Ray Manzarek, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (d. 2013)

1942 – Ehud Barak, Israeli general and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Israel

1948 – Ray Kurzweil, American computer scientist and engineer

1955 – Bill Laswell, American bass player and producer

1956 – Arsenio Hall, American actor and talk show host

1965 – David Westlake, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

1966 – Paul Crook, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer

1968 – Josh Brolin, American actor

1968 – Chynna Phillips, American singer and actress

1970 – Judd Winick, American author and illustrator

1980 – Sarah Lancaster, American actress

1980 – Christina Ricci, American actress and producer

Almanac - Friday 2/12/21

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