Video: 'Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam Acquitted of Emmett Till’s Murder on This Day'
(Friday, September 23, 1955, at 3:43 p.m. CST) — Two Mississippi white men, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, accused of murdering 14-year-old Chicago African-American Emmett Louis Till after he had supposedly whistled at a white woman were acquitted today in Sumner, Mississippi. Continue reading Mississippi jury acquits two white men in Emmett Till murder 70 years ago this hour (Sep 23 1955)
Video: 'Chapter 1 | The Murder of Emmett Till | American Experience | PBS'
(Sunday, August 28, 1955, sometime between 2:00 and 3:30 a.m. CDT) — Emmett Louis Till, a 14-year-old African American boy from Chicago, was abducted this morning from the home of relatives near Money, Mississippi, after an alleged incident involving a white woman at a local grocery store. Continue reading Emmett Till, 14, abducted, tortured and murdered in Money, Mississippi 70 years ago this hour (Aug 28 1955)
Video: '50 years on, a look back at the Watts riots'
(Wednesday, August 11, 1965, approximately 7:19 p.m. PDT) — The Watts riots, six days of looting and arson (especially of white-owned businesses) that took place in the predominantly black Watts section of Los Angeles, began tonight after a black motorist was arrested for drunk-driving. Continue reading Race riots erupt in Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles 60 years ago this hour (Aug 11 1965)
Video: 'Aug. 6, 1965 | LBJ Signs Voting Rights Act'
(Friday, August 6, 1965, 12:05 p.m. EDT; during the African-American Civil Rights Movement (1954–68)) — U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signed today the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits racial discrimination in voting, and announced steps to bring about its quick and vigorous enforcement. Continue reading U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs Voting Rights Act, orders immediate enforcement 60 years ago this hour (Aug 6 1965)
Video: 'July 13, 1965 | LBJ Press Conference'
(Tuesday, July 13, 1965, 1:00 p.m. EDT) — President Lyndon B. Johnson today nominated Judge Thurgood Marshall to become the first African-American U.S. Solicitor General, the person appointed to represent the federal government before the U.S. Supreme Court. Continue reading Judge Thurgood Marshall named first African-American U.S. Solicitor General 60 years ago this hour (July 13 1965)
Video: 'Mississippi Burning Trial: Civil Rights Workers Murders - Edgar Ray Killen Day 6 - Verdict (2005)'
(Tuesday, June 21, 2005, just after noon CDT) — Forty-one years to the day after three civil rights workers (Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney) were beaten and shot to death in Mississippi, Edgar Ray Killen, an 80-year-old former Ku Klux Klansman, was found guilty today of manslaughter. Continue reading Former Klansman guilty of manslaughter in 1964 ‘Mississippi burning’ deaths 20 years ago this hour (June 21 2005)
Video: 'Aristides 1875 (The Oliver Lewis Story)'
(Monday, May 17, 1875) — The first Kentucky Derby was run today in front of an estimated crowd of 10,000 people; the winner was a colt named Aristides, ridden by Oliver Lewis and trained by former slave Ansel Williamson. Continue reading Aristides wins first Kentucky Derby 150 years ago today (May 17 1875)
(Saturday, March 27, 1965) — “People Get Ready” by The Impressions peaked today at #14 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 singles chart for one week. Continue reading ‘People Get Ready’ by The Impressions peaks at #14 in USA 60 years ago today (Mar 27 1965)
Video: 'Statement on the Arrest of 4 KKK Members, 3/26/65.MP551.'
(Friday, March 26, 1965, 12:40 p.m. EST; during the African-American Civil Rights Movement (1954–68)) — U.S. President Lyndon Johnson Johnson declared war on the Ku Klux Klan today after announcing the arrest of four Klansmen in connection with the slaying last night of Viola Liuzzo, a white mother of five from Detroit who had come to Alabama to support voting rights for blacks, while she was ferrying marchers back to Selma from Montgomery. Continue reading Johnson opens fight on Klan after FBI seizes 4 members for Liuzzo murder 60 years ago this hour (Mar 26 1965)
Video: 'Eyes On The Prize - (Part 6) Bridge to Freedom 1965' (Mar. 21, 1965, at 45:46)
(Sunday, March 21, 1965, 12:48 p.m. CST; during the Civil rights movement) — Protected by federal and federalized troops, civil rights demonstrators led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. began their successful march out of Selma today. Continue reading Freedom march begins at Selma, troops on guard 60 years ago this hour (Mar 21 1965)
