This Week In Black History

Lt.Col. Guion Stewart Bluford Jr. became the first Black American astronaut to enter space on this day. He served as a mission specialist aboard the space shuttle Challenger. During his career as an astronaut, Bluford logged 688 hours in space working on four shuttle missions. A native of Philadelphia, he obtained his B.S. degree in aerospace engineering from Pennsylvania State University. In 1964, Bluford underwent pilot training at Williams Air Force Base in Arizona, earning his wings in 1965. He later served as a fighter pilot in the Vietnam War. Bluford later entered the Air Force Institute of Technology where he earned his M.S. in 1974 and Ph.D. in 1978, along with degrees in aerospace engineering. In 1993, Bluford left NASA and retired from the United States Air Force. He joined NYMA, Inc., an engineering and computer Software Company in Greenbelt, MD.

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September 1, 1975--

Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. was promoted to the rank of four-star general in the Air Force on this day. He was the first Black to be promoted to that rank in any of the U.S. military branches. He also was named commander-in-chief of the North American Air Defense Command. Gen. James, a fighter pilot, was a native of Pensacola, FL. He studied physical education at Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, AL, and later began his military career there as a Tuskegee Airman. He flew over 160 missions in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Gen. James received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the air medal with seven clusters, the Distinguished Unit Citations, the Presidential Unit Citation and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. He died in 1978, less than a month afar he retired from the Air Force, where he served 34 years.