November 9

Dorothy Dandridge (November 9, 1922 – September 8, 1965) began her career in a song-and-dance act touring the Chitlin Circuit with her sister, Vivian, billed as the The Wonder Children and managed by their mother, Ruby Dandridge, an aspiring entertainer. 

Benjamin Banneker (November 9, 1731 – October 9, 1806) had little formal education and was largely self-taught. His enslaved father may have come from the Dogon tribe which had knowledge of astronomy, and he was encouraged by the Ellicott family, Quakers who ran a grist mill in Baltimore County, Maryland near Banneker's farm. It was Major Andrew Ellicott who recruited him to serve on the surveying team laying out the original District of Columbia. Banneker is best know for publishing a series of almanacs containing information on tides, planetary aspects, phases of the moon, and times sunrise and sunset that he had calculated, as well as essays, poems, general knowledge, and weather predictions. The 1793 edition also included correspondence with Thomas Jefferson. Banneker's home burned on the day of his funeral and most of his personal papers and calculations were lost.

Birthdays

Elijah Lovejoy (November 9, 1802 - November 7, 1837) was an American Presbyterian minister, journalist, newspaper editor and abolitionist. He was murdered by pro-slavery mob in Alton, Illinois, during their attack on his warehouse to destroy his press and abolitionist materials. He was hailed as an abolitionist martyr and the murder sparked nationwide debates on slavery.

Victor Green (November 9, 1892 - 1960) was the creator and publisher of The Negro Travelers' Green Book from 1934 to 1966. The Green Book listed hotels, restaurants and other establishments available to African Americans in the Jim Crow era. Beginning with listings in Harlem where Green lived, it soon included cities throughout the nation and even vacation sites abroad. Fifteen thousand copies were printed annually, with many sold through Esso stations which were one of the few gasoline companies to sell franchises to African Americans. After Green retired from the Postal Service he expanded the travel agency he had started earlier. His wife continued publication of the Green Book after his death, and it was discontinued after civil rights legislation opened to options to travelers.

Ted Rhodes (November 9, 1913 – July 4, 1969) was the first African-American touring professional golfer, and a driving force in opening professional golf up to all players. In 1948 he became the second African American to play in the U.S. Open.

Dorothy Dandridge (November 9, 1922 – September 8, 1965) began her career in a song-and-dance act touring the Chitlin Circuit with her sister, Vivian, billed as the The Wonder Children and managed by their mother, Ruby Dandridge, an aspiring entertainer. She is best known for her role in the film Carmen Jones, for which she was the first African American woman nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Her first film appearance was in the 1935 Our Gang comedy short Teacher's Beau, and her first credited role was in Four Shall Die (1940). She was married to dancer Harold Nicholas of the Nicholas Brothers, with whom she appeared in Sun Valley Serenade in 1941.

Robert "Bob" Gibson (born November 9, 1935) is a retired American baseball pitcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1959–1975). Nicknamed "Hoot" and "Gibby", Gibson tallied 251 wins, 3,117 strikeouts, and a 2.91 earned run average (ERA) during his career. A nine-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, he won two Cy Young Awards and the 1968 National League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. In 1981, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.



Events

On November 9, 1956 Mattiwilda Dobbs made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Gilda in Rigoletto. In a review of her performance, Carl Van Vechten wrote that Dobbs' was "glorious ... a warm and brilliant coloratura, and the best Gilda in my experience."Although African American singer Marian Anderson had performed at the Met the previous year, Dobbs was the first African American to be offered a long-term contract. In eight seasons, she performed 29 times, including Zerbinetta, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Olympia in The Tales of Hoffmann, Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Oscar in Un ballo in maschera.

Charlie Sifford was the winner of the Long Beach Open (November 9, 1957). He became the first African American to win a major Professional Golf tournament (it wasn't an official PGA Tour event but it was co-sponsored by the PGA and had well known white players in the field). Mr Sifford became a member of the tour in 1961 and went on to win two official money events. He also won the 1975 PGA Seniors' Championship. In 2004 he  became the first African American inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Photo Gallery

On November 9, 1925 Body and Soul was released. It was produced, written,
directed, and distributed by Oscar Micheaux, and was the film debut of Paul Robeson.

Zora Neale Hurston photographed by Carl Van Vechten in Chicago on November 9, 1934.

Publications

Jet Magazine. November 9, 1972.

Jet Magazine, November 9, 1987

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