This week in black history

February 25, 1964--Muhammad Ali, considered the greatest heavyweight champion of all time, won his first world heavyweight championship title by defeating Sonny Liston during a fight in Miami on this day. Cassius Marcellus Clay, as he was then known, was a charismatic and talkative boxer who could "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." His flam-boyant talk on his looks and boxing prowess irked the sensibilities of the media. However, Clay's feet were as fast as his hands. He scored again and again with combinations and speedy jabs to Liston's head and easily dominated the first four rounds. After six rounds, Liston, who complained of a dislocated shoulder, couldn't answer the bell for the seventh, and All became the 22nd world heavyweight champion. Ali's victory was considered a major upset. Liston had been a 7-1 favorite to retain his title. A world-renowned philanthropist, social activist, and entrepreneur, All is currently promoting his autobiographical book GOAT(Greatest of All Time).

February 26, 1966-

Andrew Felton Brimmer, economist and teacher, became the first Black to be named a governor of the Federal Reserve Board when president Lyndon B. Johnson announced his appointment on this day. A native of Newellton, LA, Brimmer served in the Army during World War II and later earned a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University. Brimmer was sworn in on March 9 and held the position for nearly nine years. He later pursued other ventures, which included heading his own financial consulting firm, Brimmer & Company, Inc. In 1995 he was named to head a financial control board that steered the District of Columbia through a severe financial crisis. Brimmer left that post in 1998. Currently, he is president of Brimmer & Company, Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based economic and financial consulting firm.