Civil Rights
Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
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Explore the people, places, events, achievements, struggles and stories that shaped our journey.
Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
Innovation, patents, science, technology and world-changing contributions.
Pioneers, champions, Negro Leagues, records, activism and excellence.
Meet the people whose lives, choices and achievements shaped the journey.
Black towns, communities, institutions and places where history happened.
Moments that changed communities, movements, institutions and the nation.
In August 1908, a white mob attacked Springfield, Illinois’s Black community, destroying homes and businesses and lynching two Black men. National outrage over the violence helped spur the movement that created the NAACP the following year.
MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
Intégral Peripherals, Inc., or simply Intégral, was an American computer hardware company based in Boulder, Colorado, and active from 1990 to 1998. It was the first company to manufacture hard disk drives with a platter diameter of 1.8 inches, smaller than the typical 2.5-inch hard drives used in laptops and other mobile devices. Initially met with market skepticism, Intégral found success in the mid-1990s with design wins in products by IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Toshiba, among others. However, its investors dropping out of the company amid the 1997 Asian financial crisis caused the company to file bankruptcy in 1998, after which it was acquired by private equity firm H&Q Asia Pacific.
Conner Peripherals, Inc. (commonly referred to as Conner), was a company that manufactured hard drives and tape drives for personal computers. Conner Peripherals was founded in 1985 by Seagate Technology co-founder and San Jose State University alumnus Finis Conner (1943– ). In 1986, it merged with CoData, a Colorado start-up founded by MiniScribe founders Terry Johnson and John Squires. CoData was developing a new type of small hard disk that put the capacity of a 5.25-inch drive into the smaller (and now commonplace) 3.5-inch format.
Computer Peripherals, Inc. (CPI) was an American manufacturer of computer printers, based in Rochester, Michigan. CPI's precursor, Holley Computer Products, was formed as a joint venture between Control Data Corporation (CDC) and the Holley Carburetor Company in April 1962. Holley developed and produced a series of drum printers. In June 1964, CDC bought out Holley and partnered with NCR and ICL to form CPI in Rochester. The facility was located near Rochester Road and Tienken Road, immediately north of North Hill Elementary School. In the early 1970s CPI also had a branch in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. This division made punched card readers and 9-track magnetic tape drives for both parent companies (CDC and NCR). In 1978 CDC bought controlling interest of CPI. CPI produced several train printers under the CDC and Fastrain brands, including the CDC Model 512 (1967), the Fastrain A 1200 LPM (1969) and the Fastrain 9372-III 2000 LPM (1976). In 1977, CPI began manufacturing printers at a factory in Stevenage, Herts, UK that was originally used for the manufacture of ICL1900 computers. By 1979, the factory also made 9-track tape drives which were used in ICL and CDC computers, and were sold with industry-standard interfaces for use with other manufacturer's computers. In 1982, CDC acquired a controlling interest in Centronics in exchange for CPI and $25 million in cash. CPI was merged into Centronics and eventually the Rochester facility was closed.
Practical Peripherals, Inc., was a private American computer peripheral manufacturer active from 1981 to 1999 and based in Los Angeles County. Founded by Michael Seedman, the company specialized in telecommunications products, primarily modems, for personal computers. Seedman led the company from its inception in 1981 until 1993, after Practical Peripherals was sold to Hayes Microcomputer Products. The company ventured into the market with print buffers under the Microbuffer brand, offering various forms tailored for different systems and needs. Around 1985, the company expanded its product line by introducing modems, under the brand name Practical Modem (PM). In 1989, Practical was acquired by Hayes, who kept the company around as a subsidiary until 1999, when Hayes themselves were bought out by Zoom Telephonics.
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.
MORE →Joe Louis.