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 17:
| Date | Type | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1823 |  Widely accomplished “renaissance man” Mifflin Wistar Gibbs is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By his early 20s he was an activist in the abolition movement, sharing platforms with Frederick Douglass and helping in the Underground Railroad. Black intellectual ferment of the era gave him a superb education outside the classroom, and he became a powerful writer. In 1850 he migrated to San Francisco, California; he was soon a successful merchant, the founder of a black newspaper, Mirror of the Times, and a leading member of the city’s black community. Later moving to Victoria, British Columbia, Gibbs again prospered, first as a merchant, then as a property developer, contractor, and elected politician. Upon returning to the United States, Gibbs studied law in Oberlin, Ohio, then settled in Little Rock, Arkansas, soon becoming the first black elected municipal judge in the United States. He was later appointed U.S. consul in Tamatave, Madagascar. Upon returning to Little Rock, Gibbs launched Capital City Savings Bank, became a partner in the Little Rock Electric Light Company, gained control of several pieces of local real estate, and supported various philanthropic causes. He published an autobiography, Shadow and Light, in 1902, with an introduction by Booker T. Washington. Learn more. | |
| 1990 |  Playwright August Wilson wins the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (his second) for his play The Piano Lesson. It is the fourth play in Wilson's The Pittsburgh Cycle. Learn more. |
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