August 1, 1834

Slavery officially abolished in the British Empire

August 1, 1914

Marcus Garvey launches the Universal African Improvement Association in Kingston, Jamaica

August 6, 1962

Jamaica declares independence from Britain

August 8, 1865

Matthew A. Henson, explorer and first to reach the North Pole, is born in Charles City

August 9, 1936

Jesse Owens wins four gold medals in track and field events at the Berlin Olympics

August 11, 1873

Actor and composer of "Lift Every Voice and Sing", Rosamond Johnston was born

August 19, 1989

Bishop Desmond Tutu defies apartheid laws by walking alone on a South African beach

August 20, 1619

First 20 slaves from African continent arrives in Jamestown, Virginia

August 21, 1831

Nat Turner leads a slave revolt in Virginia that kills 55 whites

August 22, 1978

President Jomo Kenyatta, a leader amongst Africa’s fighters for independence, dies

August 28, 1963

Martin Luther King leads the historic civil rights march on Washington DC to deliver his famous ‘I Have A Dream’ speech

Sept. 12, 1977

Steve Biko, a young anti-apartheid activist in South Africa, dies after being tortured in captivity by the South African police

Sept. 14, 1940

Blacks were allowed access to all branches of the US Military Service when FDR signed the Selective Service Act

Sept. 17, 1983

Vanessa Williams, Miss New York, becomes first black Miss America in the Atlantic City pageant. She is later stripped of the title when her nude photos are published

Sept. 18, 1980

Cosmonaut Arnoldo Tamayo, a Cuban, becomes the first Black to be sent on a space mission

Sept. 21, 1909

The birth of Kwame Nkrumah in the village of Nkroful, Ghana

Sept. 22, 1828

Shakka, King of the Zulu nation is assassinated by members of his own tribe, using the assegai, a short stabbing spear, he developed for hand to hand warfare

Sept. 23, 1930

Ray Charles is born, blinded as a small boy, orphaned as a teenager and by age 32 is acclaimed by the world as a musical genius

Sept. 24, 1957

Nine students integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas under state troop protection

Sept. 26, 1901

The Ashanti Kingdom is annexed by Great Britain and placed under the Governor of the Gold Coast, after nearly 100 years of fighting

Oct. 1, 1960

Nigeria declares independence from Britain

Oct. 4, 1966

Lesotho declares independence from Britain….it was formerly known as Basutoland

Oct. 5, 1959

Hundreds of Rastas flood Rosalie Ave. in Jamaica, ready for repatriation to Africa

Oct. 8, 1941

Rev. Jesse Jackson, national contender for the 1988 presidential election is born

Oct. 9, 1962

Uganda becomes an independent nation with Milton Obote as its first Prime Minister

Oct. 11, 1975

Stevie Wonder and the Wailers perform in Kingston, Jamaica….this is the last time that Peter, Bunny and Bob perform together

Oct. 14, 1920

Marcus Mosiah Garvey is shot and wounded in an assassination attempt by George Tyler who later committed suicide under questionable circumstances in New York

Oct. 16, 1984

Bishop Desmond Tutu wins the Nobel Peace prize for his anti-apartheid efforts

Oct. 24, 1996

Celebrity basketball game between New Edition and 2 Black Guys All-Stars to raise funds for African Canadian Heritage Association

Oct. 25, 1983

US and Caribbean troops invade Grenada under the pretense to protect some 600 medical students

Oct. 31, 1960

Ivory Coast declares independence from France

Nov. 8, 1878

Marshall Walter Taylor, an African-American and the world’s fastest bicycle racer for 12 years is born in Indianapolis, Indiana

Nov. 9, 1731

Benjamin Banneker, inventor of the first clock in America is born in Ellicott City, Missouri

Nov. 11, 1831

Nat Turner is hanged in Jerusalem, Virginia for organizing and leading a slave rebellion for freedom

Nov. 15, 218 BC

Hannibal, military genius, crosses Alps with elephants and 26000 men to capture Rome

Nov. 16, 1892

Behanzin defends his native land, Dahomey (Benin) against the French

Nov. 17, 1636

Henrique Dias, distinguished Brazilian general, wins a decisive battle against the Dutch in Brazil

Nov. 20, 1923

Garret A. Morgan receives US patent for his invention of the traffic light

Nov. 26, 1883

Sojourner Truth dies of natural causes in Battle Creek, Michigan

Dec. 1, 1955

Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat to a 40 year old white man, thus igniting the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott

Dec. 4, 1833

American Anti-Slavery Society organized

Dec. 5, 1870

Alexander Dumas, author of the Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, dies

Dec. 10, 1993

Nelson Mandela accepts Nobel Peace prize award in Oslo, Norway

Dec. 12, 1963

Kenya declares independence from Britain

Dec. 25, 1907

Cab Calloway, bandleader and first jazz singer to sell a million records is born in Rochester, New York

Dec. 29, 1923

Cheikh Anta Diop, Egyptologist, anthropologist, is born in Diourbel, Senegal

Dec. 31, 1984

The first nationally broadcast telethon for the United Negro College fund is held and raises $14.1 million