Today in History: February 9, 1906 Paul Laurence Dunbar dies in Dayton, Ohio, at the age of 33. 1940 Joe Louis beats Arturo Goday with a split decision to defend his world heavyweight title at Madison Square Garden in New York City. 1944 Alice Walker, author of the Pulitzer prize-winning novel “The Color Purple,” is born in Eatonton, Ga. 1953 Republican Congressman, Gary Franks is born. In 1990, Franks would become the first Black Republican elected to Congress since 1934. 1964 Arthur Ashe Jr. becomes the first Black person on the U.S. Davis Cup team. 1965 French authorities bar Malcolm X from entering the country to speak. 1965 Martin Luther King Jr. meets with President Johnson to discuss Black voting rights. 1971 Satchel Paige is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, becoming the first Black person to receive this honor. 1982 John E. Jacob, new President of the Urban League, announces that the organization will concentrate on four priority issues: pregnancy among Black teenagers, the plight of poor households headed by women, crime in Black neighborhoods, and voting registration and education. 1989 Michael Manley, leader of the left-leaning Peoples National Party, becomes Jamaicas Prime Minister after defeating incumbent Edward Seaga at the polls. Manley, who moderated his political views to become more of a social democrat, was Prime Minister from 1972 to 1980. 1991 Singer Reverend James Cleveland dies at the age of 59. 1991 Sugar Ray Leonard is knocked down twice and loses a 12 round unanimous decision, in his Madison Square Garden debut and his final fight to Terry Norris. 1992 Earvin (Magic) Johnson is the MVP, in his final performance, in the NBA All-star game in Orlando, Florida. 1997 To mark its 50th anniversary, the National Basketball Association honors its 50 greatest players; 32 are Black, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan. 1997 Glen Rice breaks two scoring records in an MVP performance and Michael Jordan has the first triple double in NBA All-Star game history. As the East rallies to beat the West 132-120. Rice, who finishes with 26 points, sets records with 20 in the third quarter and 24 in the second half. 2001 O.J. Simpson surrenders to police in Miami on charges stemming from a traffic altercation (December 4, 2000). Simpson is charged with felony burglary and misdemeanor assault for reaching into a car and pulling the glasses off of another driver who suffered a small scratch. O.J. is released upon posting a $9,000 bond. 2001 Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees agree to a $189 million, 10 year contract after more than 13 months of negotiations. Jeter’s contract package is the second largest in sports history, trailing only the $252 million, 10 year agreement in December between shortstop Alex Rodriguez and the Texas Rangers. At 26, Jeter already has four World Series championship rings.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Feb 2014 01:02:12 +0000
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