Juneteenth is a celebration of Black freedom. The celebration fell out of favor for decades, and has made a couple of comebacks. Find out more here!
african-americans
Gimme a Break! was a sitcom that aired in the early 1980s. Originally airing on NBC from 1981 to 1987, the show became a part
When Jimi Hendrix died in 1970, the world was shocked that such a young star could have blazed so brightly, but then burned out so fast. Here’s a look back.
Sambo’s Restaurants were popular in the ’60s and ’70s. But as much as people loved the diners, the company name was always a problem. Here’s why.
Good Times wasn’t just about humor; it tackled pressing social issues of its time — including unemployment, racism, and poverty.
The vintage ambulance has a history rooted in far simpler designs than we know today. Here’s a look back at how they’ve changed over time!
In the early 1960s, The Supremes emerged as Motown’s brightest stars. Their infectious blend of pop & soul was irresistible. Have a listen!
From uprights to baby grands & more, these antique pianos are works of art!
NBC TV’s midseason situation comedy series, ‘Sanford and Son,’ about an aging black Los Angeles junk dealer, appears to be an instant, impressive hit.
“I have a dream” by the Rev Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, President, Southern Christian Leadership Conference March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom –
In this collection of vintage interviews, actress Nichelle Nichols (1932-2022) talked about her role as Uhura on Star Trek. Through her own words and vintage photos, you can find out about the groundbreaking star’s life both before and after the Enterprise took flight.
The insights and inventions of Dr George Washington Carver – which he gave freely to the world – revolutionized the South, and helped millions out of poverty.
We have heard Mathis’ voice for years – but who’s the man behind that rich, smooth sound? Find out more about this extraordinarily talented singer here, and see Johnny Mathis as he lived in his Hollywood home back in the 1970s.
By looking back at these old Civil War recruitment posters & broadsides, you can see what was being offered to men as an incentive to sign up to fight in the Civil War — and what exactly the leaders were looking for in troops back in the 1860s.
The Godfather of Soul. Mr Dynamite. The Hardest Working Man in Show Business. Whatever you called him, James Brown was a music legend who released hit records in four different decades.
H G Wells interviewed civil rights leader Booker T Washington, and wrote: ‘Every such man stands… fighting against foul imaginations, misrepresentations, injustice, insult, and the naive unspeakable meannesses of base antagonists.’
Many of today’s Halloween costumes and the tales of pirate treasure we all know can be traced back to the life and times of the very real person, Captain Kidd. But where is his treasure?
While books and articles on America’s slave trade can offer important historical insight, seeing ads for slave auctions casually placed in newspapers of the era really brings the brutality home.
Protests and riots in the ’60s led to increased tensions between police and the Black community, so Ebony magazine published this guide to help African-Americans protect themselves.
‘The Jeffersons’ was an offshoot of ‘All in the Family’ that took on a life of its own, and made a star out of Sherman Hemsley, who played George Jefferson.
Frederick Douglass, who was born a slave in Talbot county, Maryland, in 1817, was the one conspicuous anti-slavery agitator who spoke of the wrongs and cruelty of slavery from personal experience.
In the early morning hours of July 23, 1967, police in Detroit raided an unlicensed, after-hours bar in what they assumed was just another routine
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war.
With his memorable voice and pro patter, DJ Jocko Henderson entertained the ears of millions – and advanced American culture at the same time.
Here’s a look back at the career of Stevie Wonder, the talented singer and musician who, despite being blind, has earned dozens of hit songs that millions know and love.
‘Let us always be willing to give them whatever credit is their due.’ 186,000 men of African descent fought for the Union in the Civil War. Here are some antique portraits showing just a few of these soldiers.
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids was innovative Saturday morning TV with a message for kids (1972-1985)
In the ’70s & ’80s, many parents didn’t mind Saturday mornings at home with the kids. One reason was “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids,” one of the best examples of how television had improved for children.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Nobel Peace Prize winner who made nonviolence his chief weapon in the fight for civil rights, was shot to death in 1968. His assassination triggered violence across the nation. Find out more here.
Traditional Thanksgiving dinner food served at the original First Thanksgiving feast in 1621 provides a tasty menu for holiday tables today. Get some great recipes here!
I am at loss for the proper word to use to describe what television has done with Haley’s book Roots. “Enhance” will not do, nor is “heightened” sufficient. There is no word that is adequate.
Get a blast from the past with this 1978 article about the popular TV sitcom, “What’s Happening!!”, which soared past expectations and entertained millions.
Motown Records wasn’t just a record label – it was a sound. Thanks to their success, we had stars like Michael Jackson, The Supremes, Stevie Wonder & Marvin Gaye.
Being the heavyweight champion didn’t exclude Muhammad Ali from the draft during the height of the Vietnam War in 1967 – but it didn’t mean he was going to go willingly.
Harriet Tubman was born Araminta Ross — nicknamed “Minty” — around 1820-1823. She died on March 10, 1913, in Auburn, New York. In the words
At the start of the Watts Riots, rumors of police brutality during an arrest quickly spread, and a crowd began to form. It was the flashpoint for rioting and rebellion that had been simmering under the surface of Los Angeles that summer.
Here are images showing New York City’s growth from a frontier settlement known as New Amsterdam to the metropolis of the western world –through the Colonial times, and in the early days of US independence.
Author Hereward Carrington, who earned his PhD six years after this article was published in 1912, was a fairly well-known British investigator of psychic phenomena. The piece below
Original Editor’s note from 1968: This article by the noted author James Baldwin… is an attempt to explain to whites the militant Negro’s reaction to ‘black power,’ as well as the Negro revolution now in progress. It is bitter, but not devoid of hope.
There’s no sign proclaiming the FW Woolworth lunch counter here as the birthplace, 10 years ago today, of the sit-in movement that brought a new way of community life to the dual service and segregated South of the 1960s.
