On July 9, 1893, John Cornish was rushed to Provident Hospital after being stabbed in the chest during a brawl. A doctor at the hospital worked diligently to save Cornish's life--opening his chest and performing a number of procedures.
Cornish lived and fifty days later, he was discharged from the hospital
The physician that saved Cornish's life was Daniel Hale Williams, who wouldbecome the first surgeon to successfully perform open heart surgery. Williams' work would become the foundation forsurgical procedures in years to come.
Public DomainForty-eight years ago today President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The law banned discrimination in publicfacilities, racial segregation in schools and established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to fight against workplace discrimination. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 also abolished voter registration requirements such as poll taxes and literacy tests that had systemically kept African-Americans from voting.Johnson's decision to sign the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was not an act of pure altruism. Instead, it was the work of civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Thurgood Marshall whose efforts helped both black and white Americans understand the importance of fighting for change in society.After signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Johnson told Americans:"we have come to a time of testing. We must not fail. Let us close the springs of racial poison. Let us pray for wise and understanding hearts. Let us lay aside irrelevantdifferences and make our nation whole. Let us hasten that day when our unmeasured strength and our unbounded spirit will befree to do the great works ordained for this nation by the just and wise God who is the father of us all.''Months later, when Dr. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, he agreed with Johnson's words saying,"The problem is far from solved. We still have a long, long way to go before the dream of freedom is a reality for the Negro in the United States."Some people believe that ending societal racism has been a constant battle in the United States--that peace has not been achieved. However, what do you think has been the greatest achievement of the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
A beautiful and moving groundbreaking ceremony was held this morning for the Smithsonian's 19th museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
When we think of the Civil Rights Movement, we tend to think of the 1960s. The Movement had been growing for decades, and it was in the early 1960s that things really began to happen.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain
The Washington Post's Civil War blog published an interesting item about the home of Josiah Henson, whose life is generally believed to have been an inspiration for the abolitionist novel Uncle Tom's Cabin.
As we pause to observe Martin Luther King Day, it's a good time to look back on his career.
The March 1965 voting rights march in Selma, Alabama, which was violently attacked by state troopers at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, was commemorated this past weekend with another gathering at the bridge.
In the 1840s newspapers began using a term Underground Railroad to refer to a mysterious network by which escaped slaves would travel northward, eventually finding freedom in Canada.
As we commemorate Black History Month, it's an ideal time to pay tribute to the life and career of historian Carter G. Woodson, who is often cited as the creator of the field of African-American History. Woodson, who passed away in 1950, did not live to see the great achievements of the Civil Rights Movement, but his groundbreaking work inspired many and led to the creation of Black History Month.
The writer and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston wrote plays and novels in the 1930s and 1940s before passing into obscurity and being rediscovered decades after her death.
As we look forward to another season of baseball, it's a good time to also look back at some giants of the game who played before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947.
The new George Lucas action film "Red Tails" tells the story of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, a celebrated group of African-American fighter pilots in World War II.
Frederick Douglass did not know his date of birth beyond that he was born in February 1818. But he would choose today's date, February 14, as the day to celebrate as his own birthday. 
Uprisings by slaves didn't happen often. But a few notable incidents made a constant fear of slave rebellions resonate deeply in the American South.
Born into slavery in New York State in the 1790s, Sojourner Truth never learned to read or write. Yet she became known as a passionate and intelligent advocate for the abolitionist cause as well as for women's rights.
Seeing the first lady take her seat in the visitor's gallery of the House of Representatives for President Obama's State of the Union address was a reminder of the history of America and its people.
The author Langston Hughes was one of the most influential black writers of the 20th century. Known primarily as a poet, Hughes was also accomplished as a writer of fiction and drama.