This Week In Black History

Jet, Sept 6, 1999

August 30, 1983-

* Lt. Col. Guion Stewart Bluford, Jr., 40, became the first Black American astronaut in space on this day. Bluford was born in Philadelphia, PA, on November 22, 1942. After obtaining his MS degree with distinction in aerospace engineering in 1974, Bluford continued his studies at the U.S. Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. He served as deputy for advanced concepts with the aeromechanics division and as branch chief of the aerodynamics and airframe branch. In 1978, he received his Ph.D. in aerospace engineering, with a minor in laser physics. During his first flight in space, Bluford served as a mission specialist aboard the Challenger shuttle. The Challenger arrived safely at Edwards Air Force base in California on September 5, 1983. In 1993, he left NASA and retired from the United States Air Force. He joined NYMA, Inc., a Greenbelt, MD, engineering and computer Software Company. Upon his retirement, Bluford had logged 688 hours in space during the course of four shuttle missions.

August 31, 1836-

Henry Blair, inventor, patented the cotton planter on this day. The cotton planter contained a two-section valve that was activated by a trip wire to permit seeds to be deposited in the soil in checkerboard fashion. Precise check-rowing helped keep weeds under control and was less laborious than the crude planting devices that dated back to about 2000 BC.

September 2, 1975-

* Joseph Woodrow Hatchett, U.S. attorney and federal magistrate, became the first Black State Supreme Court Justice in the post-Constitution South on this day. Gov. Reubin Askew, who appointed him to the Florida Supreme Court, was present at the ceremony in Tallahassee. Hatchett was born in Tallahassee on September 17, 1932. He attended Florida A&M, where he received a B.A. He received his LLB degree from Howard University Law School.