A Black American who is a Famous Novelist

James Baldwin wrote many novels. He is best known for his novel  "Go Tell it on the Mountain".

FROM SLAVERY TO NOVELIST, ANTHROPOLOGIST AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST

The daughter of two former slaves, ZORA NEALE HURSTON was an African-American novelist, short story writer, folklorist, and anthropologist. 

Born: January 7, 1891, Notasulga, AL

Died: January 28, 1960, Fort Pierce, FL

Education: Columbia University (1928–1930), More

Movies: The Gilded Six Bits, Their Eyes Were Watching God

Quotes

Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.

There are years that ask questions and years that answer.

I do not weep at the world I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife.

A Queen salute to Dorothy Dandridge

In honor of Black History Month...

Born on November 9, 1922 in Cleveland, Ohio, Dorothy Dandridge sang at Harlem's famed Cotton Club and Apollo Theatre and became the first African-American woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for best actress for her role in the 1954 block buster hit “Carmen Jones”. 

Dorothy has been called “one of the most stunning women who ever lived.” But her vocal and acting talents were legendary as well. Dandridge was pushed into show business at a young age by her mother and performed with her sister Vivian until her teenage years. Although her later years were troubled and her life was cut short on September 8, 1965 at the age of 42, her body of work has been an inspiration to many. Her ability to break new ground for African American women in film has drawn comparisons between her and baseball great Jackie Robinson.

A Queen salute to Dorothy Dandridge!

RUBY BRIDGES, FIRST BLACK AMERICAN TO ATTEND AN ALL WHITE PUBLIC SCHOOL

Ruby Bridges' first day in a Louisiana pubiic school in November 1960. She was blocked because America still had problems with segregation.

HISTORY FOR AUGUST 14

This Day in History, August 14 
On August 14th, 1808, the Cologne Cathedral in Germany was completed. 

Other Notable Events, August 14 
In 1784, Grigory Shelikhov, a Russian fur trader, founded the first permanent Russian settlement in Alaska on Kodiak Island. 

In 1900, some 2,000 U.S. Marines joined with European forces to capture Beijing, ending the Boxer Rebellion against the Western presence in China. 

In 1935, the U.S. Congress passed the Social Security Act and U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt immediately signed it into law. 

In 1945, U.S. President Harry Truman announced that Japan had accepted terms for unconditional surrender, ending World War II. 

In 1966, the unmanned U.S. Orbiter 1 spacecraft began orbiting the moon. 

In 1991, the Justice Department accused General Electric of fraud for billing the Pentagon $30 million for the non-existent sale of F-16 parts to the Israeli military. 

In 1994, the notorious international terrorist known as "Carlos the Jackal" was captured in Sudan. He was extradited to France the next day. 

In 1995, following a long legal battle, Shannon Faulkner was admitted to the cadet corps of the previously all-male Citadel. She resigned from the South Carolina military school four days later. 

In 1996, the Republican Party nominated Bob Dole for president to face incumbent Bill Clinton in the November election. 

In 2003, a massive power failure spread through Ohio, Michigan, the Northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada, leaving 50 million people in eight states and the province of Ontario without electricity for as long as two days. 

Also in 2003, the French Health Ministry said sweltering heat in Europe could be responsible for as many as 3,000 deaths in France. 

In 2004, Hurricane Charley raked the coast of the Carolinas and moved back ashore at Georgetown, S.C., with 75 mph winds. Meanwhile, Florida, hard hit the day before, searched for more victims and assessed damage. 

Also in 2004, at least 115 people were reported killed by Typhoon Rananim, the 14th typhoon to hit China that year. 

And, Hutu gunmen killed at least 130 Congolese Tutsi refugees at a camp in Burundi where they came for safety from just such assaults. 

In 2005, North Korea's top nuclear envoy said the country would be "fully prepared" to prove it has no uranium-based weapons program. 

Also in 2005, authorities say the crash of a Helios Airways plane in Greece with 121 people aboard could have been caused by a sudden drop in cabin pressure. A report from the scene said there were no survivors. 

In 2006, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon ended in a truce, effective on this date, after 34 days of fighting. 

In 2007, at least 500 people were reported killed and hundreds more were hurt when two pairs of truck bombs exploded about five miles apart in the remote, northwestern Iraqi towns of Qahtaniya and Jazeera. 

Also in 2007, Mattel, the world's largest toy company, announced it was recalling nearly 19 million toys made in China, about half of them in the United States. Included were more than 400,000 toy cars said to be coated with lead. 

And, in 2007 sports, Tim Donaghy, a former National Basketball Association referee, pleaded guilty to charges growing from a U.S. betting scandal. He was accused of selling inside game information to bettors. 

Notable Birthdays for August 14 
Those born on this date include:
- Pioneer psychologist Richard von Krafft-Ebing in 1840
- Naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton in 1860
- Writer Ernest Thayer ( Casey at the Bat ) in 1863
- English novelist John Galsworthy in 1867
- Writer Russell Baker in 1925 (age 83)
- Actor Alice Ghostley in 1926
- Singer Buddy Greco, also in 1926 (age 82)
- Rock musician David Crosby in 1941 (age 67)
- Comedian Steve Martin in 1945 (age 63)
- Actress Susan Saint James in 1946 (age 62)
- Author Danielle Steele in 1947 (age 61)
- The Far Side cartoonist Gary Larson in 1950 (age 58)
- Former basketball star Earvin Magic Johnson in 1959 (age 49)
- Actress Halle Berry in 1966 (age 42) 


Copyright 2008 by United Press International

HISTORY FOR AUGUST 13

This Day in History, August 13 
On August 13th, 1913, Harry Brearly invented stainless steel. 

Other Notable Events, August 13 
In 1889, William Gray patented the coin-operated telephone. 

In 1930, Capt. Frank Hawkes set an air speed record by flying from Los Angeles to New York in 12 hours, 25 minutes. 

In 1961, East Germany closed the Brandenburg Gate and prepared to start building the Berlin Wall. 

In 1980, U.S. President Jimmy Carter was nominated for a second term by the Democratic National Convention in New York but lost in November to Ronald Reagan. 

In 1990, singer/songwriter Curtis Mayfield was left paralyzed when he was hit by a wind-blown lighting rig on an outdoor stage in New York. He died in 1999. 

In 1992, a gunman dressed in military fatigues went on a shooting spree in a plant nursery in Watsonville, Calif., killing three and wounding four others before killing himself. 

In 1993, Israel agreed for the first time to negotiate with a Palestinian delegation whose members belonged officially to the PLO. 

In 1994, North Korea agreed to allow U.N. monitors to inspect a secret nuclear laboratory. 

In 2002, U.S. President George Bush told an economic forum that he was concerned but optimistic about the future of the U.S. economy. 

In 2003, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the removal of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat from all positions of influence was the key to Middle East peace. 

In 2004, Hurricane Charley slammed into Florida's West Coast with winds of up to 145 mph, striking Punta Gorda and offshore islands, causing around 30 deaths and destroying or damaging 16,000 homes. The massive storm earlier hit Jamaica and Cuba, killing seven. 

In 2004 sports, the Summer Olympic Games opened in Athens, Greece, with a record 202 countries and 10,500 athletes taking part. 

In 2005, the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States decided not to allow homosexuals into the clergy. 

Also in 2005, U.S. troops in Mosul, Iraq, found a suspected chemical-weapons factory containing 1,500 gallons of chemicals. 

In 2006, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, who spent his 80th birthday in a Havana hospital after surgery for gastro-intestinal bleeding, urged optimism but warned he might not recover. He promised Cubans he would "fight for it." 

In 2007, Karl Rove, a controversial figure who had been U.S. President George Bush's chief political strategist for 13 years, announced his retirement. 

Notable Birthdays for August 13 
Those born on this date include:
- Social reformer Lucy Stone in 1818
- Sharpshooter Annie Oakley in 1860
- Scottish inventor John Baird, a pioneer in television technology, in 1888
- Comic actor Bert Lahr (Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz ) in 1895
- Actor Regis Toomey in 1898
- Film director Alfred Hitchcock in 1899
- Bandleader Skinnay Ennis in 1909
- Golfer Ben Hogan in 1912
- Actor Neville Brand in 1920
- Cuban leader Fidel Castro in 1926 (age 82)
- Actor Pat Harrington Jr. in 1929 (age 79)
- Singer Don Ho in 1930
- Former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders in 1933 (age 75)
- Opera singer Kathleen Battle in 1948 (age 60)
- Pop singer Dan Fogelberg in 1951 (age 57)
- Actor/announcer Danny Bonaduce ( The Partridge Family ) in 1959 (age 49) 


Copyright 2008 by United Press International

HISTORY FOR AUGUST 12

This Day in History, August 12 
On August 12th, 1851, Isaac Singer was granted a patent for his sewing machine. 

Other Notable Events, August 12 
In 1851, Isaac Singer was granted a patent for his sewing machine. He set up business in Boston with $40 in capital. 

In 1898, a peace protocol was signed, ending the Spanish-American War. The United States acquired Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines and annexed Hawaii. 

In 1966, as the Beatles were beginning their last tour, John Lennon apologized for saying the Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ. 

In 1984, the 23rd Olympic Games ended in Los Angeles with a record attendance of 5.5 million people despite a Soviet-led boycott. 

In 1985, in aviation's worst single-plane disaster, 520 people died when a Japan Air Lines Boeing 747 slammed into a mountain in central Japan. Four passengers survived. 

In 1987, U.S. President Ronald Reagan, in his first television address since the Iran-Contra hearings, said he had been "stubborn" in pursuing a policy "that went astray." 

In 1973, Jack Nicklaus won the Professional Golfers' Association championship for his 14th major title, surpassing Bobby Jones' record of 13 majors. 

In 1992, U.S. President George H.W. Bush signed a free trade pact with Mexico and Canada, creating the world's largest free trade bloc. 

In 1997, Hudson Foods, Inc., a meat processor in Rogers, Ark., announced it was recalling 20,000 pounds of beef due to possible contamination by the E.coli bacterium. The recall ultimately was expanded to 25 million pounds of beef. 

In 1998, the two largest Swiss banks and representatives of Holocaust survivors and their heirs agreed on a settlement of claims against the banks. 

In 2002, monsoons in Asia claimed more than 1,600 lives while floodwaters tore through central Europe and in southwestern Russia, killing 58. 

In 2003, a U.N. report said Afghanistan has re-emerged as the world's leading source for opium and heroin. 

In 2004, New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey announced his resignation after revealing a homosexual affair. 

Also in 2004, the California Supreme Court invalidated more than 4,000 same-sex marriage licenses issued earlier in San Francisco. 

In 2005, Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga imposed a state of emergency following the assassination of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. 

In 2006, the Lebanese Cabinet voted unanimously to accept a U.N. resolution aimed at ending the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel.

In 2007, a high tension wire brushed a bus in Mumbai igniting a fire that trapped passengers inside. Eleven people were reported killed and 40 others were injured. 

Also in 2007, papers once belonging to East Germany's Stasi security ministry allegedly offered key evidence the government ordered attempted defectors to be shot, despite earlier denials. 

Notable Birthdays for August 12 
Those born on this date include:
- English poet laureate Robert Southey in 1774
- American painter Abbott Thayer, credited with noting camouflage in the animal world, in 1849
- Educator and poet Katherine Lee Bates, who wrote America the Beautiful, in 1859
- Mystery writer Mary Roberts Rinehart in 1876
- Christy Mathewson, baseball Hall of Fame pitcher, in 1880
- Moviemaker Cecil B. DeMille in 1881
- Mexican comic actor Cantinflas, born Mario Moreno Reyes, in 1911
- Actress Jane Wyatt in 1911
- Actor John Derek in 1926
- Country singer Buck Owens in 1929
- Country singer Porter Wagoner in 1927
- Author William Goldman in 1931 (age 77)
- Former national security adviser John Poindexter in 1936 (age 72)
- Actor George Hamilton in 1939 (age 69)
- Author Ann Martin ( The Babysitter's Club series) in 1955 (age 53)
- Tennis star Pete Sampras in 1971 (age 37) 


Copyright 2008 by United Press International