People, Locations, Episodes

Chauncey Spencer, Pilot born

Chauncey Spencer was born on this date in 1906. He was an African American pilot and educator.

He was born in Lynchburg, VA, one of three children of Edward Spencer and noted Harlem Renaissance poet Anne Spencer. One of the most respected families in Lynchburg, visitors to the Spencer home included George Washington Carver, Paul Robeson, James Weldon Johnson, Walter White, Clarence Muse, Dean Pickens, Adam Clayton Powell, Langston Hughes, Thurgood Marshall, and W.E.B. Dubois.

Charles Anderson, Aviator born

*Charles Anderson was born this date in 1907. He was an African American aviator.

From Bridgeport, Pennsylvania, he was the son of Janie and Iverson Anderson of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Young Anderson was enamored with airplanes and flying from the age of six. Because most flight instructors during that time would not take Black students, he taught himself to fly at the age of 22 in a used plane purchased with his savings and funds borrowed from friends and relatives. He earned a private pilot’s license in 1929 and a commercial pilot’s license in 1932.

Thomas C. Allen, Aviator born

*Thomas Allen was born on this date in 1907. He was a Black aviation mechanic and pilot. Thomas Cox Allen was born in Quitman, Wood County, Texas, the youngest of three children; his parents were teachers. Allen’s father died when he was three months old. His mother, Polly, continued to teach school and run the […]

Frank Mann, Aviator, and Engineer born

On this date we mark the birth of Frank Mann in 1908. He was an African American engineer and designer.

A Black Man Becomes The First Human To Reach The North Pole

On this date in 1909 African American Matthew Henson became the first man to reach the North Pole.

Henson, an African American explorer, and adventurer began the journey with Admiral Robert E. Peary from Camp Sheridan in Greenland in February of that year. By April they were near exhaustion and blinded by snow glare, but only 60 miles from their goal. Despite the adversity, Henson, an expert in handling equipment, dog sleds and in communicating with Eskimos went forth and became the first man to reach the North Pole.

Bessie Stringfield, Motorcyclist born

 *This date in 1911 is celebrated as the birth date of Bessie Stringfield. She was a Black motorcyclist and civilian motorcycle dispatch rider for the US Army during World War II. She was born Bessie Beatrice White to Maggie Cherry and James White, living in Edenton, North Carolina. Later, she created a different version of […]

Lewis A. Jackson, Aviator, and Educator born

Lewis A. Jackson was born on this date in 1912. He was an African American aviator, innovator, educator, and administrator.

Edward Toppins, Military Pilot born.

*Edward Toppins was born on this date in 1915. He was a Black U.S. Army Air Force pilot and commanding officer. Edward Lucien Toppins was born in Mississippi to Martha E. Toppins Davis, a dressmaker. He was the only brother of three sisters: Henrietta, Delphine, and Naomi. After living in Louisiana in the 1930s, Toppins […]

Dorothy Layne McIntyre, Aviator born

*Dorothy Layne McIntyre was born on this date in 1917. She is a Black aviator (retired) and educator.  Dorothy Arlene Layne was born in Leroy, New York. She completed her elementary and secondary school education in Leroy, enrolled in West Virginia State College, and was accepted into the Civilian Pilot Training Program. Layne then moved […]

Herbert E. Carter, Military Pilot born.

*Herbert E. Carter was born on this date in 1919. He was a Black military pilot and a United States Air Force officer. Herbert Eugene Carter was born in Amory, Mississippi, and was one of ten children. His father, George Washington Carter, was African American, and his mother, Willie Ann Sykes Carter, was Native American. […]

Edward A. Gibbs, Aviation, Instructor and Businessman born

*Edward Gibbs was born on this date in 1919. He was an aviator, businessman, and instructor. Edward Albertis Gibbs was from New York City. He attended New York City public schools and received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from New York University and a Juris Doctorate Degree from New York Law School. He […]

Mildred Louise Hemmons Carter, Airplane Pilot born.

*Mildred Louise Hemmons Carter was born on this date in 1921. She was a Black airplane pilot, the first Black female pilot in Alabama. Mildred Louise Hemmons was born to Mamie and Luther Hemmons in Benson, Alabama. Her mother was the town’s postmaster, while her father was the foreman of a sawmill. She lived in […]

Harry Stewart Jr., Military Pilot born.

*Harry Stewart Jr. was born on this date in 1924. He was a Black soldier and fighter pilot. Harry Thaddeus Stewart Jr. was born in Newport News, Virginia. When he was two years old, after living near Langley Field Air Force Base between Hampton and Newport News, Virginia, Stewart and his family moved to Queens […]

The Challenger Air Pilots Association is formed

*The Challenger Air Pilots Association is celebrated on this date in 1924. Formed by Cornelius Coffey, John Charles Robinson, Willa Brown, and others, it expanded flying opportunities for Blacks in Chicago. Excluded from local airfields, they set up their own at Robbins, Illinois. To become a Pilot

Barbara Hillary, Explorer, and Environmentalist born

*Barbara Hillary was born on this date in 1931. She was a Black nurse, publisher, adventurer, and advocate for environmental justice.   Hillary was born in New York City in the Lincoln Square neighborhood (formerly San Juan Hill). Her mother raised her in Harlem, and her father died while she was a baby. Hillary grew up […]