Celebrating Black History Month: DeHart Hubbard, first African-American to win an individual Olympic gold medal 1924

DeHart Hubbard, born November 25, 1903, attended University of Michigan, where he was National Collegiate Athletic Association champion three times, for the outdoor long jump (1923 and 1925), and the 100-hard dash (1925).  He was the Big Ten Conference champion 7 times.

While he was attending college, he participated in the 1924 Summer Olympic Games in Paris and became the first African-American to win an Olympic gold medal for any sport: the running long jump.

He founded the Cincinnati Tigers, a professional baseball team, which played in the Negro American League.

He has been inducted into the University of Michigan Hall of Honor and the National Track Hall of Fame.

Hubbard passed away in 1976.

Celebrating Black History Month: "In Dahomey" first African-American musical opens on Broadway 1903

In Dahomey, the first full-length musical to be written, played, and performed by African-Americans, opened on Broadway February 18, 1903.  It featured music by Will Marion Cook, book by Jesse A. Shipp, and lyrics by Paul Laurence Dunbar.  

It starred George Walker and Bert Williams who were popular vaudeville entertainers at the time.  It ran for 53 performances, then toured twice in the US and once in the UK. In Dahomey became one of the most successful musical comedies of that time.

Curly Howard, Three Stooges actor, born 1903

Curly Howard, born October 22, 1903 in Brooklyn, New York, is best known for his performances with the Three Stooges.  His brother Shemp was one of the original three, with brother Moe and Larry Fine.  Curly replaced Shemp in 1932 and made over 100 appearances with the team before he suffered a massive stroke, during filming Half-Wits Holiday.  It was his last appearance as a Stooge.  He made a brief, uncredited cameo in the short Hold That Lion! in 1947.

He passed away in January 1952 from a massive cerebral hemorrhage.