People, Locations, Episodes

Frank Duncan, Baseball Player born

*The birth of Frank Duncan in 1901 is celebrated on this date. He was an African American baseball player and manager in the Negro Leagues.

Duncan was born and raised in Kansas City. He played on semi-pro teams in St. Joseph, Missouri, and Chicago before he was traded to the Monarchs in 1921. One of the top catchers in the Negro Baseball Leagues, Frank Duncan spent most of his playing career with the Kansas City Monarchs. He was their first-string catcher during the Monarchs’ glory years of the 1920s, when the team won three consecutive league championships.

George Suttles, Baseball Player born

*George Suttles was born on this date in 1901. He was an African American baseball player in the Negro Leagues.

From Brockton, Louisiana, the Mule’s thirty-year career in Negro baseball began in 1918, two years before Rube Foster’s Negro National League’s inaugural season, and continued until after Jackie Robinson had his rookie season with the Dodgers under his belt. He grew up in the Birmingham, Alabama area and first attracted the attention of the hometown Black Barons. He signed his first professional contract with that club in 1923.

‘Turkey’ Stearnes, Baseball Player born

Norman (“Turkey”) Stearnes was born on this date in Nashville, TN, in 1901. He was an African American baseball player in the Negro Leagues.

A fleet-footed power hitter with an unusual batting style, Stearnes demonstrated his hitting prowess early

John Atkinson, Park Superintendant born.

*John Atkinson was born on this date in 1901. He was a Black plasterer, Jeweler, Watch Repair, Small Appliance Repair, and The Dew Drop Inn owner in Atlanta, Georgia.  From Crawfordville, Georgia, John Lloyd Atkinson was the son of George William Atkinson and Emma Louise Edwards Atkinson. He received his first schooling from his father, […]

Jack Leslie, UK Soccer Player born

*Jack Leslie was born on this date in 1901.  He was a Black English professional soccer footballer.   John Francis Leslie was born in Canning Town, London, to a Jamaican father, also called John Francis Leslie, a gas fitter laborer in London, and a white-English mother, Annie Leslie, a seamstress.  He played for the local […]

The Leland Giants Baseball Team is formed

*The Leland Giants baseball team is celebrated on this date in 1901. They were a Negro League baseball team that competed independently during the first decade of the 20th century. Originally, the Chicago Union Giants were a merger of the Chicago Unions and the Chicago Columbia Giants. In 1905, the team had a record of 43 straight […]

Jack Trice, Iowa State Football Player born

*The birth of Jack Trice in 1902 is celebrated on this date. He was an African American football Student/Athlete.

Ted ‘Double Duty’ Radcliffe, Baseball Player born

On this date in 1902, Ted Radcliffe, an African American baseball player in the Negro Leagues, was born.

‘Cool Papa’ Bell, Baseball Player born

On this date in 1903, James “Cool Papa” Bell was born in Starksville, Mississippi. He was an African American baseball player, considered by many as the fastest player in the sport.

Cornelius Coffey, Aviation Pioneer born

*Cornelius Coffey was born on this date in 1903. He was an African American aviator and engineer; and was the first black person to hold both a pilot’s and mechanic’s license in America.

William Hubbard, Olympic Athlete born

William Hubbard was born on this date in 1903. He was an African American track and field athlete.

William DeHart Hubbard grew up in the Walnut Hills section of Cincinnati, OH, and was known to be the fastest kid in school. He was not only athletic but also intelligent, with a four-year scholastic average of 90. Hubbard was part of the Golden Age of Sports and when people started using the word “Superstar.” He was the national long-jump champion of the 1920s who was also experienced in the sprints and triple jump.

Willie Foster, Baseball Pitcher born

On this date in 1904, William Foster was born. He was an African American Negro League baseball player from Calvert, Texas and a graduate of Alcorn State College.

The First Black Wins an American Olympic Medal

*On this date in 1904, the first Black Olympic medal winner was crowned. George Coleman Poage won a bronze medal in the third Olympic games in St. Louis, Missouri.

Halley Harding, Actor, and Journalist born

*Halley Harding was born on this date in 1904.  He was a Black college and semi-pro athlete, actor, journalist, and civil rights activist.  William Claire (Halley) Harding was born in Wichita, Kansas.  Early in his childhood, his family moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and Chicago, Illinois.   In the early 1920s, he attended Knox College of Galesburg, Illinois, and […]

Edward Joseph Dwight Sr., Baseball Player born

*Edward Joseph Dwight Sr. was born on this date in 1905. He was a Black baseball player and chemist. He graduated from Sumner High School in Kansas City, Kansas.  He played second base and centerfield in the Negro League. He played mostly for the Kansas City Monarchs from 1924 to 1937. After retiring from baseball, he worked as a […]