People, Locations, Episodes

Matthew Henson, Explorer born

*Matthew Henson was born on this date in 1866. He was an African American explorer and member of the 1909 expedition with American explorer Robert Peary that is credited with discovering the North Pole.

Kenesaw Landis, Baseball Administrator born

*Kenesaw Landis was born on this date in 1866.  He was a white-American federal judge and the first Commissioner of Baseball.    Kenesaw Mountain Landis was born in Millville, Ohio. His name was a spelling variation on the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain in the American Civil War, where his father was wounded in 1864. Landis […]

Sol White, Baseball Player, and Author born

*”Sol” White was born on this date in 1868. He was a Black professional baseball infielder, manager, writer, and executive, and one of the pioneers of the American Negro Leagues. Born in Bellaire, Ohio, King Solomon White’s early life is not well-documented. According to the 1870 and 1880 U.S. Census, his family (parents and two […]

William Lewis, Athlete, and Scholar born

On this date, we remember, the birth of William H. Lewis, born in 1868. He was an African American lawyer and football player.

Born to former slaves in Berkley, Virginia, William Henry Lewis worked to pay for his education at Virginia Normal Institute (now Virginia State University). He later attended Amherst College in Massachusetts. Excelling as an orator and athlete, Lewis was one of the first Black men to play collegiate football, serving as team captain in 1890 and 1891. He met his future wife (Elizabeth Baker) at his graduation.

Frank Leland, Baseball Player, Coach, Manager, and Owner born

*The birth of Frank Leland is celebrated on this date in 1869. He was a Black baseball player, field manager, and club owner in the Negro Leagues. Frank C. Leland was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He attended Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, graduating in 1886. He began his professional baseball career with the Washington Capital Cities in […]

Black History and American Professional Football, a story

*African American contributions in professional American football are many. We show a lengthy legacy directly reflecting United States society.

Willie Simms, Horse Jockey born

Willie Simms was born on this date in 1870. He was an African American horse jockey.

Born near Augusta, GA, Simms began racing in 1887, and was one of the most successful to use the short stirrup that gave the rider a crouching posture. En route to winning the United States riding title in 1893 and 1894, Simms won back-to-back Belmont Stakes. The following year, he raced in England where he became the first American jockey to win with an American horse in that country. In America, Simms won the 1896 Kentucky Derby in its first time as a one and a quarter mile race.

George Jewett Jr., Collegiate Football Letterman and Doctor born

*George Jewett Jr. was born on this date in 1870.  He was a Black doctor, businessman, and one of the first Black collegiate football lettermen.   George Jewett Jr. grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan; his father was George Jewett, a blacksmith born in Kentucky, and his mother, Letty Jewett, was born in Michigan. He had an older sister, […]

Black History in Golf, a story

*With the week of the Masters Golf Tournament underway, African American history in American golf is remembered on this date. Beginning with Reconstruction, African Americans and golf have a long, rich history.

George Dixon, Canadian Boxer born

On this date in 1870, George Dixon was born. He was an African Canadian boxer.

Nicknamed Little Chocolate, Dixon was from Africville, Nova Scotia, Canada and fought as a featherweight. He was the first Black to win a world boxing championship. He is considered one of the best fighters in the history of the bantamweight and featherweight divisions.

Bill Pickett, Cowboy born

William Pickett was born on this date in 1870. He was a legendary cowboy of Black and Indian descent.

Bill Pickett, the second of 13 children, began his career as a cowboy while in grade school. Pickett soon began giving exhibitions of his roping, riding, and bulldogging skills, passing a hat for donations. By 1888, his family had moved to Taylor, Texas, and Bill performed in the town’s first fair that year. He and his brothers started a horse-breaking business in Taylor, and he was a member of the National Guard and a deacon of the Baptist church.

Joe Walcott, Boxer born

*Joe Walcott was born on this date in 1873. He was a Black boxer.

From Barbados, British West Indies, he came to the United States in 1887 and lived in, and fought out, of Boston, Massachusetts. At 5-1 1/2 and 133-148 pounds, he was a short, squat fighter with long arms and an extremely powerful punch; he was also quick and durable. Managed by Tom O’Rourke, Walcott was one of the greatest “pound for pound” fighters in boxing history and fought men weighing from lightweight to heavyweight during his career.

Charles Grant Jr., Baseball player born

*Charles Grant Jr. was born on this date in 1874. He was a Black baseball player in Negro League baseball before the formal league was created.  Grant was born in Cincinnati, the son of an African American horse trainer, Charles Grant, and his mother, Mary.  A good fielder, Grant was of “medium height,” weighed approximately 160 pounds, and hit right-handed.  Charlie Grant joined the Page […]

Joe Gans, Boxer born

On this date, Joe Gans, African American professional boxer, was born in 1874.

Born in Baltimore, Joseph Gaines (his name at birth) was a legend in the sport. Because he was black, he was compelled by boxing promoters to permit less-talented white fighters to last the scheduled number of rounds with him and occasionally to defeat him. He was also forced to fight at unnaturally low weights, and, perhaps as a result, he was so weakened that he contracted tuberculosis and died while a young man.

John M. Shippen, Jr., Golfer born

John Mathew Shippen, Jr., was born on this date in 1874. He was an African American golfer.