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Hattie McDaniel Wins an Oscar

[wp_ad_camp_1]1940 – Hattie McDaniel wins an Oscar for Best Supporting actress in the movie “Gone With The Wind.” McDaniel portrayed “Mammy,” the house servant in the production based on the book by Margaret Mitchell. Hattie was the first African American to win the award and it would be another 23 years before Sidney Poitier would win one.

[wp_ad_camp_2]1945 – Football player and actor Charles Aaron “Bubba” Smith was born in Orange, Texas.Smith played college football at Michigan State University where he was a 2× Consensus All-American, before turning professional, where he played in the National Football League for the Baltimore Colts, Houston Oilers and Oakland Raiders. Over the course of his career, Smith was a Super Bowl champion and a multi-time All Pro. Upon his retirement, he acting in several television show and movies, and was best known for his role as Moses Hightower in the “Police Academy” movie series.

1977 – Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, a star on the “Jack Benny” television show died.  Anderson played the role of Rochester van Jones on the show until the series ended in 1965. He previously appeared on the “Jack Benny” radio program, the first African-American to appear as a regular on a national radio program. In addition to his entertainment career, Anderson was an astute businessman, investing in several racehorses, managing a boxer and owned a company that produced parachutes for the United States military during World War II.

Anderson was the