University of Mississippi Black Student Union

This Month In Black History: April

April 1, 1950 - Charles R. Drew, who developed techniques for processing and preserving blood, died.

April 2, 1984 - Georgetown coach John Thompson becomes first Black coach to win NCAA basketball tournament.

April 3, 1826 - Poet-orator James Madison Bell, author of the Emancipation Day poem "The Day and the War", born.

April 4, 1968 - Martin Luther King assassinated.

April 5, 1951 - Washington, D.C. Municipal Court of Appeals outlawed segregation in restaurants.

April 6, 1909 - Matthew A. Henson reaches the North Pole, 45 minutes before Commandeer Peary.

April 7, 1885 - Granville T. Woods patents apparatus for transmission of messages by electricity.

April 8, 1974 - Atlanta Braves slugger Hank Aaron hits 715 home run, surpassing Babe Ruth as the game's all-time home-run leader.

April 9, 1898 - Paul Robeson, actor, singer, activist, born.

April 10, 1947 - Brooklyn Dodger Jackie Robinson becomes first African American to play major league baseball.