Louis Armstrong’s “Hello Dolly” recording becomes his first and only number one record.

Malcolm X delivered his powerful speech “There Is a Worldwide Revolution Going On” at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. In this address, he emphasized the global nature of the struggle against oppression, connecting the civil rights movement in the United States with liberation movements across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The speech highlighted Malcolm X’s shift toward a more internationalist and Pan-African perspective following his pilgrimage to Mecca.

Malcolm X – “You and I are living at a time when there is a revolution going on. A worldwide revolution. It goes beyond Mississippi. It goes beyond Alabama. It goes beyond Harlem. There is a worldwide revolution going on.”

During a United Nations session on Congo, nationalists disrupted the proceedings with a dramatic demonstration in honor of Patrice Lumumba, the slain Congolese Premier. The protest highlighted global outrage over Lumumba’s assassination and symbolized continued resistance to colonial and neocolonial interference in African affairs.

On February 15, 1968, Henry Lewis made history by becoming the first African American to be appointed as the music director and conductor of a major American symphony orchestra—the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO). At 36 years old, Lewis was selected over more than 150 candidates for this prestigious position. ?HISTORY

Born on October 16, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, Lewis exhibited musical talent early in life. He began studying piano at the age of five and later learned to play the clarinet and various string instruments. By 16, he joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra as a double-bassist, becoming the first African American instrumentalist in a major American symphony orchestra. After serving in the U.S. Army, where he conducted the Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra, Lewis returned to Los Angeles and, in 1961, became the assistant conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

On February 15, 1965, Nat King Cole, an acclaimed singer and pianist, died at the age of 45 in Santa Monica, California. Known for his smooth baritone voice and jazz piano mastery, Cole broke racial barriers in the entertainment industry, becoming the first African American to host a national television variety show in the U.S. His contributions left a lasting legacy in music and civil rights.

U.S. civil rights activists and African nationalists disrupted United Nations sessions to protest the assassination of Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba. The protest brought international attention to Lumumba’s murder and highlighted concerns about foreign intervention in African affairs during the decolonization era.

A group of Black abolitionists stormed a Boston courtroom to rescue Shadrach Minkins, a fugitive slave who had been captured under the Fugitive Slave Act. The daring rescue, led by members of the Boston Vigilance Committee, allowed Minkins to escape to freedom in Canada. This act of civil disobedience highlighted Northern resistance to slavery and galvanized anti-slavery activism across the United States.

On this day, Black abolitionists in Boston boldly stormed a courtroom to rescue Shadrach Minkins, a fugitive slave captured under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Minkins had escaped slavery in Virginia and found work in Boston, but was arrested by U.S. marshals. Members of the Boston Vigilance Committee, a group committed to protecting fugitive slaves, freed him from custody and helped him reach safety in Canada. The incident became a powerful symbol of resistance to the Fugitive Slave Act and federal enforcement of slavery.

On this day, five-year-old Sarah Roberts was barred from attending a whites-only public school in Boston. Her father, Benjamin Roberts, filed Roberts v. City of Boston, the first legal challenge to school segregation in the United States. Although the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled against them in 1850, the case laid important groundwork for future civil rights litigation, including Brown v. Board of Education over a century later.

The New Jersey Legislature approved a law for the gradual emancipation of enslaved African Americans, becoming the last Northern state to initiate the abolition of slavery. The law freed children born to enslaved mothers after July 4, 1804, but required them to serve lengthy indentures—men until age 25, women until age 21—delaying true freedom for decades. Despite its limitations, the law marked a critical step toward ending slavery in the North.