Black History Pages

On This Day in Black History: May 17

1838

The Anti-Slavery Convention of American Women held its first meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1864

Musical prodigy John William "Blind" Boone was born.

1875

Oliver Lewis won the first Kentucky Derby astride Aristides. Fourteen of the fifteen jockeys in the race were African-American.

1893

Frederick McKinley Jones, who invented the first practical and automatic refrigeration unit for trucks, was born.

1900

In the Second Boer War, the Siege of Mafeking was lifted after 217 days, signalling victory for the British and defeat for the Boers. Following the relief of Mafeking, 26,000 Boer women and children died in the world's first concentration camps.

1909

Firemen on the Georgia Railroad went on strike to protest management's policy of replacing white workers with blacks, when ten white workers were replaced with black workers who were paid one-third less.

1915

The National Baptist Convention of America was chartered.

1954

The Supreme Court issued its landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ruling, which declared that racially segregated public schools were inherently unequal.

1957

The Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom was held on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The date was specifically chosen to coincide with the third anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. The march was organized by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), NAACP and other organizations seeking greater voting and civil rights for African-Americans.

1960

The Kariba Dam was officially opened by Her Majesty the Queen Mother. Sixty thousand Tonga in Zimbabwe and Zambia were displaced from the shores of the Zambezi River when the Kariba Dam and Lake were built. The inconsiderate and arbitrary resettlement disrupted the socio-economic and cultural environment of the Tonga people. Ironically, an international rescue effort, Operation Noah, saved the animals threatened by the rising waters.

1969

A commemorative stamp of W.C. Handy, "Father of rhe Blues," was issued by the U.S. Postal Service.

1978

The South African police's investigation into the death of Steve Biko ended.

1980

Rioting began in Miami after an all-white jury acquitted four former Miami police officers of beating black insurance executive Arthur McDuffie. Eighteen people were killed and three hundred injured.

1988

Renowned ophthalmologist Dr. Patricia E. Bath patented an "apparatus for ablating and removing cataract lenses" named the Laserphaco Probe.

1989

A military coup attempt to overthrow Ethiopia's President Mengistu Haile Mariam failed.

1994

Malawi had its first provincial and parliamentary elections, after 30 years of one-party autocratic rule under Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda.

1997

Laurent Kabila became the president of Zaire and renamed it the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Today's Featured Page

Frederick McKinley Jones
Growing up as an orphan and not attending school beyond grade eight, Frederick McKinley Jones was ultimately to become one of the most prolific black inventors. More...

Previously Featured Pages

The Rastafarian Movement
The Rastafarian Movement takes its name from Ras Tafari, later crowned as Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia in 1930. Rastafarian philosophy stresses anti-colonialism and an affirmation of African social and cultural history. It offers both historical and political alternatives and its focus is on Africa. More...

Philip Emeagwali
Philip Emeagwali, a Nigerian presently living in the US, won the International Gordon Bell Prize in computer science. More...

Mary Seacole
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, a quarter-century before the abolition of slavery to a free black woman and a Scottish army officer, Mary Seacole (née Grant) went on to become famous for her outstanding humanitarian work in the Crimean War. More...

Curt Flood
Curt Flood was the star center fielder of the St. Louis Cardinals who challenged baseball's reserve system all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. More...

Dr. Patricia E. Bath
Dr. Patricia E. Bath is a world-famous ophthalmologist. After excelling in her studies at high school and university and earning plaudits for her investigations in cancer research as early as age sixteen, Dr. Bath embarked on an illustrious medical career. More...

Onesimus
Onesimus' recollection of a traditional African medical practice saved numerous lives and sparked the introduction of smallpox inoculation in the United States. More...


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	On This Day in Black History: May 17 1838 The Anti-Slavery Convention of American Women held its first meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 1864 Musical prodigy John William "Blind" Boone was born. 1875 Oliver Lewis won the first Kentucky Derby astride Aristides. Fourteen of the fifteen jockeys in the race were African-American. 1893 Frederick McKinley Jones, who invented the first practical and automatic refrigeration unit for trucks, was born. 1900 In the Second Boer War, the Siege of Mafeking was lifted after 217 days, signalling victory for the British and defeat for the Boers. Following the relief of Mafeking, 26,000 Boer women and children died in the world's first concentration camps. 1909 Firemen on the Georgia Railroad went on strike to protest management's policy of replacing white workers with blacks, when ten white workers were replaced with black workers who were paid one-third less. 1915 The National Baptist Convention of America was chartered. 1954 The Supreme Court issued its landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ruling, which declared that racially segregated public schools were inherently unequal. 1957 The Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom was held on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The date was specifically chosen to coincide with the third anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. The march was organized by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), NAACP and other organizations seeking greater voting and civil rights for African-Americans. 1960 The Kariba Dam was officially opened by Her Majesty the Queen Mother. Sixty thousand Tonga in Zimbabwe and Zambia were displaced from the shores of the Zambezi River when the Kariba Dam and Lake were built. The inconsiderate and arbitrary resettlement disrupted the socio-economic and cultural environment of the Tonga people. Ironically, an international rescue effort, Operation Noah, saved the animals threatened by the rising waters. 1969 A commemorative stamp of W.C. Handy, "Father of rhe Blues," was issued by the U.S. Postal Service. 1978 The South African police's investigation into the death of Steve Biko ended. 1980 Rioting began in Miami after an all-white jury acquitted four former Miami police officers of beating black insurance executive Arthur McDuffie. Eighteen people were killed and three hundred injured. 1988 Renowned ophthalmologist Dr. Patricia E. Bath patented an "apparatus for ablating and removing cataract lenses" named the Laserphaco Probe. 1989 A military coup attempt to overthrow Ethiopia's President Mengistu Haile Mariam failed. 1994 Malawi had its first provincial and parliamentary elections, after 30 years of one-party autocratic rule under Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda. 1997 Laurent Kabila became the president of Zaire and renamed it the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Today's Featured Page Frederick McKinley Jones Growing up as an orphan and not attending school beyond grade eight, Frederick McKinley Jones was ultimately to become one of the most prolific black inventors. More... Previously Featured Pages The Rastafarian Movement The Rastafarian Movement takes its name from Ras Tafari, later crowned as Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia in 1930. Rastafarian philosophy stresses anti-colonialism and an affirmation of African social and cultural history. It offers both historical and political alternatives and its focus is on Africa. More... Philip Emeagwali Philip Emeagwali, a Nigerian presently living in the US, won the International Gordon Bell Prize in computer science. More... Mary Seacole Born in Kingston, Jamaica, a quarter-century before the abolition of slavery to a free black woman and a Scottish army officer, Mary Seacole (née Grant) went on to become famous for her outstanding humanitarian work in the Crimean War. More... Curt Flood Curt Flood was the star center fielder of the St. Louis Cardinals who challenged baseball's reserve system all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. More... Dr. Patricia E. Bath Dr. Patricia E. Bath is a world-famous ophthalmologist. After excelling in her studies at high school and university and earning plaudits for her investigations in cancer research as early as age sixteen, Dr. Bath embarked on an illustrious medical career. More... Onesimus Onesimus' recollection of a traditional African medical practice saved numerous lives and sparked the introduction of smallpox inoculation in the United States. More... Copyright © 1996-2008 5x5 Media and African Images. All rights reserved.