1915*
Muddy Waters, Born April 4, 1915 in Rolling Fork, Mississippi by the name of McKinley Morganfield was one of the greatest, most influential and endearingly important musicians of the century, one who had reshaped the course of the blues.
1928*
Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1928. She grew up in St. Louis and Stamps, Arkansas. She is an author, poet, historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, performer, singer, and civil rights activist.
1942*
Richard Parsons, CEO of Dime Savings Bank, the first African American CEO of a large non minority U.S. savings institution, born.
1967*
Speaking before the Overseas Press Club in New York City, Revered Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, announced his opposition to the Vietnam War.
1968*
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated by white sniper in Memphis, Tennessee. Assassination precipitated a national crisis and rioting in more than one hundred cities. Forty-six persons were killed in major rebellions in Washington, Chicago and other cities. Twenty thousand federal troops and thirty-four thousand National Guardsmen were mobilized to quell disturbances. Memorial marches and rallies were held throughout the country. Many public school systems closed and the opening of the baseball season was postponed. President Lyndon B. Johnson declared Sunday, April 6, a national day of mourning and ordered all U.S. flags on government buildings in all U.S. territories and possession to fly at half-mast.
1972*
Former congressman and civil rights leader Adam Clayton Powell Jr. dies in Miami.
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