Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Saturday, April 1
    Trending
    • This Day in History on April 1st
    • This Day in History on March 31st
    • Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through March 30th, 2023)
    • This Day in History on March 30th
    • Heroic Police Officers Neutralize Mentally Ill Woman Attacking Children
    • This Day in History on March 29th
    • Who Has Declared Their Candidacy for US President in 2024 So Far?
    • This Day in History on March 28th
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»April»April 8»10 African-American Firsts
    April 8

    10 African-American Firsts

    Major DanBy Major DanApril 8, 2016Updated:March 5, 202018 Comments3 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp

    A Brief History

    On April 8, 1975, slugger Frank Robinson became the first African-American major league baseball manager when he managed the Cleveland Indians opening day game.  Today we present a list of 10 notable African-American firsts.

    Digging Deeper

    10. Oprah Winfrey, 2003.

    According to Forbes Magazine, Oprah became the first African-American billionaire.  Her power goes well beyond her money, as she has tremendous influence on (mostly women) Americans of all varieties.

    9. Hattie McDaniel, 1939.

    Hattie won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar (Academy Award) for her role in Gone With The Wind, making her the first African-American Oscar winner.  (Note: It was actually awarded in 1940 for the 1939 movie season.)

    8. Colin Powell, 2001.

    A highly respected US Army general, Powell became the first African-American Secretary of State.  He was followed in that position by Condoleezza Rice, the first female African-American Secretary of State.

    7. Arthur Ashe, 1968.

    The first African-American man to win a Grand Slam tennis event (US Open), Ashe won 3 of the 4 major tennis titles in his career.  He died at age 49 from AIDS contracted from a heart operation.

    6. Hiram Revels, 1870.

    Following the Civil War when African-Americans were freed from slavery and given rights as citizens, Revels became the first African-American senator.  He represented the state of Mississippi.

    5. Frank Robinson, 1975.

    As stated above, the first African-American manager of a major league baseball team.  He also was one of the best hitters in baseball history, and won the Triple Crown (Batting Average, Home Runs, RBI’s) in 1966.

    4. Jackie Robinson, 1947.

    The first African-American player to play major league baseball in the modern era. He broke the ground that other greats like Frank Robinson, Hank Aaron, and Barry Bonds followed. His courage and character as well as Hall of Fame performance made major sports what they are. He died at only 53 years old.

    3. Carl Stokes, 1967.

    First African-American mayor of a large American city (Cleveland), notable especially that Cleveland had a majority white population at the time.

    2. Benjamin O. Davis.

    The first African-American US Air Force general (actually, in any branch of the military).  He had also served as the commanding officer of the famed Tuskegee Airmen.  Raised in Cleveland, he also attended Western Reserve College (now Case-Western Reserve) earning a law degree.  He later became Cleveland’s first African-American safety director.

    1. Barack Obama, 2008.

    The first African-American president of the United States, and of course in 2012 he became the first African-American president to be re-elected.  He is also the first president to have been born in Hawaii.

    Question for students (and subscribers): What other events would you put on this list?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Skipper, John C. Frank Robinson: A Baseball Biography. McFarland, 2014.

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous ArticleApril 8, 1952: Truman Orders Steel Mills Seized by the Government!
    Next Article April 8, 2016: Hired Protesters Latest Tactic of “Black Lives Matter” Et al
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through March 30th, 2023)

    March 30, 2023

    Heroic Police Officers Neutralize Mentally Ill Woman Attacking Children

    March 30, 2023

    Who Has Declared Their Candidacy for US President in 2024 So Far?

    March 29, 2023
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    This Day in History on April 1st

    April 1, 2023

    This Day in History on March 31st

    March 31, 2023

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through March 30th, 2023)

    March 30, 2023

    This Day in History on March 30th

    March 30, 2023

    Heroic Police Officers Neutralize Mentally Ill Woman Attacking Children

    March 30, 2023
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2023 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.