Celebrating Black History Month: Lena Richard, first African American woman to host a TV cooking show

Lena Richard, born September 9, 1892 in New Roads, Louisiana, moved to New Orleans to help her mother and aunt working as domestic servants. She helped them prepare food, and the family who employed her, sent her to Fannie Farmer's School of Cookery in Boston.  After graduating she returned to New Orleans.

She started a catering business, serving parties, weddings, and debutante balls.  She started multiple businesses and worked as a cook at the Orleans Club, an elite organization for white women.

In 1937, Richard and her daughter Marie started a cooking school for black students, teaching them how to succeed as business owners.  As interest in her recipes increased, Richard published Lean Richard's Cook Book in 1939,  She travelled across the country to promote her book, and was featured in the New York Times and the New York Herald Tribune. 

She returned to New Orleans, she opened Lena's Eatery in November 1941. In 1946, she started a frozen food business, fully cooked packaged meals flown all over the US.

In 1949, Richard opened her second restaurant, The Gumbo House.  From 1949 to 1950, she hosted a 30-minute cooking show, Lena Richard's New Orleans Cook Book, on TV.  It aired twice weekly, broadcast on New Orleans first television station, WDSU. She was the first African American to host a cooking show, in an era where not many households owned television sets.

Her cooking show continued until she passed away of a heart attack November 27, 1950.

Celebrating Black History Month: Sarah Boone, African American inventor of the ironing board

Sarah Boone, born in 1832 in Craven County, North Carolina, was a slave, forbidden a formal education, so was home schooled by her grandfather.  In November 1847, she married a free black man, James Boone, and was granted her own freedom.

She moved with her family to New Haven, Connecticut before the Civil War.  She worked as a dressmaker during a time where people ironed their clothes by placing a wooden plank across two chairs. Boone created a narrower, curved board that could slip into sleeves and allow a garment to be shifted without getting wrinkled.  Her invention was padded to prevent impressions from the wooden board, and she made it collapsible for easier storage.

She was awarded US Patent No. 473,653 on April 26, 1892, making her one of the first African American women to earn a US patent.

Boone passed away from Bright's disease in October 1904, 

Celebrating Pride Month - Henry Gerber, early gay rights activist, born 1892

Henry Gerber, born June 29, 1892 in Bavaria, Germany, was an early advocate for gay rights in the U.S.  He emigrated to the United States in 1913 and settled in Chicago because of its large German immigrant population. 

He founded the group Society for Human Rights (SHR) with John Graves, an African-American clergyman, and was granted a charter by the State of Illinois on December 10, 1924, becoming the first documented gay organization in the U.S.

Gerber also created the first known American gay publication called Friendship and Freedom, which was the SHR newsletter.  However, at the time all gay publications were considered obscene until 1958 and the Friendship and Freedom last only two issues.

He died in Washington, DC December 31, 1972, at the age of 80.

J. R. R. Tolkien, high fantasy author, born 1892

John Ronald Reuel (J.R.R.) Tolkien, born January 3, 1892, has been dubbed the “father” of modern fantasy literature, been ranked 6^th on a list of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945, and 5^th top-earning “dead celebrity” in 2009.  His works of “high fantasy” such as The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.

The Hobbit was published in 1937, written years before for his children, became popular with adults as well as youngsters.  So popular the publishers asked for a sequel.  That sequel become The Lord of the Rings, published in 3 volumes from 1954-1955.  It became popular in the 60’s and has remained just as successful today. 

He published other novels but the LOTR is his most beloved to date.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien

Deadliest mine explosion in Oklahoma 1892

I always enjoy finding interesting items in Oklahoma’s history that were never taught in school.  So when I came across an article about the mining explosion January 7, 1892, the deadliest ever in the state, I was interested.  What I find troubling is the lack of documentation on the subject.  The information on History.com is identical to the story on cencorshipinamerica.wordpress.com. 

The Osage Coal & Mining Company’s No. 11 mine in Krebs, just east of McAlester, had been constructed on Native American land.  That meant the company was exempt from federal government laws and regulations.  The owners of the mines were more concerned with the bottom line (Corporate America) than safety, which is what led to the disaster.

Due to high turnover rate, most of the workers had very little training, even when the tasks were dangerous such as handling explosives.  An inexperienced worker accidentally set off a stash of explosives, burning or burying 100 miners in the blast.

On January 14, 1892, an article in the Ohio Democrat posted a report made on Jan 9 said the cage that hoisted men to the surface was blown 50 feet into the air and flames shot out of the shaft 100 feet. 

The single line item at onthisday.com, states that blacks trying to rescue the white survivors were driven away with guns.  Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to confirm or refute the claim.  Is someone trying to hide something?  Hmm...

I’m also curious about placing the blame on an inexperienced worker.  Blame it on the new guy! Anyone near the blast who could have seen this worker would have been killed by the blast or the cave-in. 

Gonna have to check this one out in more detail.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mine-explodes-in-oklahoma

https://censorshipinamerica.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/jan-7-1892-mine-explodes-in-oklahoma/

http://www3.gendisasters.com/oklahoma/2492/krebs%2C-ok-mine-disaster%2C-jan-1892

http://www.onthisday.com/events/january/7

 

 

J. R. R. Tolkein born 1892

John Ronald Reuel Tolkein, born December 3, 1892, is the author of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  The Hobbit, which he wrote for his children, was published in 1937 and became popular with adults as well as children. His publishers asked for a sequel, so he spent 10 years writing the Lord of the Rings trilogy, originally published in 1954-1955.