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Black History Month

Picture of Martin Luther King Jr. and Mathew Ahmann during a civil rights march in 1963.

Black History Month is a month set aside to learn, honor, and celebrate the achievements of black men and women throughout history. Find out how it originated, why February was chosen, and what is this year's annual theme. (Photo courtesy the NARA)

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Jennifer's 20th Century History Blog

Gandhi's Ashes Scattered

Wednesday February 3, 2010
After Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948, his body was cremated and his ashes were parceled out to a number of family and friends. One family friend, Vilas Mehta, kept the ashes she was given until she was on her deathbed last year. Mehta then entrusted in daughter-in-law with the ashes. The daughter-in-law gave the ashes back to Gandhi's family.

On January 30, 2010, 62 years after Gandhi's death, Gandhi's great grandson, accompanied by about 200 family and friends, scattered the ashes into the Indian Ocean off the coast of Durban, South Africa. For more information about the ceremony, including a video, please see this BBC article.

The First Black Ace Pilot Dies

Tuesday February 2, 2010
Retired Air Force Lt. Colonel Lee A. Archer was a Tuskegee Airman during World War II. Credited with shooting down five enemy planes, he was the first, and perhaps only, black ace pilot. Archer stayed in the military until retiring in 1970. He then went on to become vice president at General Foods Corp. Archer passed away at age 90 on January 27, 2010 in New York. For more about this amazing man, see this FOX News article.

Carpet Fragment From Hitler's Bunker Found

Monday February 1, 2010
Hitler's bunker, located below the Reich Chancellery in Berlin, was where Hitler, Eva Braun, and other top ranking Nazis stayed during the heavy bombing of the city at the end of World War II. It has often been thought that the bunker was drab inside. Not so, according to a newly found artifact.

During a recent renovation of the archive room at The Green Howards Museum, a museum dedicated to the British regiment named Green Howards, an envelope was found. Inside the envelope was a fragment of carpeting from Hitler's bunker. The fragment shows that the carpeting was full of color and design, including yellow flowers. The carpet fragment will be on display at the museum, but if you can't make it there to visit, you can sneak an online peak of the carpet fragment.

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

Monday February 1, 2010
A fire at the Triangle Waist Company factory in New York City killed 146 workers. The large number of deaths exposed the dangerous conditions in high-rise factories and prompted the creation of new building, fire, and safety codes around the United States. Find out more about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.

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