People, Locations, Episodes

Ethiopia Gains Independence From Italy

*On this date in 1941, Ethiopia Regained Its Independence from Italy. This helped Black Africa repair the invasion of the 1884 Berlin Conference, the high point of white European competition for territory on the continent, a process commonly known as the Scramble for Africa.  The independence of Ethiopia was interrupted by the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, beginning […]

The American Marine Corps Integrates

On this date in 1941, the Marine Corps formally integrated. This was a result of President Roosevelt signing Executive Order 8802 months before Pearl Harbor.

Black History and WW II’s Pearl Harbor, a story

African American Registry acknowledges the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor with 10 short facts that occurred during or after the incident.

The ‘Lee Street Riot’ Occurs

*On this date in 1942, the “Lee Street Riot” occurred. This confrontation was between Black soldiers stationed in Alexandria, Louisiana and the town’s white residents. This military regiment involved was the Army’s 367th, a Black regiment. Just one month after Pearl Harbor, violence burst into a pattern that would repeat itself many times in the […]

The Tuskegee Airmen Begin Military Service

*On this date in 1942, the Tuskegee Airmen were initiated into the armed forces.

The Alcan Highway Construction Begins

*On this date in 1942 the building of The Alcan Highway in Canada began. This was an Army project during World War II that involved over 10,000 men of which over 30% were African American GI’s.

Joseph McNeil, Military Officer (retired) and Activist born.

*Joseph McNeil was born on this date in 1942. He is a Black retired military officer and college activist. Joseph Alfred McNeil was born in Wilmington, North Carolina. He grew up in Wilmington and was president of his parish’s Catholic Youth Council. McNeil attended Williston Senior High School, a Black school, where instructors taught their […]

The 332d Fighter Group is activated

*The 332d Fighter Group was activated on this date in 1942. The 332d is a provisional air expeditionary group of the United States Air Force’s Air Combat Command. This Fighter Group was predominantly staffed by Black personnel and was home to the Tuskegee Airmen. The United States entered World War II with a military that […]

The ‘Burma Road Project’ Begins

*This date in 1942 celebrates the beginning of the Burma Road construction project, which was a three-year WW II military excavation project.  Black soldiers who worked to re-open the Burma Road were the single largest group of Blacks in World War II-era China. They were present in many WW II construction projects, including the Red Ball Express […]

Lloyd Newton, Aviator, and Educator born

he birth of Lloyd Newton in 1942 is marked on this date. He is an African American Air Force general (retired), educator, and administrator.

Sherian Cadoria, General born

*Sherian Grace Cadoria was born on this date in 1943. She is a retired Black Brigadier General military officer.  Born in Marksville, Louisiana. She is a graduate of Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and holds a Master of Arts in Social Work from the University of Oklahoma. Initially in the Women’s Army Corps, she […]

Charles David Saves Many Of His Shipmates Aboard The USS Dorchester

*On this date in 1943, Charles W. David of the USS Dorchester gave his life for his country.

At a time when segregation was still practiced in the armed forces, he bravely set out to save lives. The incident occurred when a convoy of three ships and three escorting Coast Guard cutters passed through “torpedo alley” some 100 miles off the coast of Greenland during World War II. At about 1 a.m. that morning the submarine U-223 fired three torpedoes, one of which hit the midsection of the Dorchester, a U.S. Army troopship with more than 900 men on board.

Black Soldiers Die on Mississippi Army Base

On this date in 1943, a Black soldier of the 364th Army infantry was killed on an Army base in Mississippi.

Black history and the Women’s Air Force Service Pilots, a story

*Black history and the Women’s Air Force Service Pilots (WASP) are affirmed on this date in 1943. Also known as the Women’s Army Service Pilots or Women’s Auxiliary Service Pilots, the WASP was a civilian women pilots’ organization whose members were United States federal civil service employees. Although most WASP pilots were white, they were […]

The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion is Activated

*The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion was officially activated on this date in 1943.   Activated at Fort Benning, Georgia, the Battalion, nicknamed The Triple Nickels, was an all-Black airborne unit of the United States Army during World War II.    The unit was activated due to a recommendation made in December 1942 by the Advisory Committee on Negro Troop Policies, chaired by the Assistant Secretary of War, John J. McCloy. […]