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 July 23:

Date	Type	Event
1840		John Adams Hyman, a Republican U.S. Congressman from North Carolina’s 2nd congressional district, including counties in the northeast around New Bern, from 1875 to 1877, the first African American to represent the state in the House of Representatives, is born into slavery near Warrenton, North Carolina. Hyman did not receive any formal education as a child. By 1861, he was working as a janitor for a jeweler named King in Warrenton. King was from the free state of Pennsylvania and taught Hyman to read and write; when this was discovered by whites in town, they forced King and his wife to leave the community. When Hyman persisted in trying to gain an education, at the age of 21 he was sold to a new master in Alabama. In twenty-five years as a slave, Hyman was sold at least eight times. After the American Civil War and the emancipation of enslaved people, Hyman returned to North Carolina in 1865. He worked as a farmer and pursued elementary studies. Recognized for his leadership, Hyman was chosen as a delegate to the state equal rights convention in 1865 and to the state Constitutional Convention in 1868. Hyman was elected to the North Carolina Senate, where he served from 1868 to 1874 in the Reconstruction-era legislature. Learn more.
1891		Surgeon and civil rights activist Louis Tompkins Wright, MD, FACS is born. In his position at Harlem Hospital he was the first African-American on the surgical staff of a non-segregated hospital in New York City. He was influential for his medical research as well as his efforts pushing for racial equality in medicine and involvement with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People(NAACP), for which he served as chairman for nearly two decades. Dr. Wright earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. Shortly after completing medical school, Wright joined the Army Medical Corps, serving as a lieutenant during World War I, stationed in France. While there he introduced intradermal vaccination for smallpox and was awarded the Purple Heart after a gas attack. In 1929 he was also appointed to serve as the first African-American police surgeon with the New York Police Department. At Harlem Hospital, Wright headed the team that first used chlortetracycline on humans, founded the hospital's cancer research center, and earned a reputation as an expert on head injuries. He was a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Medical Association. Learn more.
1942		Alabama Governor Frank M. Dixon refuses to sign a contract to produce 1.7 million yards of cloth to assist the U.S. in World War II efforts, fearing that the nondiscrimination clause in the contract could require integration and choosing instead to uphold segregated workforces as a “basic necessity.” Dixon was not alone among politicians who prioritized the preservation of white supremacist segregation over patriotism and the country’s World War II efforts. In the preceding decade, southern Democrats had conditioned their support for desperately-needed New Deal programs upon inclusion of provisions that significantly disadvantaged or altogether excluded African Americans, including the invention and institutionalization of real estate “red-lining”. Learn more.