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THE JOURNEY THROUGH TIME

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Events

Moments that changed communities, movements, institutions and the nation.

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MY'STORY

The MOVE Fire

This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985 Philadelphia police fired thousands of rounds at the MOVE house, city officials approved dropping an explosive device on the roof, the resulting fire was allowed to burn, 11 people—including five children—died, and 61 homes were destroyed. Philadelphia City Council later called it a “brutal attack carried out by the City of Philadelphia on its own citizens” and acknowledged that no individual faced criminal consequences for the bombing. One timeline correction worth preserving for the BHP record: the major previous MOVE-police confrontation was August 8, 1978, about seven years before the bombing, not a year or two earlier. Officer James Ramp was killed, other police and firefighters were wounded, nine MOVE members were later convicted, and television cameras recorded police beating Delbert Africa during his arrest. The 1985 MOVE Commission later specifically criticized city planners for failing to adequately use lessons from that 1978 confrontation. And that actually strengthens the point you’re making: 1985 did not happen without precedent or institutional memory. There had already been a deadly confrontation with MOVE, years of conflict, negotiations and police involvement before Osage Avenue.

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BLACK FACTS
The Truths They Never Taught You...

Katherine Johnson — Mathematics to the Moon

Katherine Johnson’s mathematical calculations helped guide some of America’s most important early space missions while she confronted the racial and gender barriers faced by Black women in twentieth-century America.

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BHP gathered finds from its connected research sources. Showing the 4 strongest Black History matches.
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NMAAHC

Carte-de-visite portrait of Margaret Alsop

Date
ca. 1865
Description
Carte-de-visite of Margaret Alsop shown in half portrait. Alsop is seated with her proper right elbow resting on the back of a chair and her right hand touching her chin. She is looking directly at the camera. Alsop is wearing a dark colored, high neck dress with buttons from neck to waist and a belt with oval buckle cinching the pleated waist. There is a light colored trim at the collar and cuffs. The photograph has retouching present in Alsop's eyes and pink hand coloring on her lips and cheeks.
There is an inscription handwritten in graphite along the lower edge of the print, which reads "Margaret Alsop."
There is a mark for Alexander Gardner Galleries and Philip & Solomons Publishers on the back of the photograph.
The photograph is housed on page 20 in the Emily Howland Photograph Album (2017.30). The album page has a triple-lined, gold border framing the print.
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National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Emily Howland Photograph Album
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Photographs and Still Images
Credit Line
Collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture shared with the Library of Congress, Anonymous Gift
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2019.9
Type
cartes-de-visite
albumen prints
portraits
Restrictions & Rights
Public domain
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
albumen and silver on photographic paper on card mount
Dimensions
H x W (Image): 3 7/16 × 2 3/16 in. (8.8 × 5.5 cm)
H x W (Image and Mount): 4 × 2 3/8 in. (10.1 × 6.1 cm)
Title
Object Name • Carte-de-visite portrait of Margaret Alsop
Record ID
nmaahc_2019.9
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
CARTE-DE-VISITE PORTRAIT OF MARGARET ALSOP
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1860s
Geo Location
City • Washington • State • District of Columbia • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Online Media Type
Images
Online Media Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions

Media

Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution. Rights and restrictions shown above are supplied by the Smithsonian record.

NMAAHC

Carte-de-visite portrait of Isabel and Herbert Howland

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Carte-de-visite portrait of Agnes and Slocum Howland

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Photograph album owned by Emily Howland

Date: Date

Caption

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NMAAHC

Carte-de-visite portrait of Margaret Alsop

Date: Date

Description

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TOPIC OF THE DAY

Greenwood / Black Wall Street

Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.

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TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE DAY

Who became the first Black woman to travel into space?

Mae Jemison, aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992.