Video: 'Woolworth Lunch Counter'

(Monday, February 1, 1960, 4:30 p.m. EST; during the Greensboro sit-ins, part of the Civil rights movement) — Four black students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University began a sit-in today at the Woolworth department store in Greensboro at a lunch counter that, like many in the South, would not serve African-American customers except for take-out orders.

After their classes, the four young men (Joseph McNeil, David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Ezell Blair, Jr.) entered Woolworth’s, made some purchases and took seats at the counter and politely placed orders for desserts and coffee.

When the waitress told them they couldn’t be served, they stayed until closing time.

The next morning, at least 20 students came to Woolworth’s and began taking up seats as they became available.

By Feb. 3 1960, the sit-ins were national news, and the next week, spread to other cities.

By summer, most chain stores ended their whites-only policy.