Black History Knowledge — November 10

What happened on this day. These are the November 10 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on.

1891 — Granville T. Woods patents an electric railway system

On November 10, 1891, Granville T. Woods of New York received patent No. 463,020 for an electric railway system. Woods, often called the ‘Black Edison,’ earned dozens of patents for railway telegraphy, electric railways and other devices. His work helped make electrified streetcars and trains practical.

1898 — White supremacists overthrow Wilmington’s elected government

On November 10, 1898, an armed white mob in Wilmington, North Carolina, burned the office of the Daily Record, the city’s Black newspaper, and killed dozens of Black residents. The coup’s leaders forced the city’s elected biracial government out of office and installed Alfred Moore Waddell as mayor. About 2,100 Black residents fled the city.

1963 — Malcolm X delivers ‘Message to the Grass Roots’ in Detroit

On November 10, 1963, Malcolm X spoke at the Northern Negro Grass Roots Leadership Conference at King Solomon Baptist Church in Detroit. In ‘Message to the Grass Roots’ he called for Black unity, contrasted a ‘Black revolution’ with nonviolent protest and criticized the March on Washington. It was among his last major speeches as a Nation of Islam minister.

Wear the history: Malcolm X — from the Black Knowledge Wear collection.