Almanac - Monday February 19, 2024

Feb 19, 1940 Soul singer William "Smokey" Robinson born in Detroit, Michigan. Robinson's first singing group was the Miracles which he formed in 1955 while still in high school. The group's first success came in 1960 with the hit, "Shop Around."

Lauren Anderson was born in Houston, Texas, on February 19, 1965

She is an American ballet dancer and a former principal dancer with the Houston Ballet.

In 1990, she was one of the first African-American ballerinas to become a principal for a major dance company, an important milestone in American ballet.

On this day in Black History…

Feb 19, 1919 Pan-African Congress, organized by W.E.B. Du Bois, met a Grand Hotel, Paris.

There were fifty-seven delegates sixteen from the United States and fourteen from Africa form sixteen countries and colonies.

Blaise Diagne of Senegal was elected president and Du Bois was named secretary.

Tuskegee Airmen were initiated Feb 19, 1942. The Army Air Corps' all African American 100th Pursuit Squadron, later designated a fighter squadron, was activated at Tuskegee Institute. The squadron served honorably in England and in other regions of the European continent during World War II. (may I recommend the movie Red Tails)

Feb 19, 1992 John Singleton, the first African American film director to be nominated for the Academy Award is nominated for best director and best screenplay for his first film Boyz N the Hood.

Feb 19, 2002 Vonetta Flowers became the first black gold medalist in the history of the Winter Olympic Games. She and partner Jill Brakken won the inagural women's two-person bobsled event.

Also on this day in history…

1878 – Thomas Edison patents the phonograph.

1954 – Transfer of Crimea: The Soviet Politburo of the Soviet Union orders the transfer of the Crimean Oblast from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR.

1959 – The United Kingdom grants Cyprus independence, which is formally proclaimed on August 16, 1960.

1963 – The publication of Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique reawakens the feminist movement in the United States as women's organizations and consciousness raising groups spread.

1976 – Executive Order 9066, which led to the relocation of Japanese Americans to internment camps, is rescinded by President Gerald Ford's Proclamation 4417.

1985 – William J. Schroeder becomes the first recipient of an artificial heart to leave the hospital.

…and today’s birthdays also include….

1473 – Nicolaus Copernicus, Prussian mathematician and astronomer (d. 1543)

1743 – Luigi Boccherini, Italian cellist and composer (d. 1805)

1896 – André Breton, French poet and author (d. 1966)

1902 – Kay Boyle, American novelist, short story writer, and educator (d. 1992)

1917 – Carson McCullers, American novelist, short story writer, playwright, and essayist (d. 1967)

1924 – Lee Marvin, American actor (d. 1987)

1940 – Smokey Robinson, American singer-songwriter and producer

1946 – Karen Silkwood, American technician and activist (d. 1974)

1952 – Amy Tan, American novelist, essayist, and short story writer

1955 – Jeff Daniels, American actor and playwright

1964 – Jonathan Lethem, American novelist, essayist, and short story writer

1967 – Benicio del Toro, Puerto Rican actor, director, and producer

1985 – Haylie Duff, American actress and singer

Almanac - Monday February 19, 2024

KALW NEWSLETTERS