This is my third set of UK notes for those looking for Black History Month work. Adelaide Hall (1901-1993) was an American born, UK based, a multi-talented jazz singer and entertainer. She was a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance. Her career spanned from 1921 to 1993 when she died. Her most famous recording was Creole Love Call with Duke Ellington in 1927. In 2004 Adelaide was mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records for being the most enduring recording artist for having released material over 8 decades. Dr. Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah ( b. 1958) was born and raised in Birmingham, England. His poetry is strongly influenced by the music and poetry of Jamaica and what he calls ‘street politics’ He loved Handworth, but aged 22 he sought a wider mainstream audience. Page One Books, a small publisher in London, published -Pen Rhymes his first book - sold 3 editions. It was in performance that the Dub (Reggae) poet would cause a revolution- injecting new life into the British poetry scene. Over a 22 day period in 1991 he performed on every continent on the planet, He became a children’s poet. *Talking Turkeys was a great success. In 1999 he wrote a ground breaking novel for teenagers Face. Many young writers say that accessibility to his work has inspired them to write. Bernadine Evaristo (b. 1959) is a British author who was born in London to an English mother and Nigerian father. Her writings include short fiction, drama, poetry, essays, literacy criticism and projects for stage and screen. She is a longstanding advocate for the inclusion of writers and artists of colour, setting up many successful Black projects. In 2019 her eighth book, the novel * Girl Woman, Other* won the Booker prize, making her the first black woman and first black person to win it. In June 2020 she became the first woman of colour and the first black British writer to get a No.1 in the UK paperback fiction charts. She received an MBE (2009) and OBE (2020) for services to literature. Francis Morgan Ayodele Thompson (b 1958)- Daley Thompson double Olympic Decathlon Champion (1980 and 1984) . BRITAIN’s GREATEST ALL ROUND ATHLETE. (See notes) Fanny Eaton (1835-1924) was Jamaican born artists model and domestic worker. She is best known as model for the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Joan Armatrading (b.1950) is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. Her recording career has spanned nearly 50 years. John Edmonstone (1793-c.1833) was the a black enslaved man, probably born in Demerera who later gained freedom. He taught taxidermy at Edinburgh University. Did Charles Darwin study under him? Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) was an English composer and conductor. Remembered for Song of Hiawatha cantatas. Stuart McPhail Hall (1932-2014) -one of the founding figures of the school now known as British Cultural Studies. Founder 'New Left Review Walter Daniel John Tull (1888-1918) played for Spurs & Rangers. Died in action

In the Olympics we compete under the Great Britain Flag. Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua (b. 1989), or simply Anthony Joshua,. As an amateur he won Olympic gold at the 2012 Olympics in London. He won the super-heavyweight boxing title. In 2014 he turned professional. He currently shares the titles of World Heavyweight Champion with Tyson Fury. Christine Ijeoma 0hurogu ( b, 1984) was a British track athlete who specialised over the 400 metres. She is a former Olympic, World and Commonwealth champion. She became Olympic Champion in 2008 at Beijing. She also won medals as a member of the 4x400 relay team. In June 2018 she confirmed she had retired from athletics. Darren Andrew Campbell (b. 1973) is a former British sprint athlete. He was an excellent and consistent relay runner. He competed in the 100, 200 and 4 x100 relays. He won gold in the 4 x 100 relay in Athens in 2004. He retired in 2006. He was the sprint coach at Wasps rugby club for the 2015-6 season. Denise Lewis (b. 1972) is a former athlete who specialised in the heptathlon ( 7 events over 2 days). She won her Olympic gold medal in the event at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She is ranked 3rd on the all time British lists. Since retiring she has worked regularly as a presenter and pundit for athletics. Dame Jessica Ennis Hill (b 1986) was the ‘cover’ girl for London in the 2012 Olympics. She won her gold medal for the heptathlon. She also won 3 World titles. She is ranked 2nd in the all time British list. Today Jessica is regularly seen in adverts. She is a columnist for the The Times. Dame Kelly Holmes ( b 1970) was a very successful British middle distance runner over 800 & 1500 metres. She joined British Army and in 1993 turned professional. She won medals but was prone to injuries. In 2004, which proved to be her final championship -the Athens Olympics - she won double gold! Today she is a regular face on the media. Linford Cicero Christie (b 1960)- sprinter. He is the only British man to have won gold medals at all 4 Championships. In 1992 he finally won gold, aged 32 at Barcelona Olympics. 9.96 for 100 metres. 1993 BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year. Nicola Adams (b 1982) -female flyweight boxer - won gold in London (2012) and Rio (2016) as an amateur. Won full set of titles. Turned professional in 2017 but now retired because of eye injury. Sir Mohamed Muktar James Farah (b1983) - MoJo. Britain’s greatest long distance runner - won gold at 5 and 10, 000 metres in 2012 & 16. The first person to win the quadruple double. BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year 2017. 2018 won Chicago Marathon. Theresa Ione ‘Tessa’ Sanderson - javelin - won gold at 1984 Los Angles. Fatima Whitbread was her British rival. Won 10 AAAs championships. She competed in 6 Olympics. Tessa was the first black British woman to win Olympic gold . 1999-2005 Vice-chairman of Sports England. In 2012 Tessa was appointed as a board member of the Olympic Park Legacy Company.

I have only changed the title. TES might have thought it was the same as first set and canceled the first set! Kept to same formula - picture plus brief notes. Arthur Wharton (1865-1930) is widely considered to be the first professional footballer, from a mixed-heritage, in the world. Christian Frederick Cole (1852-1885) was the first black graduate of the University of Oxford and also the first African barrister to practice in the English Courts. He was the grandson of a slave and the adopted son of the Rev. James Cole of Waterloo. Clive Sullivan (1943-1985) was an international rugby league player. He played for Hull F.C., Hull Kingston Rovers, Oldham and Doncaster. He was the first black captain for Great Britain in any sport. He led the Great Britain team in 1972 when they won the Rugby League World Cup. Emma Clarke (1876-1905), born in Bootle, Liverpool, was a British footballer and is considered to be the first known black women’s footballer in Britain. Her sister, Jane, also played football. Evelyn Mary Dove (1902-1987) was a British singer and actress. Her father, Francis (Frans) Dove was a leading Sierra Leonean barrister. Her mother was Augusta Winchester a white English woman. Evelyn was the first black singer on BBC Radio. Harry Edwards (1898-1973) Father was Guyanese and his mother German. He was a prisoner of war (POW) in WW1, in Germany. Following the war he immigrated to Great Britain. He became a British runner who competed in the 100 and 200 metres in the 1920 Summer Olympic Games in Antwerp. He won Olympic bronze medals in both events, becoming Britain’s first black Olympic medalist. In the 200 metres final he injured himself so he withdrew from the 4 x100 relay. He later moved to New York City. James Peters (1879-1954) is another rugby player. he was known as ‘Darkie Peters’. He played both union and league. he is notable for being the first black man to play rugby union for England. His father George Peters was Jamaican, his mother was Hannah Gough from Wem in Shropshire. His father was mauled to death in a training cage for lions. In 1910 lost 3 fingers in a dockland accident but continued to play. Lilian Bader (1917-2015) was born in Liverpool. Her father was Barbadian and her mother Irish. In 1939 she worked briefly in the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI) but was forced to leave because she was black. In 1941 she volunteered to join the WAAF to train as an Instrumental Repairer. She passed her course ‘First class’ and became one of the first women in the air force to qualify in that trade.She gained promotion to Acting Corporal. Wilfred Denniston Wood (b.1936) became the first black Anglican bishop - Bishop of Croydon (1985-2002). Winifred Atwell (1910-1983) was a Trinidadian pianist who enjoyed great popularity in Britain and Australia. She was the first black person to have a No.! hit in the UK Single charts. She is still the only female instrumentalist to do so.

The Harlem Renaissance (HR) was an intellectual revival of African-American (A-A) art and literature centred around Harlem. Manhattan, New York City, covering the 1920s. It was originally named as the New Negro Movement after The New Negro (1925) written by Alain Locke.* Although it was centred around the Harlem neighbourhood black French speaking writers from the Caribbean and African colonies, who lived in Paris, were also influenced. The Stock Market crash in 1929 and the Great Depression, began to bring it to a close. After the 1865 Civil War 1000s of newly freed A-A began to dream. Unfortunately white supremacy was quickly restored. Many blacks were exploited. A Great Migration began to the north and mid-west. 100s of 1000s A-As relocated… 175, 000 A-As moved to Harlem, Manhattan- the largest concentration of A-As in the world. Others went to Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Detroit and Philadelphia. There was astonishing array of talent - artists, musicians and scholars. All were determined to forge a new identity as free people. At the height of the movement Harlem was the epicentre of A-A culture. It bustled with A-A owned publishing houses and newspapers, music companies , nightclubs and cabarets. Literature (poetry and prose), music (jazz, swing, opera and dance) and fashion defined as ‘cool’ to blacks and whites alike. Plus painting and sculpture. 4 significant contributors to HR. James Mercer Langston Hughes (1901-67) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright and columnist. He is best known as the leader of HR. He dropped out of University but he gained notice from New York publishers, first in The Crisis magazine. He was one of the early innovators of the new literacy art form called jazz poetry. He famously wrote about the HR period. Alain LeRoy Locke (1885-1954) was an American writer, philosopher, educator, and patron of the arts. He graduated from Harvard and in 1907 he became the first M-M Rhodes Scholar. In 1925 he wrote an article in the Survey Graphic which developed into The New Negro - a collection of writings by him and other A-As. It was an instant success and later acclaimed ‘the first National’ book of A-As… He was a very influential A-A . Alain mentored Zora Neale Hurston. Zora (1891-1960) was an American author, collector of A-A folklore and a film maker. Aged 26 went back to school saying she was 16! She arrived in New York (1925) when HR was at its zenith. In 1926 helped to produce literary magazine *Fire! In 1931 wrote Barracoon. story of Cudio Kazoola Lewis - a former slave Their Eyes Were Watching (1937) most popular of her 4 books. She wrote more then 50 short stories, plays and essays but struggled with debt and poverty. Josephine Baker (1906-75) was an American born French entertainer. With her banana skirt she was a symbol of the Jazz Age and the Roaring 20s. W.EB Du Bois and The Crisis magazine ( separate file)

I came across a list of 10 Black British Healthcare Pioneers I have found extra information about most of them. 4 more have been added which were found during my research. I could not find a picture for all of them. Dr. Charles Drew is the American surgeon who developed techniques to preserve blood plasma. He helped the UK save 1000s of lives during WW11. Mary Seacole travelled independently to the Crimea war where she setup a British hotel to nurse the wounded. John Alcindor refused place in RAMC. He was awarded the Red Cross medal for working with the wounded at London rail stations during WW11. Annie Brewster - ‘Nurse Ophalmic’ - was very skilled with treating patients with eye problems. She was one of the first Afro-Caribbean nurses to work in UK. Harold Arundel Moody - he fought for discrimination to end. Became very influential when appointed to government advisory committee on the welfare of non-Europeans. Leader of the ** League of Coloured Peoples (1931) with the support of the Quakers. Tryphena Anderson - she was the first black person to receive a bursary to train as a health visitor. She late bought and managed a nursing home. Derk Harty - joined NHS, aged 23, as a technician and went on to become technical manager of the biochemistry department of London’s Whipps Cross Hospital. Dr. Fnanklyn Jacobs came to UK in 1974. He co-founded the African Caribbean Medical Society with Lord Pitt and Dr. Eddie Simon. It raises health issues within the black community. Nurse Omo-Oba Adenrele Ademola was a Nigerian princess. She trained as a nurse in London in the 1930s and remained working there through .WW11. Professor Laura Serrant has over 35 years experience of health practice, research. policy development, training and management. At the present time she is on secondment with NHS England as head of evidence and strategy in the nursing directorate. Professor Jacqueline Dunkley- Bent has vast experience in healthcare provision. She is the Chief Midwifery officer in England. Her experience has seen her leading and influencing national maternity standards and guidance. Professor Dame Elizabeth Nneka Anionwu was a British nurse, health care administrator, lecturer and Emeritus Professor of Nursing at University of West London. In 1979 became the UKs first sickle-cell and thalassemia nurse specialist, helping to establish the Brent Sickle Cell and Thalassemia Counselling centre. She retired in 2007. Dr. Titilola Banjoko in 2020 she joined International Rescue Committee (IRC) UK as Chair of the Board of Trustees. She has extensive knowledge of Global Health issues which will be relevant when responding to issues relating to the COVID -19 pandemic. Victor Olufemi Adebowale, Baron Adebowale for 20 years was the CEO of the social care enterprise Turning Point, which helps 77,000 unemployed and/or homeless persons each year. 2001 appointed a people’s peer. He an influential person in housing and the NHS…

A great deal has been written about Barack Hussain Obama 11, the first African-American president of the United States. I have selected just a few Wikipedia pages. Barack was the 44th president of the US from 2009-17. He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii to an American mother of European descent and an African father from Kenya. Recalling his childhood he said - *That my father looked nothing like the people around me - that he was pitch black, my mother white as milk - barely registered in my mind . His parents, Ann Dunham and Barack Obama Sr. had met in 1960 in a Russian language class at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. They married on 2nd February1961. Barack was born on 4th August 1961. They divorced in March 1964. His father returned to Kenya where he married for the third time. He only saw his son once-Christmas 1971. He died in a car crash in 1982. His mother Ann married Lolo Soetoro, an Indonesian, on March 15th 1965.When his J-1 visa expired he returned to Indonesia. Mother and son followed. From 1970 they lived in the wealthier neighbourhood in the Menteng sub district of Central Jakarta. Obama went to local Indonesian language schools (6-10) where learned to speak Indonesian fluently. In 1971 he returned to Honolulu to live with his mother’s parents - Madelyn and Stanley Dunham. He attended Punahou - a private college preparatory school - aided by scholarship from 5th grade. He graduated from high school in 1979. He moved to Los Angles to attend Occidental College on a full scholarship. In 1981 he transfered to Columbia University in New York City as a junior. There he majored in political science with a specialty in international relations and English Literature. He graduated in 1983 with a BA degree and a 3-7 GPA. After graduating he worked for about a year at Business International Corporation, then as a project coordinator for the New York Public Interest Group. In 1988 he enrolled in Harvard Law School. He was the first black person to be president of the Harvard Law Review. In June 1989 he met Michelle Robinson, they married on 3rd October 1992. After graduation he became a civil rights attorney and an academic, teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School (1992-2004). He became involved with politics - he is a Democrat. Elected to represent the 13th district (!997-2004) in Illinois. He then ran for the US senate. He was the US Senator for Illinois from January 5th 2005-November 16th 2008 . In 2008 nominated for president after close primary campaign against Hillary Clinton. He chose Joe Biden as his Vice President. He became the 44 President of the US on 20th January, 2009. He was president for 2 terms of 4 years. Donald Trump, a Republican, replaced him on January20th 2017. I have included notes on his early life and career, education, family and personal life, legislative career, presidential campaigns the White House and his legacy. Ranked US’s 8th greatest president

Jane Mathison Haining (1897-1944) was a Scottish missionary for the church of Scotland in Budapest, Hungary. On 17th July 1944 she died in the infamous German concentration camp of Auschwitz. Jane, born on 6th June 1897, at Lochenhead farm, Duncore, Dumfrieshire, Scotland was the fifth child of Thomas and Jane Mathison. Her mother died giving birth to their sixth child in 1902, Jane was about 5. She grew up as a member of the Craig Church in Dunscore, part of the United Free church of Scotland. In 1909 she won a scholarship to Dunfries Academy where she boarded in the Moat Hostel for Girls. She graduated as the school’s dux (top pupil). After graduating she trained at the Athenaeum Commercial College in Glasgow. From 1917-27 she worked in Paisley for J.and P. Coats Ltd, a thread manufacturer, first as a clerk then as a secretary. She attended Queen’s Park West United Free church and taught Sunday School. This is when she thought about becoming a missionary. In 1927 she attended a meeting in Glasgow of the Jewish Mission Committee where the Rev. Dr. George Mackenzie discussed his missionary work. I have found my lifework! she reportedly said to a friend. Jane continued to work at Coats for nearly a year and a half - her manager at work was ill (5 months) and it took a year to train her replacement. She then did a 1 year diploma course at Glasgow College for Domestic Science in domestic science and housekeeping. After this she worked temporarily in Glasgow and then in Manchester as a matron. In 1932 she saw an ad in Life and Work for a matron in a Jewish girls’ mission school in Budapest, Hungary. ( See ‘Secretarial work, retraining’) She went for further training at St. Colm’s Women Missionary College in Edinburgh. her dedication service happened on 19th June 1932. The next day she left for Budapest. Jane liked Hungary and Budapest and soon became fluent in the language. She dedicated herself to helping helping her pupils Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany on 30th January 1933. She was well liked by both her pupils and colleagues who regarded her as the best matron they had ever known. WW11 broke out on 3rd September 1939. Jane was on holiday in Cornwall with Margit Prem, the head of the school in Budapest. They immediately returned to Budapest. In 1940 she was advised to return home. She stayed saying Hungary was neutral. In 1941 Jewish refugees, from all over German occupied Europe, fled to Hungary to escape the Holocaust. On 19th March 1944 the German Wehrmacht invaded Hungary. Late April, early May, 1944 the Gestapo arrived. ( See ‘Arrest’ for charges) 15th May deported to Auschwitz - given no. 79467. Selected for work rather than gas chamber. 17th July died in hospital of cachexia and intestinal catarrh. In 1997 Jane was recognised by Yad Vashem in Israel as Righteous Among the Nations.

James Fraser McLuskey (1914-2005) is known as Parachute Padre because he was awarded the Military Cross, during WWII, while with Special Air Services (SAS). He was a British Church of England minister who served as a military chaplain with the SAS during WWII. He later went on to become the minister of St. Columba’s, (1960-86) the larger of the Church of Scotland’s two congregations in London. He also served for one year as Moderator of the General Assembly (1983-4). He was born in Edinburgh on 19th September 1914. His family moved to Aberdeen where his father ran a laundry business. He attended Aberdeen Grammar School (1920-31), He returned to Edinburgh to take degrees in divinity and art. Fraser McLuskey, as he was known, spent several months on a travel scholarship where he became interested in the Confessional Church in Germany - church opposed to Hitler and the Nazis. Here he met his first wife, Irene Calaminus, the pastor’s daughter. Ordained in 1938 to be the Scottish secretary of the Student Christian Movement. In 1939 he became chaplain to the University of Glasgow (1939-47). In 1942/3 he took leave of absence to become an Army Chaplain. After parachute training he was posted to the SAS. He served in France, Germany and Norway and was awarded the Military Cross. ( See Independent for ‘citation’) His war time experiences can be read in Parachute Padre; Behind German Lines with the SAS: France 1944 ( See AbeBooks) Back in Britain he travelled throughout the country visiting families of men lost in action with the SAS, explaining the circumstances of their death. 1947-50 he was sub-warden at the Royal Army Chaplains’ Training Centre. He then returned to Scotland. He went first to Broughty Ferry East. In 1955 to New Kilpatrick on the outskirts of Glasgow where he had a congregation of 2,0000, While there his first wife, Irene, died of breast cancer. leaving him had 2 teenage boys to look after. In 1960 he moved to St. Columbia’s, Pont Street, London where he was involved in many Scots church and ecumenical activities. His first priorities were in preaching the pastoral work. . He believed in having Church of Scotland outposts in London so he united with the kirk in Dulwich. He also had a link with St. Andrew’s, Newcastle upon Tyne. In 1966 he married a divorced widow. Ruth Briant As moderator of the General Assembly 1983/4 he received the Queen at the centenary service of his church. He represented the Kirk at the reunion assembly in Atlanta of the Northern and Southern American Presbyterian churches. After 25 years at St. Columbia’s he retired to Edinburgh in 1986. After his retirement he remained influential in the Kirk. a moderating force in political matters and a supporter of a more evangelical approach. He spent his free time traveling the countryside where he had been with the SAS in WWII. Fraser McLuskey, the Parachute Padre, took his last jump: he died on the 24th July, 2005, aged 90.

Anne Askew, (married name Anne Kyme (1521-1546) was an English writer, poet and Protestant martyr. She was condemned as a heretic in England during the reign of Henry VIII. She is the only woman on record known to have been tortured in the Tower of London and burnt at the stake. She is also one of the earliest female poets to compose in the English language. She is the first woman to demand divorce using scriptural grounds. Anne was born in 1521 in Lincolnshire, England. Her father was Sir William Akew a gentleman in the court of Henry VIII. Her father arranged for her eldest sister Martha to marry Thomas Kyme. Martha died before the marriage so to save money her father had Anne married to him instead. Anne was a devout Protestant, studying the Bible and memorizing Biblical verses and remained true to her beliefs for the whole of her life. Her pronouncements against transubstantiation ( the belief that the bread and wine at Holy Communion actually changed into the body and blood of Christ) created controversy in Lincoln. Her husband was Catholic. They had 2 children before he threw her out for being a Protestant - alleged that she was seeking divorce so this did not upset her. In London she was a ‘gospeler’ or a preacher to all. March 1545 husband had her arrested. He demanded she returned to Lincolnshire but sh escaped. Early 1546 arrested then released. May 1546 arrested and tortured in the Tower of London. 18th June 1546 convicted of heresy and condemned to be burned at the stake. 16th July 1546 martyred in Smithfield, London (Read ‘Background on 1546’, ‘Plain speaking’, ‘Arrest and interrogation’ plus ‘Execution’) Those who watched her execution were impressed by her bravery. Anne listened to BIshop Shaxton when he preached from the pulpit. She audibly expressed agreement when he spoke anything considered truth. Anything contrary she exclaimed There he misseth, and speaketh without the book She did not scream until the flames reached her chest. After her death Anne Askew’s autobiographical and publishished Examinations - in its original form - chronicle her persecutions and offer a unique look into 16th century femininity, religion and faith. (Read ‘Legacy’ and ‘Examinations’) Anne Askew was an intelligent, articulate Christian woman who used written Scripture as her defence. *God hath geven me the gyfte of knowledge, but not of utterance, And Salomon sayth, that i Wolde not throw pearles amonge swyne, for acornes were good ynoubh * Matthew ch7 v 6

The British nationality Act of 1948 gave citizens of the UK and Colonies status and the right of settlement in the UK. This resulted that between 1948=1970 nearly half a million people moved form the Caribbean to Britain which faced sever labour shortages after WW11. These immigrants were later referred to as the Windrush generation. because many of them had come to the UK on the ship called HMT Empire Windrush. The only official records of many ‘windrush’ immigrants when they had originally come to the UK were the landing cards which were collected when they disembarked from ships in UK ports. Over subsequent decades these cards were routinely used by British immigration officials to verify dates of arrival for borderline immigration cases. Any one from the Commonwealth, who arrived before 1973 was granted an automatic right to remain, unless they left for more than 2 years. For the next 40 years anyone in that category were never given or asked to provide documentary evidence of their right to remain. In 2009 landing cards were earmarked, by the Labour government , for destruction, as part of a broader clean up of paper records. It was implemented in 2010 by the incoming coalition government. Whistleblowers and retired immigration officers warned managers there would be a problem- these cards were the only record of their arrival. Theresa May was Home Secretary when the hostile environment policy was introduced in October 2012. The idea was to reduce UK immigration figures promised in the 2010 Conservative Manifesto. (See hostile environment policy) In 2018 we had the Windrush scandal. People were wrongly detained, denied legal rights,lost jobs or homes, passports confiscated, denied medical care, threatened with deportation. At least 83 cases cases were wrongly deported -many of those affected had been born British subjects and had arrive in the UK before 1973. These were part of the 'Windrush generation. Since then a hardship scheme has been set up by the Home Office Those classified as illegal immigrants were to be compensated scheme. Very little of the £200 -£570 million set aside has been paid up -just £46,795 ( See Hardship scheme) On 19th March 2020 the Windrush Lessons Learned Review concluded that the Home Office showed an inexcusable ’ ignorance and thoughtlessnes’ and what had happened had been ’ foreseeable and avoidable’. (See W L L Review) November 2020 the Equality and Human Rights Commission said the Home Office had broken the law by failing to obey public-sector equality duties by not considering how the policies affected black members of the Windrush generation. Dexter Bristol and Paulette Wilson are 2 examples of how the ‘Windrush generation’ were seriously let down.

Nelson Mandela ( 18th July 1918- 5th December 2013) was released, after 20 years in preson, by F.W. de Klerk, from Victor Verster Prison on 11th February 1990. On 10th May 1994 he became the first President of South Africa. He is one of the most recognizable human rights symbols of the 20th century.

In 1941 penicillin was used for the first time on a human. Albert Alexander was a policeman from Oxford. he had a sever facial infection. His condition improved but supplies of penicillin ran out and died. Alexander Fleming and Ernest Chain shared a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945 for their pioneer work in penicillin. Source used On This Day The history of the World in 366 days

Alfred the Great was the king of th e West Saxons from 871-886 and king of the Anglo-Saxons c.886-899. He is venerated as a saint by some Christian traditions. The Anglican community venerate him as a Christian hero with a feast day or commemoration on 26th October. He is often depicted in stained glass windows in C of E parish churches. Alfred was the youngest son of King AEthelwulf. Three of his brothers AEthelbald. AEtheberht and AEthelred, reigned in turn before him. After ascending the throne he spent several years fighting Viking invasions. In 878/9 he had a decisive victory at the Battle of Edington. (He did not win all the battles) With the Vikings he created Danelaw in the North of England. He saw the Viking leader. Guthrum converted to Christianity. He became the dominant ruler in England Alfred had a great love of the church. As a child he had made the difficult journey to Rome to be blessed by the Pope. As king he now turned to rebuilding of civilisation and religion among his people. The Danes had destroyed nearly all th churches and schools in the land. He restored communications with Rome and invited scholars and monks from the Europe and Ireland to come and help in the revival of learning in England. He encouraged the building of churches, monasteries and schools. Alfred studied and translated into Anglo-Saxon the Psalms. He also translated from Latin into Old English certain works that were regarded at the time as providing models of ideal Christian kingship and ‘most necessary for all men to know.’ From his followers he won the title ‘Protector of the Poor’. Bishop Asser of Wales was set the task of writing the king’s biography - he emphasised Alfred’s positive aspects. He presented Alfred as the embodiment of the ideal, but practical, Christian ruler. By the time of the Reformation Alfred was seen as a pious Christian who promoted the use of English rather then the Latin He was given the epithet as ‘the Great’ by writers in the 16th century not by his contemporaries. He reigned for 30 years. He died aged just 50.King Alfred was never canonised (although HenryV1 asked Pope EugeneIV in 1441 to canonise him). History Today published an article The Most Perfect Man in History- I have enclosed most of the article. I desire to live worthily as long as I lived, and to leave after my life, to the men who should come after me, the memory of me in good works Alfred’s translation of passage from* Consolation of Philosophy* by Boethius Source used Wikipedia

Saint Oswald ( c.604-642)was king of Northumbria (634-642) until his death and is venerated as a saint. As a youth he was exiled to Iona, Columbia’s island, in the Scottish kingdom of Dal Riata in Northern Britain, where he was converted to Christianity. His brother Eanfrith became king of Bernicia but was killed by Cadwallon in 633/4 after attempting to negotiate peace. Oswald fought Cadwallon in the battle at Heavenfiels, near Hexham. He had a vision of Columba before the battle which he described to his council. They all agreed to be baptized and accept Christianity after the battle. Before the battle he erected a wooden cross. He knelt down, holding the cross in position until enough earth had been thrown to make it stand firm. He then prayed and asked his small army to join him. In the battle which followed Oswald was victorious. Cadwallon was killed. The tall, fair, blued eyed King Oswald reunited Norhthumbria and re-established the Berniccian supremacy. He established himself as the most powerful king in Britain. Adomnan describes Oswald as ‘ordained by God as Emperor of all Britain’. He was able to speak the 4 languages of Britain- Britons, Scots, Picts and English. He was on good terms with the West Saxons. He stood sponsor tot the baptism of king Cynegils and married his daughter Kyneburga. Oswald asked for a bishop from the Irish of Dal Riata. The first, an ‘austere’ bishop, was not successful. The second, Aidan proved to be very successful. He was given the island of Lindisfarne as his episcopal see. The Venerable Bede mentions that Oswald initially interpreted Aidan’s preaching because he did not know English well. Bede recounts Oswald’s generosity to the poor and strangers. One Easter, while dining with Aidan. he hears from a servant that there is a crowd in the streets begging for alms from the king. Oswald gives his * silver dish full of dainties* to them and the dish is broken up. Aidan is so impressed he takes Oswald’s right hand and says May this hand never perish. Saint Oswald died fighting the pagan Mercians under Penda in 642 in the battle of Maserfoeld. Bede says he ended his life in prayer when he realised he was about to die. His head and limbs were placed on stakes. His bones were dispersed as relics, but his head was buried at Lindisfarne - later taken to Durham when the monks fled before the Danish invasion. . After his death, according to Bede, the site where he died * Oswestry or Oswald’s Tree became associated with miracles and legend. Sources used The Churches Year by Charles Alexander Wikipedia

John Herschel Glenn Jr. (18th July 1821-8th December 2016) was the first American to orbit the earth . He orbited the earth 3 times. He named his spacecraft ‘Friendship 7’ it happened on the 20th February because there had been 10 postponements because of bad weather or technical problems. During the flight a warning light came on to say that the capsule’s vital heat shield was loose but entry and splashdown went smoothly. He went on to become a democratic US Senator for Ohio (1974-1998). Aged 77 he flew into space again.

Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) was an abolitionist, civil rights activist, feminist and advocate of Social justice. He travelled to Britain in 1845 for 19 months, lecturing against slavery in the USA. Frederick was born on a plantation in Talbot County. He was born a slave. His birth name was Frederick Bailey. he did not know who was his father or the exact date of his birth. He later picked 14th February as his birthday and estimated he was born in 1818. Aged 7 he was sent to live at the Wye House plantation. His mother died when he was 10. Eventually he went to Baltimore to serve the Auld family. Sophia Auld started to teach him how to read. It was against the law and her husband her from teaching him. Frederick was an intelligent young man and taught himself how to read and write by observing others and watching white children. He read in newspapers about slavery, He taught others to read which got him into trouble and he was moved to another farm where he was beaten by the slave owner to break his spirit. In 1838 he escaped. He disguised himself as a sailor and carried papers to show he was a free black seaman. On 3rd September he boarded a train for the north. 24 hours later he arrived in New York a ‘free’ man. He married Anna Murray and took the surname of Douglas. They settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts. There he met abolitionists - people who wanted to abolish slavery. He became an excellent speaker on the subject and became famous but feared of being captured and returned to slavery. In 1845 he travelled to Ireland and Britain lecturing against slavery in the USA. He became embroiled in controversies due to his electrifying capacity as an oratory and performer. He returned to the USA a free man, British abolitionists purchased his legal freedom. He also spoke about Women’s Rights. He attended the first ever women’s rights convention at Seneca falls, New York in 1948. During the Civil War 1961-6 he fought for the rights of black soldiers. When the Soth announced they would execute or enslave any captured black soldier he insisted that President Lincoln should respond- he responded by threatening to execute like for like. Frederick also sought equal pay and treatment for black soldiers. He wrote an autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, It became a best seller, He later wrote 2 more books about his life. Frederick died on 20th February 1895, aged 77 (?) from either a heart attack or stroke. His legacy lives on in his writings and monuments named after him. NOTE This is just a simple summary. There are 38 pages on Frederick Douglas on Wikipedia giving far more detail. Sources used Wikipedia Biography for Kids

Titanic - picture and vocabulary

Sojourner Truth was born Isabella Bornfree - a slave in Dutch speaking Ulster County, New York. A former slave, bought and sold 4 times, became an outspoken advocate for temperance, civil and women’s rights in the nineteenth century. She ran away with her infant daughter Sophia. The abolitionist family, the Van Wageners, bought her freedom for $20 in 1827 - the year before New York’s law freeing slaves took effect. During the American civil war she played a major role in recruiting African-American soldiers to fight for the Union ( northern states) against the Confederacy (southern states) Her work earned her an invitation to meet President Abraham Lincoln in 1864.

William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was the most important Black protest leader in the USA during the first half of the 20th century. W.E.B. Du Bois was an American socialist, historian, author, editor and activist. shared in the creation of the NAACP ( National Association for the Advancement of Colored People The Soul of Black Folk (1903)- a collection of essays - was a landmark of African American literature He was the editor of The Crisis ** for 24 years (1910-34). It contained many influential pieces. His autobiography Dusk of Dawn (1940) is regarded as one of the first scientific treaties in the field of American sociology. The United States Civil Rights act of 1964, enacted a year after his death, embodied many of the reforms he had campaigned for during hie life full equal civil rights and political representation for the black population. Sources used Britannica Online Encyclopedia Wikipedia

Rosa Parks is best known for refusing to move to the back of the bus. She was an American civil rights activist. She came from Montgomery where her young pastor was Martin Luther King. She lived to be 92. She was laid in state in the rotunda of the U.S. capital. She was the first woman and only the second Black person to receive the distinction, Source used Encyclopedia Britannica