Booker T. Washington was the first Black American to be
honored on a U.S. postage stamp, released on April 7,
1940. As part of the 1940 "Famous Americans Series"
(educators group), this 10-cent stamp recognized his
role as a leading educator and founder of the Tuskegee
Normal and Industrial Institute.

It will take nearly four decades for a Black woman to
receive a similar honor: Harriet Tubman in 1978.

Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856 – November 14, 1915)

On April 7, 1970, the legendary actor John Wayne wins his first—
and only—acting Academy Award, for his star turn in the director
Henry Hathaway’s Western True Grit.

Wayne appeared in some 150 movies over the course of his long
and storied career.

He earned his first Oscar nomination, in the Best Actor category,
for Sands of Iwo Jima (1949). The Alamo (1960), which Wayne
produced, directed and starred in, earned a Best Picture
nomination.

Wayne’s Oscar for True Grit at the 42nd annual Academy Awards
in 1970 was generally considered to be a largely sentimental win,
and a long-overdue reward for one of Hollywood’s most enduring performers.

John Wayne (Marion Robert Morrison)
(May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979)