April 5
Booker T. Washington Born
Born on April 5, 1856, Booker T. Washington became one of the most influential African American leaders of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He founded the Tuskegee Institute in 1881 and advocated for vocational education and economic self-reliance.
Robert Smalls Born
Born April 5, 1839, Robert Smalls was enslaved and worked as a wheelman on the CSS Planter in Charleston Harbor. In 1862, he piloted the ship past Confederate defenses and delivered it to the Union Navy. He later served five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Colin Powell Born
Born April 5, 1937, Colin Powell rose through the military ranks to become the first African American Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989) and Secretary of State (2001). He served four presidents and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom twice.
Birth of Robert Smalls
Robert Smalls was born in Beaufort, South Carolina, and later became a prominent political leader and Civil War hero.