This Day in Quiztory

#OTD Dancer and choreographer Pearl Primus was awarded a National Medal of Arts by President George H. W. Bush. Recording artist Alfred Nevarez from the group All-4-One narrates.

#OTD Singer and influential band leader Billy Eckstine was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Actor Miguel A. Nuñez, Jr. narrates.

#OTD Blues pianist Pinetop Perkins, the oldest Grammy winner of all time (age 97), was born in Belzoni, Mississippi. Actor Stephen Bishop narrates.

#OTD Inventor Henry Sampson was awarded a patent for his co-invention, the gamma-electric cell, a device that converts the energy generated from the radiation of high energy gamma rays into electricity. Actor Ato Essandoh narrates.

#OTD Oakland A's left fielder Rickey Henderson hit two leadoff home runs in a double header versus the Cleveland Indians. Musician Damien Sneed narrates.

#OTD The Oblate Sisters of Providence, a Roman Catholic sisterhood established by women of African descent, was founded in Baltimore, MD. Recording artist Faith Evans narrates.

#OTD Negro League first baseman Ben Taylor was born in Anderson, SC.

#OTD The Bordentown School, the most prominent boarding school for African Americans, often referred to as the "Tuskegee of the North," graduated its final class. Recording artist Money B narrates.

#OTD High jumper Charles Dumas cleared a height of seven feet, setting a world record at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Recording artist Johnny Gill narrates.

#OTD Samuel J. Battle became the first black officer in the New York Police Department. Actress Logan Browning narrates.

Today we remember the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, on the twelfth anniversary of his death. Actor Michael Beach narrates.

#OTD Resurrection City, a housing encampment for protestors erected on the National Mall in Washington, DC, was brought to a close.

#OTD United Negro College Fund founder Frederick Douglass Patterson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan. Recording artist Kenya narrates.

#OTD Author Octavia Butler, the first science-fiction writer to receive a McArthur Fellowship, was born in Pasadena, CA. Actor Thomas Q. Jones narrates.

#OTD Congressman Joseph H. Rainey, the first African American to serve in the United States House of Representatives, was born in Georgetown, SC. Basketball analyst Corey Williams narrates.

#OTD Slaves in the state of Texas learned of their freedom, over two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Actor Tom Wright narrates.

#OTD Dr. Samuel Nabrit was appointed to the United States Atomic Energy Commission making him the first African American to hold that position.

#OTD Security guard Frank Wills foiled a burglary at the Democratic National Committee headquarters that led to the uncovering of the Watergate Scandal and eventual resignation of President Richard Nixon.

#OTD Politician Kenneth Gibson was elected as the 36th Mayor of Newark, New Jersey and the first African American to hold that position.

#OTD Lieutenant Henry O. Flipper became the first African American to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

#OTD Pitcher Don Newcombe, the first African American pitcher to start a World Series game, was born in Madison, New Jersey. Actor Edwin Hodge narrates.

#OTD Langston Golf Course opened in Washington, DC as a nine-hole public course. Actress Da'Vine Joy Randolph narrates.

#OTD Actress Hattie McDaniel, the first African American to win an Academy Award, was born in Wichita, Kansas. Recording artist Deborah Cox narrates.

#OTD Boxer Larry Holmes defeated Ken Norton to become the WBC world heavyweight champion

#OTD Hall of fame baseball pitcher Leroy "Satchel" Paige, who had a 40-year career between the Negro Leagues and Major League Baseball, passed away at the age of 75.