Today in Black History - August 20th

1565 - Artisans and farmers of African descent aid explorer Menendez in the building of St. Augustine, Florida.

1619 - The first group of 20 Africans is brought by the Dutch to the colony at Jamestown, Virginia. The early African arrivals will be considered indentured servants, and indeed records in the Chesapeake area will show many freed people of African descent. In 1650, the laws will be changed to make servitude permanent for Africans and their offspring.

1856 - Wilberforce University is established in Wilberforce, Ohio. It will become the nation's oldest, private African American university.

1931 - Donald "Don" King is born in Cleveland, Ohio. He will become a boxing promoter who will control the heavyweight title from 1978-1990 while Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson are champions. He will gain fame in 1974 by sponsoring the boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Zaire, popularly known as "The Rumble in the Jungle." He will solidify his position as an influential promoter the next year by sponsoring a third match for Ali against Joe Frazier in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, which King named the "Thrilla In Manila." He will also promote one of the final fights of Ali's career against Larry Holmes. He will be known for his flamboyant manner and outrageous hair styled to stand straight up. He will promote the fights of such fighters as Sugar Ray Leonard, Leon Spinks, Roberto Dur

---