1970;  Joe Frazier knocked out Jimmy Ellis in the second round of their New York fight and became the world heavyweight boxing champion.

1923;  On this day Bessie Smith makes her first recording, “Down Hearted Blues,” which sells 800,000 copies for Columbia Records.

1857;  Frederick Douglass elected President of Freedman Bank and Trust.

1951;  New York City Council passed bill prohibiting racial discrimination in city-assisted housing developments.