Sundance horror movie seizure Horror flick leads to medical emergency at Sundance, A horror film screened at the Sundance Film Festival was supposedly so frightening that it led to one person vomiting and another having seizures After ambulances left the scene, the film’s producer, Roxanne Benjamin, took to Twitter to deny that the emergency was staged
Emergency services had to be called to the Sundance Film Festival after film-goers started suffering seizures and vomiting during the screening of a new horror film. One man ran from the cinema, collapsed and starting convulsing after watching the graphic scenes of new film V/H/S on Monday.
His girlfriend was also treated by ambulance staff as she began to vomit while witnesses said a third woman ran from the cinema as the tension became too much.
Speaking after the incident, the film’s producer Roxanne Benjamin was quoted as saying: “One of the managers for the theater was sitting near the guy, and said he just got real real pale and stood up and bobbed and weaved his way out the door.
“Once he was in the lobby, he kind of turned around and collapsed. He seemed to go into a seizure and so we called 911.”
She later tweeted that the couple were ok and they “wanted to go back into the theatre”
Two movie-goers had to be treated by ambulance officers after they experienced adverse and shocking reactions to graphic scenes in a new horror film at Sundance.
The man was watching a midnight screening of V/H/S on Monday when he ran from the cinema, collapsed and began to suffer seizures...
While he was being treated by ambulance officers, his girlfriend ran from the scene and began to vomit.
Witnesses said a third woman ran from the cinema because she could not take the suspense.
Producer Roxanne Benjamin, posting on Twitter as the drama unfolded, said that EMTs were called to the scene, that the event was not staged and 'it was scary and not fun, and everyone is grateful the guy and his girlfriend are OK. And they wanted to go back in the theatre!'
One of the managers for the theater was sitting near the guy, and said he just got real real pale and stood up and bobbed and weaved his way out the door,' Benjamin says.
Once he was in the lobby, he kind of turned around and collapsed. He seemed to go into a seizure and so we called 911.
The two were treated for about half an hour, but did not require hospitalization
According to insider, it wasn't the first time that 'V/H/S' has created such a reaction. Barrett said that during a screening the night before, 'at pretty much the exact same scene,' another young woman left the theater in tears and spent the rest of the film in the lobby.
The filmmakers spoke to her briefly and she said, 'I just got scared,' but she didn't return to the theater.
The horror film, which was just acquired by Magnolia Pictures for more than $1million, follows a group of petty criminals who are tasked with finding a VHS tape in a remote and rundown house, only to discover an entire trove of recorded nastiness there.
Like The Blair Witch Project, which was also a Sundance midnight movie that kicked off the genre in 1999, there are some vertigo-inducing moments of shaky camera work in V/H/S, particularly in the beginning, said producer Roxanne Benjamin.
Benjamin blames this factor as much as anything for the couple’s dramatic evacuation from the theater.
The movie, is about a group of criminals who watch a variety of homemade VHS tapes containing supernatural moments.
Speaking from 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, co-writer Simon Barrett told msnbc.com the man became ill while watching a particularly 'intense series of scenes' that include graphic injuries to a person.
At one point, a fleeing character tumbles down a flight of concrete steps and gets a compound fracture in his wrist — the white bone jutting out through the skin as the predatory fiend appears at the top of the staircase.
Barrett said that the segment, 'while very funny in parts, is also quite intense and gory,' and noted that the film's handheld camera style combined with other factors 'can probably be a bit difficult to take.'
Jason Elia cancer Super Bowl Man claims girlfriend dumped him over cancer, demanded Super Bowl tickets, Nashville TV writer Jason Elia says that his girlfriend dumped him when he was diagnosed with cancer and then demanded that she keep a pair of Super Bowl tickets But now that the story has gone viral, the “girlfriend” says that Elia made the entire story up and that she barely knows him
Jason Elia is a TV writer in Nashville, Tennessee, and he may just have the worst girlfriend ever.
Jason was planning to propose to his girlfriend, and bought a pair of Super Bowl tickets so he could pop the question at this Sunday’s big game.
Unfortunately, he got diagnosed with bladder cancer, and when she found out, supposedly she DUMPED him. (This wonderful girl wasn’t named.)
Then she found out about his plan for the proposal, and had second thoughts. She still doesn’t want him back, but she’d like the tickets. Her logic is that he bought them for her in the first place, so she should still get to go to the game. While he battles cancer. Yeah.
Jason had other ideas. He’s auctioning off the tickets on Twitter to the person who gets him the most followers. On Sunday, a webcam model who offered his followers a free five-minute show was in the lead.
Here's a little story about a Nashville woman who left her boyfriend because he had cancer, but she still wanted to keep the Super Bowl tickets he bought them for next Sunday.
And they think Groupies are evil!
Via Deadspin: Jason Elia, a television writer living in Nashville, went to the trouble of getting Super Bowl tickets for himself and his girlfriend and was even going to propose to her on Christmas, but life got in the way. He was diagnosed with bladder cancer and upon hearing the news, his girlfriend apparently dumped him on the spot.
Now, she still wants the tickets because she claims they were purchased with her in mind. Rather than suffering such an injustice, Jason is auctioning the tickets off on Twitter. Whoever gets Jason the most Twitter followers by the end of the Pro Bowl will get the tickets. Currently a webcam girl is in the lead, promising five minute shows to anyone who follows Jason. She has sent approximately 250 followers so far. You can find Jason on twitter at
The headline pretty much says it all, doesn't it? John Wessling and Anson Ainsworth, radio show hosts in Houston, pass along this incredible story of bitchiness and greed. Jason Elia, a television writer living in Nashville, went to the trouble of getting Super Bowl tickets for himself and his girlfriend and was even going to propose to her at the game on Christmas, but life got in the way. He was diagnosed with bladder cancer and upon hearing the news, his girlfriend apparently dumped him on the spot. Now, she still wants the tickets because she claims they were purchased with her in mind. Rather than suffering such an injustice, Jason is auctioning the tickets off on Twitter. Whoever gets Jason the most Twitter followers by the end of the Pro Bowl will get the tickets. Currently a webcam girl is in the lead, promising five minute shows to anyone who follows Jason. She has sent approximately 250 followers so far.
president obama american idol, Obama asked to sing on 'Idol', "American Idol" producer Nigel Lythgoe has reportedly invited President Obama to come on the show and sing a duet (with whom?). Lythgoe was apparently blown away by the president's short rendition of a popular song (watch him sing it). He reportedly sent the invite on Twitter (find the page) and said he sounded much better than a current presidential candidat
American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe has put in a request for President Barack Obama to perform on the talent show. Lythgoe extended the invitation after the Commander-in-Chief showed off his smooth vocals with a cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" at the Apollo Theater earlier this month. Now Lythgoe wants the president to show more of his vocal range, singing a duet with Green himself on the Fox TV show.Remember President Barack Obama's impromptu little vocal performance at Harlem's world-famous Apollo Theater a couple of weeks back?
It turns out the viral moment has earned El Presidente an invitation to sing live on American Idol!
Barry showed us that he isn't too bashful to break out in song when he belted out a few lines of Al Green's '70s soul ballad "Let's Stay Together" at a Jan. 19 fundraising event. As Obama took to the stage, he noted Green's presence in the room and surprised the crowd (and his aides) with the opening line.
"Those guys didn't think I would do it," joked Obama, gesturing to his staffers on the side of the stage. "I told you I was going to do it. The Sandman did not come out."
Obama then sang a few chords of the ballad, eliciting cheers from the audience.American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe was so impressed with Obama's soulful sounds that he wants the multi-talented U.S. leader to perform a duet with Al Green on the show's 11th season, which kicked off earlier this month.
Talk about a serious boost for the incumbent's 2012 re-election campaign!
So, what better way to ask the world's most powerful man to perform on a commercial TV show watched by millions than to tweet him directly, of course!
"We loved your performance so much we'd love to invite you on American Idol this season for a duet with Al Green," Nigel wrote in a tweet to Obama on Monday.
The White House has yet to reply to Lythgoe's request.
After video of the president singing Green's R&B classic exploded online, the track posted its best download sales week since 2003. "Let's Stay Together" enjoyed a 490 percent weekly sales increase, selling 16,000 downloads in the week ending Jan. 22, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
It's the best sales week for the song since the service began tracking downloads nine years ago.
Christina Aguilera’s ‘drippy leg’ mystery solved?, Conspiracy theories abounded when a strange reddish-brown substance was seen running down the inside of Christina Aguilera's leg during a recent performance Aguilera’s representatives say that the substance was spray-tan liquid
Christina Aguilera drip leg – Christina Aguilera leg drip photo grosses out Neil Patrick Harris on ‘The Talk’. Conspiracy theories abounded when a strange reddish-brown substance was seen running down the inside of Christina Aguilera’s leg during a recent performance dedicated to Etta James. Aguilera’s representatives say that the substance was spray-tan liquid
Zombie TVA sue Zombie’ protesters sue utility, A public utility company’s leaders say they were forced to ban costumes at meetings last summer because a group of protesters dressed as zombies “disrupted” them . Now the Tennessee Valley Authority is facing a lawsuit after more protesters—now dressed as pirates were turned away from another meeting in Chattanooga, Tenn.
As previously reported, American Movie Classics' next stab at original programming (following the success of Mad Men and Breaking Bad) will be a zombie TV show based on the comic The Walking Dead. Now, we have official word that the network has ordered six episodes of the series, written and directed by Frank Darabont (The Mist). Production is set to begin in June, and the show will begin airing during AMC's annual October Fearfest horror movie marathon.The first official casting was also announced: Jon Bernthal, who played the jerky husband on the short-lived Eastwick, will play the best friend of the show's hero, police officer Rick Grimes. The character of Rick has yet to be cast, but rumors are floating around that Jonny Lee Miller (Dracula 2000, Mindhunters) is the front-runner.
Meanwhile, KNB Effects Group has been hired to do the special effects for The Walking Dead. The company has a good track record with all things zombie, having worked on George Romero's last three films (Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead and Survival of the Dead), not to mention The Mist and the upcoming Predators
Created in the vein of 28 Days Later and Dawn of the Dead by English writer Charlie Brooker, Dead Set is the series that prompted Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead) to write an incredibly intellectual and enlightening article about why zombies should never run. But a flesh-eating monstrosity frantically careening your direction is equally terrifying in different ways. In Dead Set the ravenous zombie apocalypse is centered around the Big Brother house, where the popular reality show is filmed. It begins on eviction night, as the producer of the show fears sudden news reports of violence across the country will bump them from the air. But of course the violence is a zombie uprising, and it is on a collision course with Big Brother.
October was a monumental time for zombies. In a hundred years we will look back and see how this was the turning point that altered the course of zombie history. Some people cite society, economy and other global anxieties as reasons for the popularity of zombies. I think it’s because we would all love massive cities to ourselves and killing things without moral or social consequence. Whatever the reasons are, The 2010 Halloween season was good to zombies, with the American premiere of the 2008 British zombie series Dead Set, the first zombie series to ever hit television, as well as the second, AMC’s The Walking Dead. When the first modern zombie stumbled onto the silver screen in 1968, no one ever would believed the dead would make it to mainstream television series. A decent zombie story should pose new questions and scenarios revolving around survival in a world where the dead are returning to life to feast on living flesh. It should make you soil yourself, and then consider what you would do. A story about the living dead is really an introspection of human emotion and consciousness. What makes us any different than the dead? Could you really put a bullet through your zombie child’s head? Would you murder a fellow survivor for the safety of the group?
I want to note that while some shaky cam can add to the intensity of a scene, too much is distracting and nauseating. Despite fits of unintelligible camera shaking, though, it all pays off the moment the series culminates with the obnoxious Big Brother producer being brutally torn apart and eaten alive and closes with the kind of bleak, hopeless future we expect from a zombie flick. Overall Dead Set makes a powerful statement about reality TV as it ends with zombies watching zombies watching cameras, and traumatizes in several new ways. I believe I have since developed a new irrational fear of the handicapped. In wheelchairs. Sure, they make good zombie blockades, but damn can they be creepy. Dead Set also features a zombie Davina McCall, real life amputees, and zombie cameos by real Big Brother contestants and Charlie Brooker himself.
The Walking Dead Based on the epic comic book series by Robert Kirkman and brought to the screen by Frank Darabont, The Walking Dead is a huge leap for those who can only lurch and lumber. The series is being created by AMC, adding to their lineup of dark and edgy shows like Mad Men and Breaking Bad pushing the boundaries of basic cable. But AMC’s award-winning writers don’t push the envelope just to elicit shock like we see most often – it is accomplished intelligently and with purpose. With that said, The Walking Dead does not disappoint. The pilot episode “Days Gone By” begins immediately with the main character, kind-hearted police officer Rick Grimes, coming face to face with an adorable little girl in pink bunny slippers bent on devouring him. The dead, created by makeup effects legend Greg Nicotero, are slow and clumsy, invoking all the creepiness of George A. Romero’s original Night of the Living Dead. They fumble with door knobs, they lay around motionless until provoked, and they wander around silently, disemboweled and hungry.
Besides the cataclysmic view of a crumbling Atlanta inhabited by hordes of the dead, I am particularly fond of the scene where the now legendary, internet-famous bicycle girl crawls relentlessly and laboriously across the park. You can feel the pain of her rotting muscle tissue still striving to pull her desperately and aimlessly along. It becomes horrifically easy to relate with Grimes as he sets out not so much to dispatch the walking dead, but put them out of their misery, end their pain. Of course, compelling human drama is what makes a zombie flick more than violence and cannibalism, but the better the violence and cannibalism, the more dire and visceral the drama becomes. Dead Set and The Walking Dead accomplish these things quite well, and will hopefully inspire much more zombie greatness. Flood the world with zombies. Overdo it. Ruin it. Kill it. They will inevitably return from the dead.
cannibal vampire engaged prison Imprisoned ‘cannibal’ and ‘vampire’ fall in love, plan to marry, A man imprisoned in a mental institution in Katrineholm, Sweden,for killing his girlfriend and a woman imprisoned for killing a father of four have reportedly fallen in love. Isakin Jonsson, a.k.a. “The Skara Cannibal”, says he has no plans to eat Michelle Gustafsson, a.k.a. ““Vampire Woman,” but instead plans to marry her.
"Re-staking" its claim as the most complete and authoritative source on the subject, this fully revised, expanded edition of "The Vampire Book" features more facts, more photos (including a color insert) and new features that are certain to quench the thirst of even the most die-hard fan of the undead. 200 photos.
Amazon.com Review J. Gordon Melton has the credentials: he's a religious historian, author of 25 books about religion and vampires, president of the American chapter of the Transylvania Society of Dracula (founded in Bucharest, Romania), and chairman of the committee that put on Dracula '97: A Centennial Celebration in Los Angeles. The Vampire Book is meticulously researched and well organized. Included are an article on the cultural history of the vampire; a historical timeline; addresses of vampire societies all over the world; a 55-page filmography; vampires in plays, opera, and ballet; a 13-page list of vampire novels; and an extensive index. The A to Z entries, each with a short bibliography, include vampire lore in more than 30 different geographic regions and a comprehensive "who's who," and cover topics ranging from fingernails to sexuality, the Camarilla to Szekelys.
Review The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead covers the historical, literary, mythological, biographical and popular aspects of one of the world's most mesmerizing subjects. Here from A-Z are definitions of terms, descriptions of places and biographies of famous vampires (both fictional and allegedly real) the actors who have portrayed them and the authors who have immortalized them. Readers will be further spellbound by descriptions of vampire appearances in different cultures and other topics (like sexuality) associated with vampires. Many of The Vampire Book's 120 illustrations are rare, never-before-published images from the file of the Vampire Studies society. A Map of Vampire Country depicts major sites associated with Dracula in Roumania. Three separate chronologies present the development of the vampire myth in history, in novels and through cinema. -- Midwest Book Review
Any investigation into vampire legends leads inevitably to the works of Montague Summers (1880-1948), whose research and writings in the 1920s established him as the subject’s preeminent authority.
This study examines vampire lore in fantastic detail, constituting a record of folk beliefs unequaled in its sheer scope and depth. It features all the apparatus of an academic work, including footnotes and references to rare source documents, and it addresses such issues as how vampires came into existence, vampirish behavior, vampire-like ancient myths, and vampires in modern literature. Unabridged republication of the classic 1929 edition. Introduction. Bibliography. Index.
Augustus Montague Summers (10 April 1880 – 10 August 1948) was an eccentric English author and clergyman. He is known primarily for his 1928 English translation of the medieval witch hunter's manual, the Malleus Maleficarum, as well as for several studies on witches, vampires, and werewolves, in all of which he professed to believe.
While his passing acquaintance Aleister Crowley adopted the persona of a modern-day witch, Summers played the part of the learned Catholic witch-hunter. His introduction to the Malleus Maleficarum declares it an admirable and correct account of witchcraft and of the methods necessary to combat it. In the introduction to his book on The History of Witchcraft and Demonology he writes: "In the following pages I have endeavored to show the witch as she really was – an evil liver: a social pest and parasite: the devotee of a loathly and obscene creed: an adept at poisoning, blackmail, and other creeping crimes: a member of a powerful secret organization inimical to Church and State: a blasphemer in word and deed, swaying the villagers by terror and superstition: a charlatan and a quack sometimes: a bawd: an abortionist: the dark counselor of lewd court ladies and adulterous gallants: a minister to vice and inconceivable corruption, battening upon the filth and foulest passions of the age".
He died at his home in Richmond, Surrey in August 1948. An autobiography The Galanty Show was published posthumously in 1980, though much is left unrevealed about his somewhat mysterious life.
Vampires and Vampirism is a treasured part of the folklore canon on vampires. Inside these pages are many accounts of the presence of nocturnal creatures with an unnatural hunger. Readers will discover that tales of vampires are whispered not only in the sleepy villages of easternand central Europe but also in the Middle East, the Asian sub-continent, and the isles of Great Britain. This book is the inaugural volume in the Classics of Preternatural History series.
Review "If you have an intense desire to learn more about the mysteries of the undead, you need this book..." -- The Stygian Labyrinth (www.stygianlabyrinth.net)
Anyone with even a glimmer of belief in vampires will thoroughly enjoy reading Vampires and Vampirism from Lethe Press --Tara Mahovetz, Horror Books & Movies at About.Com
Anyone with even a glimmer of belief in vampires will thoroughly enjoy reading Vampires and Vampirism from Lethe Press. -- Tara Mahovetz, Horror Books & Movies at About.Com
If you have an intense desire to learn more about the mysteries of the undead, you need this book... --The Stygian Labyrinth
From the Publisher This book is the first volume in the Classics of Preternatural History series which explores area of the occult, pseudoscience, and the supernatural that have had a lasting impact upon the history and psyche of civilizations.
About the Author Dudley Wright was a prolific British author and folklorist who wrote several works on ancient religions, Freemasonry, and legends. His work in the area of vampirology remains important to this day
The concept of the vampire has evolved from Bram Stoker's supernatural creature of the night to the pop culture anti-hero of today's TV shows, hit movies, and bestselling novels. Where were these legends born? In what ways have they evolved? How much is actually true? This revealing book answers these questions and more:
€ Are any vampire myths based on fact? € What is Vampire Personality Disorder? € What is the polysexual world of the vampire? € Could a vampire hide in today's advanced world of forensic science? € What happens to the brain of the vampire's victim?
Based on fascinating interviews with forensic experts, creative artists, and real-life bloodsuckers, this is a vampire book like no other.
Amazon.com Review Forensic psychologist and horror-cultural journalist Katherine Ramsland's latest book considers the scientific possibilities and psychological implications of vampirism, from its literary genesis in Bram Stoker's Dracula to the present day. Ramsland's Piercing the Darkness: Undercover with Vampires in America Today chronicled the modern cultural impact of the vampire. Now she broadens her inquiry to examine vampire mythology and practice in scientific terms, taking the reader into discussions of psychoneuroimmunology, endorphins and psychedelics, psychopathology, and other areas of science and metaphysics.
Ramsland isn't advocating the existence of creatures of the night. Rather, she applies scientific methods and concepts to the aspects of the vampire that are most attractive--immortality, abilities of mental and sexual control, the maintenance of life through the blood or energy of others. The particular applications of theory aren't always convincing, but they will be entertaining and interesting to fans of vampire stories and culture who want to go beyond story into the realm of science. --Roz Genessee
From Publishers Weekly Biographer of Anne Rice and Dean Koontz, Ramsland (The Forensic Science of CSI) ranges over everything from quantum mechanics to feng shui in explaining the evolution of "a mostly fictional creature." Because every vampire television series, novel and role-playing game has created variations on exactly what a vampire is, Ramsland admittedly runs into some difficulty applying science to these "shapeshifters," making for some slippery discussions. For example, Ramsland reviews crime scene procedures or ponders such questions as whether vampires have a full range of bodily fluids with equal earnestness. In her quest for real-life vampires, she studies blood-drinking club goers who identify with the mysterious monsters but are not actual murderers, but also relates tales about serial killers such as Ted Bundy because they exhibit vampiric traits such as remorselessness and lust for destruction. The discussion of contemporary vampirism and its relationship to "goth" and bondage subcultures is informative, though the explanation of "psychic vampires" (those who manipulate others and feed off of their mental anguish) is less so. While this is not a scholarly book aimed at the scientific community, and it may not surprise Dracula devotees, it serves as a useful compendium of folklore and popular culture for those with a casual interest in vampires, a group whose membership regularly rises during the Halloween season. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
About the Author Katherine Ramsland has a master's degree in forensic psychology from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She has published eighteen books, including biographies of Anne Rice and Dean Koontz, and the novel Heat Seekers. She currently writes forensics articles for Court TV's Crime Library.
"There's no book available on the vampire culture today with the range, depth, and diversity of Belanger's Vampires in Their Own Words." —Katherine Ramsland, author of Piercing the Darkness and The Science of Vampires
"Belanger gives empathetic access to an emergent new magical-religious community . . . An important sourcebook for both the scholar and inquiring public." —J. Gordon Melton, Director, Institute for the Study of American Religion, and author of The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead
The code of silence has been broken For this anthology, vampire Michelle Belanger convinced nearly two dozen real-life vampires to break the code of silence that has kept their fascinating subculture shrouded in secrecy.
Sometimes provocative, sometimes surprisingly down-to-earth, these candid firsthand accounts come from both psi vampires who feed on energy and sanguine vampires who drink actual blood. Their true stories shed light on a variety of topics, including awakening to vampirism, the compulsion to feed and feeding practices, donor ethics and etiquette, and vampire traditions and codes of behavior.
Michelle Belanger (Ohio) is a popular author best known for her writings on psychic vampirism and the modern vampire subculture. A self-professed energy vampire, she has appeared on the British documentary American Vampires, Peter Anthony Holder’s Soul Call, Coast to Coast, the X-Zone, as well on the History Channel, WE!, and A&E. She has lectured at colleges across the United States and occasionally tours with her Chicago-based dark metal band URN.
This Black History Month, we’re showcasing the trailblazing African-Americans who reached new heights despite harsh limitations and the shackles of slavery. Test your knowledge of the past to identify the famous “firsts” who paved the way for the present.
First black member of the U.S. House of Representatives
Year: 1870
His legacy: He was born into slavery in a rice plantation state and went from owning a barbershop to earning a seat in the House during the South’s Reconstruction Era. He spoke on behalf of the Committee on Freedmen’s Affairs and advocated for civil rights for African-Americans and Native Americans.
First black member of the U.S. Senate
Year: 1870
His legacy: He was an ordained minister in the A.M.E. church who served a single year in Mississippi’s U.S. Senate seat, a post previously held by a famed pro-slavery statesman. He later became the first president of Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College
First cardiac surgeon
Year: 1893
His legacy: He opened the country’s first interracial hospital where he performed one of the first open-heart surgeries on record. He later became chief surgeon of Freedman's Hospital in Washington, D.C., and was the first African-American inducted into the American College of Surgeons.
First to run for president
Year: 1904
His legacy: He was a politically active journalist who represented the National Negro Labor Party . Among his platforms were pensions for ex-slaves and voting representation in Washington, D.C.
First world heavyweight champion
Year: 1908
His legacy: The “Galveston Giant” won the heavyweight title after he knocked out Canadian Tommy Burns.Two years later, he prevailed against “the Great White Hope” in the Fight of the Century.
First Academy Award winner
Year: 1939
Her legacy: The radio and silver screen veteran won the Best Supporting Actress award for her role as a Southern servant in one of Hollywood’s most iconic films.
First Major League Baseball player
Year: 1947
His legacy: He’s widely recognized as the player who broke baseball’s “color barrier” (here’s the history-making team). He reached MVP status by 1949 and became a Hall of Famer in 1962. On April 15, 1997, MLB teams retired all No. 42 jerseys in his honor.
First woman to win Olympic gold
Year: 1948
Her legacy: This high school and college record-breaker from Georgia won her medal in the track and field high jump event during the 1948 Summer Olympics. She was the only American woman to win gold that year and was presented her medal by the king of England.
First to win a Poetry Pulitzer
Year: 1950
Her legacy: She's known for such poems as "We Real Cool," but her second book of poetry, “Annie Allen,” earned her the most acclaim. In 1968, she was named poet laureate of her home state of Illinois (she grew up here) and was presented the National Medal of Arts in 1995.
First Nobel Peace Prize winner
Year: 1950
His legacy: This statesman played an important role in drafting the United Nations Charter and worked as a UN mediator in war-ravaged nations such as Congo and Yemen. He was the chief architect of armistice agreements between Israel and Arab States in 1949, which won him the Nobel Peace Prize.
First Wimbledon tennis champion
Year: 1957
Her legacy: She made her U.S. Open debut in 1950, a time when the tennis world was largely segregated. In 1956, she became the first African-American player to win the singles title at the French Open and, after winning at Wimbledon in 1957, the Associated Press named her Female Athlete of the Year.
First Male Grammy Award winner
Year: 1958
His legacy: The jazz pianist and bandleader borrowed from the Kansas City and Harlem sounds to make one all his own. He worked closely with the likes of "Lady Day" and “The First Lady of Song” and booked such prestigious venues as New York’s Carnegie Hall.
First Female Grammy Winner
Year: 1958
Her legacy: She debuted at the Apollo in 1934 and became famous for such ditties as “A-Tisket, A-Tasket.” She was one of the pioneers of jazz scatting and went on to eventually win 13 Grammy Awards during her career, including two in 1958.
First to win the Heisman Trophy
Year: 1961
His legacy: Though this running back for Syracuse University was the first African-American to be named the most outstanding player in collegiate football and the No. 1 draft pick in 1962, he never got to play pro football. Leukemia claimed his life at age 23.
First Best Actor Academy Award
Year: 1963
His legacy: He tackled tough racial issues in such films as “Blackboard Jungle” and “No Way Out” and showed his funny side directing “Stir Crazy.” He was knighted in 1974, received an Honorary Academy Award in 2001 and a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2009.
First comic superhero
Year: 1969
His legacy: Not to be confused with the first African comics hero , this character was Marvel’s high-flying, bird-lover from Harlem — aka, Sam Wilson — who debuted in the pages of Captain America.
First model on the cover of American Vogue
Year: 1974
Her legacy: She switched gears from studying law to pursue a modeling career. She broadened the notion of beauty with her August 1974 appearance on the cover of “the fashion bible”
First woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Year: 1987
Her legacy: This gospel singer-turned-rock & roll icon was the first woman of any ethnicity to be inducted at Cleveland’s musical mecca. She holds 18 Grammys (and two honorary statues), boasts numerous chart-toppers and sang at the 2008 presidential inauguration.
First quarterback to win a Super Bowl
Year: 1988
His legacy: The MVP quarterback led his team to its big ’88 victory. He would eventually return to his alma mater to coach its football team, the Tigers.
First Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Year: 1989
His legacy: This South Bronx native became a four-star general, national security advisor under Ronald Reagan and the first African-American Secretary of State. He has received two Presidential Medal of Freedom awards and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1993.
First female astronaut
Year: 1992
His legacy: She went into orbit on NASA’s Space Shuttle Endeavour after serving as a Peace Corps medical officer in Sierra Leone and Liberia in the mid-’80s.She recalls one of the highlights of her space mission was looking down and seeing her hometown .
First woman named U.S. Poet Laureate
Year: 1993
Her legacy: She won a Pulitzer for her 1986 book of poems, “Thomas and Beulah,” wrote a play that graced the Kennedy Center stage and served as poet laureate from 1993 to 1995. She’s now commonwealth professor of English .
First billionaire
Year: 2001
His legacy: He is the founder of BET, former majority owner of an NBA franchise and the entrepreneur behind RLJ Companies. In 2001, Forbes put him in the spotlight as the first African-American mogul to break into billionaire status.
