On August 4, 1936, American Jesse Owens won gold in the long
jump at the Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. It was the
second of four gold medals Owens won in Berlin, as he firmly
dispelled German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler’s notion of the superiority
of an Aryan “master race,” for all the world to see.
James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens
(September 12, 1913 – March 31, 1980)
Simmering racial tensions and economic frustrations boiled over
in New York City on the night of August 1, 1943, culminating in
what is now known as the Harlem Riot of 1943.
During an altercation in the lobby of the Braddock Hotel, a white
police officer shoots a Black soldier, Robert Bandy, triggering a
massive uprising.
On July 10, 1893, trailblazing physician Daniel Hale Williams
successfully performed one of the world’s first open-heart
surgeries at Provident Hospital in Chicago. Not only is he a
pioneer of the procedure; he is one of just three African
American physicians practicing in Chicago at a time when
many white-run hospitals refused to treat Black patients—
much less hire Black doctors.
Born in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania on January 18, 1856,
Williams worked as a shoemaker’s apprentice and a barber
before graduating from Chicago Medical College in 1883.
Dr. Williams opened Provident Hospital in Chicago,
Illinois, which is known to be the first Black-owned
hospital in the nation.
On July 6, 1957, Althea Gibson claimed the women’s singles
tennis title at Wimbledon and became the first African
American to win a championship at London’s All England
Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
Gibson will be honored on a U.S. quarter in 2025 as part of
the final year of the American Women quarters program.
Althea Neale Gibson
(August 25, 1927 – September 28, 2003)
Gibson survived a heart attack, but died
shortly after from complications following
respiratory and bladder infections.
SANDY KOZEL
On July 5, 1975, Arthur Ashe defeated the heavily favored Jimmy Connors to became the first African-American male ever to win Wimbledon, the most coveted championship in tennis.
Arthur Robert Ashe Jr.
(July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993)
