Born Henry Louis Aaron, baseball legend Hank Aaron swung his way into the history books in 1974. While the Atlanta Braves enjoyed the benefits of having the talented athlete on their team, actions off the field forced the conversation to transition from celebratory to cautionary.

In 1861, the south’s threats of seceding the union led to the start of the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln’s primary goal was to minimize secession talks. But, as black slaves who were forced to fight for the confederacy escaped to union territory, a shift occurred that worked in the favor of the president.

As European countries battled to claim territories in America, the Spanish state  — which is now known as Florida — became a haven for slaves who ran away from the British colonies. In 1738, a group of these escaped slaves created the first black town, called Fort Mose.

As the Union declared victory over the Confederacy, post-Civil War life seemed to be off to a good start for freed slaves. William Tecumseh Sherman, a former Union general, sat with 20 black ministers to develop a plan to remedy the harsh treatment of black people.

The year was 1919, and African American soldiers who came home from the Great War in Europe with hopes that serving their country at last would entitle them to the rights of equal citizenship, found themselves on the lethal end of an outbreak of racial violence so horrific that the civil rights leader James Weldon Johnson called it The Red Summer.

Lynching was an action used to terrorize the black community for generations, with the first known public display of this injustice taking place in Madison, Mississippi in 1835.

In 1963, John Lewis’ excitement would meet his life’s purpose when he joined the Civil Rights Movement. He is now known as one of the greatest activists and change fighters to enter the arena of social and racial justice reform.

White publications have sought to represent all voices in America since it’s discovery. But, in 1827, Samuel Cornish and John Russwurm joined forces and created the Freedom’s Journal. This publication created a space for black journalists to speak on issues relevant to black people.

Black inventors have made significant contributions in the name of not only advancing the American brand, but by way of breaking down a system that didn’t always allow for their innovative brands to exist.

Black History in Two Minutes (or so) has been officially a TWO TIMES 2020 Webby Award winner. Voted by People's Voice as Best in the Podcast: Documentary Category. Honoring The Best Of The Internet Since 1997.