This Day in History February 29, 1940

What a way to end Black History Month (since I didn't really celebrate it this year--I always used to when I taught regularly).  It was on this date in 1940 that Hattie McDaniel became the first African American to win an Academy Award.  Gone With the Wind walked away with 8 Oscars, and I am so glad she was one of them!  And isn't it ironic that we just saw the second African American woman in history to get Best Supporting Actress for The Help (Go Octavia Spencer!).

I didn't realize that she was more talented than just playing Mammy.  She was the first African American singer on the radio, and she appeared in over 300 films (only received screen credit for about 80).  She was born to former slaves, and she did a lot to elevate black characters in films.  And you know, it is true.  Think about Gone With the Wind if you have seen it.  Who is smarter--Mammy or Scarlet?  I think we can easily say that Mammy was extremely quick-witted and sharp.  She often oversteps her bounds.

So for more information than I have shared here, please check out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hattie_McDaniel
http://www.walkoffame.com/hattie-mcdaniel
http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/McDaniel/mcdaniel.htm
http://www.biography.com/people/hattie-mcdaniel-38433

This Day in History November 8, 1900

Anyone know this woman? I have to admit I wouldn't have recognized her.  But I sure know the name.  Does the name Margaret Mitchell mean anything to you?  Well, read on--it just might.

On this day in 1900, Margaret Mitchell was born in Atlanta, Georgia.  I could spend a long time talking about her family history--it is quite impressive--but if you are interested, you can check out the links below.  She was a fourth generation "Atlantan."  Before she could write, she was making up stories and dictating them to her mother.  As she grew older, she continued to write her own stories, and she discovered her flair for dramatics.  She often encouraged her friends to do the same.

For six years, Mitchell worked for the Atlanta Journal.  After an ankle injury limited her ability, she quit.  It was also around this time--WWI--that she met, fell in love, became engaged, and then lost her fiance in the war.  She also married an abusive man who left her after but a few months.

On July 4, 1925, she married again, and they settled in Kentucky.  It was the following year that she began writing Gone With the Wind as a way to cope with the boredom of being cooped up with a broken ankle. She completed the majority of the book in three years, and she also kept the novel a secret.  In 1935, Macmillan offered her a contract, and she spent time revising it.  In 1936, Gone with the Wind was published--1037 pages and $3 in price.  This book became an overnight success and eventually was made into a film in 1939.  In spite of the Great Depression, the book sold one million copies in its first six months, and it has sold at least 25 million copies to date.  It has also been translated into 40 languages.

Margaret Mitchell met an untimely death August 11, 1949.  She was in the process of crossing the street with her husband to see A Canterbury Tale.  She was hit by a speeding taxi cab and was rushed to the hospital.  She died five days later.




If you would like more information, please check out these links:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/margaret-mitchell-is-born
http://www.answers.com/topic/margaret-mitchell
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2566
http://classiclit.about.com/cs/profileswriters/p/aa_mmitchell.htm