This Week In Black History – January 16, 2025

January 16, 1978 – NASA named black astronauts: Maj. Frederick D. Gregory, Maj. Guion S. Bluford, and Dr. Ronald McNair.

January 17, 1942 – Threetime heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali was born.

January 18, 1856 – Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, pioneering heart surgeon, was born.

January 19, 1969 – UCLA renamed its social science buildings to honor alumnus Ralph Bunche.

January 20, 1977 – Patricia Roberts Harris became U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the first black woman to hold a Cabinet position.

January 21, 1936 – Former Texas (TX) Congresswoman Barbara Jordan was born.

January 22, 1949 – James Robert Gladden became the first African American certified in orthopedic surgery.