Maurice Ashley Named Chess Grandmaster
[ad#336×280] 1999 – First Black Grandmaster
Maurice Ashley, an immigrant from Jamaica, was 14 and living in Brooklyn, when he feel in love with the game of chess after reading a book about Paul Morphy, a 19th-century Louisianian who was America’s first great chess player. Ever since, Ashley has focused his life on the game. As a student at Brooklyn Technical …
1946 – Jackie Roosevelt Robinson’s professional debut
Jackie Roosevelt Robinson made his professional debut as a member of the Montreal Royals in the Daytona Beach ballpark that now bears his name. One year later, Robinson would break Major League Baseball’s color barrier and earn the inaugural Rookie of the Year Award as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson ba…
1919 – Nat King Cole, singer, born
Nat King Cole, singer, born
1806 – Norbert Rillieux, Inventor and Egyptologist, born
Norbert Rillieux, chemical engineer, inventor and Egyptologist, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. The son of an inventor and engineer, Rillieux was educated in Paris schools and, at 24, became an instructor at L’Ecole Centrale and published papers on steam economy. Rillieux is best known for inventing the “multiple …
