On February 17, 1895, The Yellow Kid comic strip was first printed in the New York World. It was one of the first consistent Sunday comic strips, influenced the style of future comics, and was the namesake of “yellow journalism!”
On February 16, 1909, stamps printed on an experimental bluish paper were issued. These stamps were part of an effort to prevent paper shrinkage.
Composer Harold Arlen was born Hyman Arluck on February 15, 1905, in Buffalo, New York. He composed over 500 songs during his lifetime, including “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz.
Minister, writer, and educator Richard Allen was born on February 14, 1760, in the Colony of Delaware. He went on to found the first independent black church in the United States, the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
On February 13, 1988, the Winter Olympics opened in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They were the first Winter Olympics held in Canada and a record number of nations participated for the time.
On February 12, 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded in New York City. It’s America’s oldest and largest civil rights group.
On February 11, 1878, the Boston Bicycle Club (BBiC) was founded. It was the first bicycle club in the US and it organized the first bicycle race in the country, among many other firsts.
Happy Birthday to Alfred “Chief” Anderson. Called the Father of Black Aviation, he was a trailblazer who set many records and trained the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II.
By the time Carlson was eight years old, both of his parents were sick, which left him responsible with working to support the family. In his teens, he would work two or three hours before school, and then several more hours after classes finished for the day.