Today in History Site
	Marsanne Petty BellaOnline's Today in History Editor

Assassination of Malcolm X (February 21, 1965)
Malcolm X, Muslim minister and Civil Rights advocate, was brutally murdered on February 21, 1965, as he was getting ready to deliver a speech to 400 followers of Islam. Mystery surrounds his death. Who was really responsible?

First Black Space Walk (February 9, 1995)
From Yuri Gagarin to Alan Shepherd to Niel Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to Sally Ride, the frontier of space has provided many 'firsts' in history. February 9, 1995 saw several first--the first woman shuttle pilot, first Brit to do a space walk, and the first African-American to space walk.

Greensboro Sit-In (February 1, 1960)
On February 1, 1960, four young college students went to a Woolworth's lunch counter and sat down. Not a very significant thing--except, these four young college students were black. Their sitting at the counter sparked a week long sit-in that helped jump start the Civil Rights Movement.

I Have a Dream... (August 28, 1963)
Frederick Douglass began life as a slave. Through "forbidden" education, he was able to speak out for the abolition of slavery, giving Martin Luther King, Jr. the ability to have a dream, almost a century later. Now, less than 50 years after King´s historic speech, Barack Obama will live the drea

Toni Morrison, Nobel Laureate (February 18, 1931)
Toni Morrison, one of the most influential African-American writers, was born today. She didn't start out as Toni Morrison--and it took a bit of a heartache for her to become a writer. Take a journey through the life of a wonderful woman.