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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 May 05:

Date	Type	Event
1864		American journalist, industrialist, inventor, and charity worker Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman, better known by her pen name Nellie Bly, is born. Bly became widely known for her record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days, in emulation of Jules Verne's fictional character Phileas Fogg, and an exposé in which she worked undercover to report on a mental institution from within. She pioneered a new kind of investigative journalism. Learn more.
1865		Adam Clayton Powell, an American pastor, community activist, author, and the father of Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr., is born into poverty in southwestern Virginia. Powell worked to put himself through school and Wayland Seminary, where he was ordained in 1892. After serving in churches in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New Haven, Connecticut, Powell was called as pastor to the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York. From 1908 to 1936, he developed the church into the largest Protestant congregation in the country, with 10,000 members. During the Great Migration out of the rural South, thousands of African Americans moved to New York and Harlem became the center of African-American life in the city. During his tenure, Powell supervised the purchase of land, fundraising, and the construction of a much larger church and facilities. He was a founder of the National Urban League, active in the NAACP and several fraternal organizations, and served as trustee of several historically black colleges and schools. Learn more.
1908		Clinton Everett Knox is born in Silver Springs, Maryland. Knox became the first African American secretary to the United States Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). He also served as U.S. Ambassador to the West African Republic of Dahomey (now the country of Benin) and as U.S. Ambassador to Haiti. While serving in Haiti, Ambassador Knox and Consul General Ward L. Christensen were held hostage for almost 20 hours on January 24, 1973, until they were released in exchange for the release of 12 Haitian prisoners, safe conduct to Mexico, and a ransom of $70,000. Learn more.
1969		Moneta J. Sleet Jr. is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for his photograph of Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King Jr.'s widow, at her husband's funeral. An American press photographer, Sleet is best known for his work as a staff photographer for Ebony magazine. Learn more.