On THIS date in black history...

February 2

February 2

1861- Joseph Seamon Cotter, Sr., was born. He was a Black poet, educator, and playwright. His play Caleb, the Degenerate: A Study of the Types, Customs, and Needs of the American Negro (1901), was the second play ever written by a Black to be published. He also was one of the first published poets who used racial themes. Cotter died on March 14, 1949.

1897- The Ice Cream Scoop was patented. by African- American inventor Alfred L. Cralle. The ice cream scoop’s patent number is 576,395. I'd like to personally thank Mr. Cralle for his contributions to the world of frozen treats. Blockbuster nights and hot days would not be the same without him.

1914 - William Ellisworth Artis is born in Washington, North Carolina. He is one of the finest African American artists of the twentieth century. He was educated at Syracuse University and become a student of Augusta Savage. His works have been exhibited at Atlanta University, the Whitney Museum, the "Two Centuries of Black American Art" exhibit and collected by Fisk University, Hampton University, the North Carolina Museum of Art, and private collectors. Artis died in 1977.

1915- Ernest Just, biologist, received the FIRST Spingarn Medal for pioneering research on fertilization and cell division. The prestigious award is given yearly by the NAACP. Professor Just was head of the Department of Physiology, Howard University Medical School. HU YOU KNOW!

1924-Edward “Sonny” Stitt was born. He was an African-American jazz saxophonist, one of the most consistently important reed musicians in the history of jazz.

1938 - Simon Estes is born in Centerville, Iowa. He will be noted for his leading roles in Wagnerian operas and will sing at the opening of the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich, Germany.

1948 - President Harry S. Truman sends a message to Congress pressing for civil rights legislation, including anti- lynching, fair employment practices, and anti-poll tax provisions.

1956 - Autherine J. Lucy becomes the first African American student to attend the University of Alabama.

1956 - Seven whites and four African Americans are arrested after an all-night civil rights sit-in at the Englewood, New Jersey city hall.

1956 - Four African American mothers are arrested after a sit-in at a Chicago elementary school. The mothers later receive suspended $50 fines. Protests, picketing and demonstrations continue for several weeks against de facto segregation, double shifts and mobile classrooms.

1971 - Ugandan army strongman Major-General Idi Amin ousts Milton Obote and assumes full power as military head of state and forms an 18-man cabinet to run the country. Amin, a Muslim, strengthened ties with Arab nations & launched a genocidal program to purge Uganda's Lango and Acholi ethnic groups. He ordered all Asians to leave the country, which thrust Uganda into economic chaos. During Amin's regime, about 300,000 Ugandans were killed.

1984 - Ralph Sampson, one of the Houston Rockets 'Twin Towers', is named Rookie of the Month in the National Basketball Association. To earn the honor, Sampson averages 24.4 points, 12 rebounds and 2.43 blocked shots per game during the month of January. In addition, Sampson was the only rookie (at that time) to be named to the NBA's All-Star Game.

1988 - A commemorative stamp of James Weldon Johnson is issued by the United States Postal Service as part of its Black Heritage USA series.

1990 - President F.W. de Klerk lifts South Africa's ban on the African National Congress, and sixty other political organizations and promises to free Nelson Mandela.

2010- HUSL Today, the Premiere Information Source for Young Professionals, celebrates its 100th post. :-)

This list is by no means exhaustive. If you would like to share your info about what happened today in black history consider the comment area the perfect place to do so.

Source: http://www.informationman.com/today.htm