On August 21, 1950, officials of the United States Lawn
Tennis Association accepted Althea Gibson into their
annual championship at Forest Hills, New York, making
her the first African American player to compete in a U.S.
national tennis competition.

Althea Neale Gibson
(August 25, 1927 – September 28, 2003

Gibson survived a heart attack in 2003, but died on
September 28 that year from complications following
respiratory and bladder infections. Her body was
interred in the Rosedale Cemetery, Orange, New
Jersey, near her first husband, Will.

Statue of Gibson by Thomas Jay Warren in Newark, New
Jersey, near the courts (in background) on which she ran
clinics for young players in her later years.

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.

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.

On July 6, 1957, Althea Gibson claimed the women’s singles tennis
title at Wimbledon and becomes the first African American to win a championship at London’s All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet
Club.

Gibson was born on August 25, 1927, in Silver, South Carolina,
and raised in the Harlem section of New York City. She began
playing tennis as a teenager and went on to win the national
Black women’s championship twice.

Althea Neale Gibson  (1927 – 2003)

SANDY KOZEL

Elvis Presley sang "That’s Alright Mama" during a recording session at Sun Studio on July 5, 1954. He was on acoustic rhythm guitar, Scotty Moore was on electric lead guitar, and
Bill Black was on string bass¹. The song was originally
written by Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup.  

From left, Elvis Presley, Bill Black, Scotty Moore and Sam Phillips at Memphis Recording Service, 706 Union Avenue,
in 1954. On the night of July 5 that year, Phillips would
record the threesome doing “That’s All Right.”

ED DANAHUE

Sofia Loren is 88 years young today.

As of 2022, Loren is one of the last surviving major
stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema and
is the only remaining living person on AFI ‘s list.

She holds the record for having earned seven David
di Donatello Awards for Best Actress. She has won
five special Golden Globes (including the Cecil B.
DeMille Award), a BAFTA Award, a Laurel Award, a
Grammy Award, the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the
Venice Film Festival and the Best Actress Award at the
Cannes Film Festival. In 1991, she received the Academy
Honorary Award for lifetime achievements.