History

Nathaniel Gordon was a slave trader who, in 1862, became the only person in U.S. history to be executed for being engaged in the illegal trans-Atlantic slave trade.

Born into slavery, Thomas Wiggins “Blind Tom”, was a musical prodigy who became a touring phenomenon in the 1800’s, playing his own compositions and improvising on the piano.

In 1812, José Antonio Aponte, an African slave in Cuba, played a crucial role in organizing one of the island’s most significant slave rebellions.

Julie Hayden was a 17-year-old Black school teacher who was murdered in 1874 for teaching Black children in Hartsville, Tennessee, by members of the White Man’s League.

Yekatit 12 marks one of the most heinous atrocities perpetrated by Italian occupation forces during the 1930s. This tragic incident unfolded in the aftermath of an attempted assassination of Marshal Rodolfo Graziani, the Viceroy of Italian East Africa, also known as the 'Butcher of Ethiopia.' The Yekatit 12 massacre is often described as the worst in Ethiopian history.

Malik Ambar was an Ethiopian who was caught and sold by a slave merchant; subsequently, he ascended to become a formidable military leader and a crucial figure in the Deccan Sultanate of India during the late 16th century.

The Memphis Massacre of 1866 was a sequence of violent incidents that took place in Memphis, Tennessee from May 1 to 3, 1866, and targeted African Americans. The racial rioting resulted in 48 fatalities, several rapes, the burning of 91 homes, churches, and 12 black schools.

Madison Washington was an enslaved African who led the Creole slave revolt in November 1841, during which 18 black slaves commandeered the slave ship, the Creole. This uprising ultimately secured freedom for 128 enslaved individuals.

Admiral Sir Harry Rawson was a renowned British naval officer who became famous for leading the 1897 Benin Expedition, which ended in the capture and sacking of Benin City, the eventual fall of the Benin Kingdom, and its incorporation into colonial Nigeria.

Shambel Abebe Bikila was the first Ethiopian Olympic gold medalist, winning his and Africa's first gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome while running barefoot.