Ridgefield Allies

Today in “Hidden” History is a daily listing of important but little-known events illustrating the range of innovators, contributors, or incidents excluded from formal history lessons or common knowledge. Hidden history is intended not as an exhaustive review, but merely as an illustration of how popular narratives "hide" many matters of fundamental importance. Bookmark this page and check daily to quickly expand your knowledge. Suggest entries for Today in “Hidden” History by clicking the Contact Us link. Entries for April 21:

Date	Type	Event
1878		A total of 206 African Americans from Charleston, South Carolina set sail aboard the ship Azor to Liberia in what is often referred to as the Liberian Exodus. The Liberian Exodus Joint Stock Steamship Company was formed in 1877 by Blacks who wanted to emigrate to Africa due to the harsh conditions they suffered in America. The emigrants achieved success in Liberia, albeit slowly. By 1880, most had found a livelihood and did not wish to return to the United States. By 1890, the Azor's passengers were well represented among Liberia's most prominent citizens. Learn more.
1881		Master architect Julian Francis Abele is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Abele designed the Philadelphia Free Library, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Widener Memorial Library on the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, churches, mausoleums, banks, stores, school buildings, hotels, and apartments. He designed three of the buildings on the Duke University campus: the Duke University Chapel, the Cameron Indoor Stadium (one of the most revered athletic venues in the world), and the Allen Administrative Building. In all, Abele designed or helped design over 400 buildings in his career and was elected to the American Institute of Architects. Abele also worked with wood, ceramics, iron, copper, brass, precious metals, stained glass, and water colors, producing furniture, jewelry, paintings, and lithographs. Learn more.
1966		United States Army soldier Milton Lee Olive III is posthumously awarded America's highest military decoration — the Medal of Honor — for his actions in the Vietnam War. Olive joined the Army from his birth city of Chicago, Illinois in 1964, and by 1965 was serving as a Private First Class in Company B of the 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam. On October 22, 1965, while moving through the jungle with four fellow soldiers in Phu Cuong, Olive sacrificed his life by smothering an enemy-thrown grenade with his body. For his actions on that day, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He was the first African-American recipient of the Medal of Honor from the Vietnam War. Learn more.
2007		Students of Turner County High School located in Ashburn, Georgia, attended the school's first racially integrated prom. Previously, only privately-funded, separate "white" and "Black" proms sponsored by parent groups had been held. White parents still held a private, white-only prom one week before the school-wide event and some parents refused to allow their children to attend the integrated prom. Learn more.