Feb 28, 1708 Slave revolt, Newton, Long Island (N.Y.). Seven whites killed. Two Black male slaves and an Indian slave were hanged, and a Black woman was burned alive.

Phillis Wheatley passed away on Feb. 28, 1784. She was only 31, but she is the first African-American woman to be published, paving the way for so many after her.

Feb 28, 1859 Arkansas legislature required free Blacks to choose between exile and enslavement.

In 1940, Hattie McDaniel became the first Black person to win an Oscar. She won for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in “Gone With The Wind” at the 12th Academy Awards.

1940: Native Son by Richard Wright was published.

1959: NFL trade: The Chicago Cardinals traded Ollie Matson to LA Rams for 9 players. When he retired in 1966, his career all-purpose yards were second only to Jim Brown. Matson was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972.

On February 28, 1970, Abdou Diouf, a member of the Socialist Party, became prime minister of Senegal

1976: Natalie Cole took home Grammy Awards for ‘Best New Artist’ and ‘Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female’ for the song ‘This Will Be’ on this day at the 18th Annual Grammy Awards Show.

Feb 28, 1990 Philip Emeagwali awarded the Gordon Bell Prize (computing's Nobel Prize) for solving one of the twenty most difficult problems in the computing field.

On February 28, 2003, President George W. Bush nominated Roland Wentworth Bullen to serve as the American Ambassador to the Republic of Guyana.

some black history birthdays…

1945: Former NFL player turned actor Bubba Smith was born. He passed away in 2011, aged 66.

1955: Stand-up comedian, actor and voice artist Gilbert Gottfried was born.

1955: NBA Hall of Famer Adrian Dantley was born.

1971: Actress Tasha Smith was born on this day in Camden, New Jersey.

1961: Actress Rae Dawn Chong was born.

Also on this day in history…

1849 – Regular steamship service from the east to the west coast of the United States begins with the arrival of the SS California in San Francisco Bay, four months 22 days after leaving New York Harbor.

1939 – The erroneous word "dord" is discovered in the Webster's New International Dictionary, Second Edition, prompting an investigation.

1940 – Basketball is televised for the first time (Fordham University vs. the University of Pittsburgh in Madison Square Garden).

1953 – James Watson and Francis Crick announce to friends that they have determined the chemical structure of DNA; the formal announcement takes place on April 25 following publication in April's Nature (pub. April 2).

1954 – The first color television sets using the NTSC standard are offered for sale to the general public.

1983 – The final episode of M*A*S*H airs, with almost 106 million viewers. It still holds the record for the highest viewership of a season finale.

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

1894 – Ben Hecht, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1964)

1895 – Marcel Pagnol, French author, playwright and director (d. 1974)

1901 – Linus Pauling, American chemist and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)

1903 – Vincente Minnelli, American director and screenwriter (d. 1986)

1906 – Bugsy Siegel, American gangster (d. 1947)

1907 – Milton Caniff, American cartoonist (d. 1988)

1915 – Zero Mostel, American actor and comedian (d. 1977)

1929 – Frank Gehry, Canadian-American architect, designed 8 Spruce Street and Walt Disney Concert Hall

1931 – Gavin MacLeod, American actor

1934 – Willie Bobo, American Latin Jazz/Afro-Cuban jazz percussionist (d. 1983)

1939 – John Fahey, American guitarist (d. 2001)

1939 – Chögyam Trungpa, Tibetan philosopher and scholar (d. 1987)

1939 – Tommy Tune, American actor, singer, dancer, and director

1940 – Mario Andretti, Italian-American race car driver

1948 – Bernadette Peters, American actress, singer, and author

1953 – Paul Krugman, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

1957 – John Turturro, American actor, director, and screenwriter

1959 – Jack Abramoff, American businessman and lobbyist

1970 – Daniel Handler, American journalist, author, and accordion player

Almanac - Friday 2/28/20

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