1972 — November, Barbara Jordan of Houston and Andrew Young of Atlanta become the first blacks elected to Congress from the South since
1898. Find out about other blacks in Congress.
1974 — April 8, Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron hits his 715th home run, breaking Babe Ruth’s longstanding record. Who broke his record? November 12, In the Bronx, Clive “Hercules” Campbell, aka “KoolHerc,” starts using two turntables and chanting rhymes over the beat, forming the basis of rap. What was one of the first rap songs?
1975 — Arthur Ashe becomes the first African-American male to win the British Men’s Singles championship at Wimbledon. Who was the first black woman to win?
1977 — February 3, The eighth and final episode of the mini-series “Roots,” based on Alex Haley’s novel, airs, receiving the highest ratings for a single program.