Today in Black History: January 11th
1978 – Toni Morrison Wins National Books Critic Circle Award
Toni Morrison, a renowned American novelist, achieved a significant literary milestone with her novel “Song of Solomon,” which won the National Book Critics Circle Award on January 11, 1978.
Born Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison on February 18, 1931, in Lorain, Ohio, Morrison’s exceptional work includes the novels “Tar Baby” (1981), “Beloved” (1987) and “Paradise” (1997). Morrison was also the first Black woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993 as well as the first woman to be given the award in over 50 years.
“Song of Solomon” marked a pivotal moment in Toni Morrison’s career, and the win solidified her reputation as a worldwide literary force.
1987– Scientists Publish “African Eve” Gene Theory Findings
Published in January 1987 in Nature magazine, a leading British multidisciplinary science journal, the African Eve or Mitochondrial Eve scientific discovery supports the idea that human life began in Africa before humans migrated across the planet. Acting as a genetic map of sorts, the theory has helped scientists reveal the history of humankind.
The announcement sent ripples throughout the scientific community and an iconic Newsweek cover later depicted a Garden of Eden, replete with apple tree and serpent, and an Adam and Eve of African descent.
