In 1915, historian Carter G. Woodson proposed a “Negro History Week” to honor the history and contributions of African-Americans. Nine years later, his dream became reality. Woodson chose the second week of February to pay tribute to the birthdays of two Americans that dramatically affected the lives of Blacks: Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809) and Frederick Douglass (February 14, 1818). The week-long observance officially became Black History Month in 1976.
