Master Juba (c. 1825 – c. 1853) was an African American dancer active
in the 1840s. He was one of the first black performers in the United
States to play onstage for white audiences and the only one of the era
to tour with a white minstrel group. Master Juba frequently challenged
and defeated the best white dancers. In 1848, he is said to have
traveled to London and became a sensation in Britain because of his
unique dance style. Nevertheless, an element of exploitation followed
him through the British Isles, with writers treating him as an exhibit
on display. Juba subsequently faded from the limelight and died in 1852
or 1853. He was largely forgotten by historians until a 1947 article
resurrected his story. Existing documents offer confused accounts of
Juba's dancing style, but it was likely to have incorporated both
European folk steps with African-derived steps used by plantation
slaves. Blackface clowns and minstrels adopted elements of his style,
which enhanced the authenticity of their performances. By impacting
blackface performance, Juba was highly influential on the development
of such American dance styles as tap, jazz, and step dancing.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_Juba>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1742:
Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington became British Prime Minister,
but ended up being a figurehead for the true leader of the British
Government: Lord Carteret, the Secretary of State for the Northern
Department.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spencer_Compton%2C_1st_Earl_of_Wilmington>
1804:
United States Navy Lieutenant Stephen Decatur led a raid to destroy the
captured USS Philadelphia in Tripoli, denying her use to the Barbary
States in the First Barbary War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Decatur>
1918:
The Council of Lithuania signed the Act of Independence of Lithuania,
proclaiming the restoration of an independent Lithuania governed by
democratic principles, despite the presence of German troops in the
country during World War I.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_Independence_of_Lithuania>
1934:
The Austrian Civil War ended with the military of the First Austrian
Republic defeating the Social Democrats and the Republikanischer
Schutzbund, leaving at least several hundred people dead in the
five-day conflict.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austrian_Civil_War>
1985:
"The Hizballah Program" was released, describing the ideology and goals
of the Shia Islamic political and paramilitary organization Hezbollah
as "putting an end to any colonialist entity" in Lebanon, bringing the
Phalangists to justice for "the crimes they [had] perpetrated," and
establishing an Islamic regime in Lebanon.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideology_of_Hezbollah>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
glaucous (adj):
1. Of a pale green colour with a bluish-grey tinge, especially when
covered with a powdery residue.
2. (botany) Covered with a bloom or a pale powdery covering,
regardless of colour
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/glaucous>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
All experience is an arch, to build upon.
--Henry Brooks Adams
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_Brooks_Adams>