SINGERS AND ENTERTAINERS

CHRIS BROWN
Christopher Maurice "Chris" Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American recording artist and actor. He made his recording debut in late 2005 with the self-titled album Chris Brown at the age of 16. The album featured the hit single "Run It!", which topped the Billboard Hot 100, making Brown the first male artist to have his debut single top the chart since Montell Jordan in 1995. The album has sold over two million copies in the United States and was certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Brown's second studio album, Exclusive was released worldwide in November 2007. It spawned two successful singles; his second U.S. number one hit, "Kiss Kiss" featuring T-Pain and "With You", which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Brown has released a deluxe version of his album called The Forever Edition. The first single from it, "Forever", was released in May 2008 and reached number two on Billboard Hot 100. Exclusive has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.[3] The third studio album, titled Graffiti, was released on December 15, 2009. The first official single was "I Can Transform Ya", featuring Lil Wayne and Swizz Beatz, which peaked at number-twenty on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Brown's eighth Top 20 hit on that chart. In addition to his solo commercial success, Brown has been featured on several hits such as "No Air", a duet with singer Jordin Sparks, "Shortie like Mine" with the rapper Bow Wow and "Shawty Get Loose" alongside Lil Mama and T-Pain. The songs have peaked on number three, number nine and number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 respectively. Due to his dance routines, Brown has been compared to renowned R&B artists such as Usher and Michael Jackson, citing both as large influences on his music. Courtesy of http://students.cis.uab.edu/npayne13/Final%20Project.html

BEYONCE
Beyonc Knowles (b. September 4, 1981) is an American Pop and R&B singer. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child. Knowles is the only artist in history to have all her studio albums win the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album. In February 2010, the RIAA listed her as the top certified artist of the decade. Born Beyonc Giselle Knowles on September 4, 1981, in Houston, Texas, Knowles started singing at an early age. As a child, she competed in local talent shows, and won many of these events by impressing audiences with her natural singing and dancing abilities. Teaming up with her cousin, Kelly Rowland, and two classmates, Beyonc formed an all-female singing group. Her father, Matthew Knowles, served as the band's manager. The group went through some name and line-up changes before landing a record deal in 1997 with Columbia Records. Destiny's Child soon became one of the most popular R&B acts, with the release of their first, self-titled album. Gaining momentum, the group scored its first No. 1 single on the pop charts with "Bills, Bills, Bills," off their second album. The recording also featured another smash hit, "Say My Name." While enjoying her group's success, Beyonc began exploring other projects. She made her acting debut in 2001 with a starring role in MTV's Carmen: A Hip Hopera. She then costarred with Mike Myers in the spy parody Goldmember the following year. On the musical front, Beyonc took center stage as a solo artist, releasing her first album, Dangerously in Love, in 2003. The recording became a huge success for her, both commercially and critically. It sold millions of copies and won five Grammy Awards. On the album, Beyonc worked with a number of different artists, including Missy Elliott, Sean Paul and Jay-Z. She was rumored to be dating Jay-Z around this time, but the couple did not publicly acknowledge their relationship. Destiny's Child released their last studio album, Destiny Fulfilled, in 2004, and officially broke up the following year. On her own, Beyonc continued to enjoy great success. Her second studio album, 2006's B'Day featured such hits as "Irreplaceable" and "Beautiful Liar." On the big screen, she starred opposite Jennifer Hudson, Jaime Foxx and Eddie Murphy inDreamgirls. The film was adapted from the hit Broadway musical of the same name. In 2008, Beyonc married rapper and music mogul Jay-Z in a small, private ceremony in New York City. Among the guests sighted at the wedding were Beyonc's mother Tina Knowles; her father and manager Matthew; her sister Solange; Destiny's Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams; and friend Gwyneth Paltrow. The newlywed continued to work as hard as ever, promoting her latest effort, I am ... Sasha Fierce (2008). Beyonc scored two big hits off the album"Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" and "If I Were a Boy." She also returned to the big screen that year, starring as R&B legend Etta James in Cadillac Records. The following January, Beyonc sang James' trademark song, "At Last," for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at his inaugural ball. In addition to acting and performing , Beyonc runs a clothing line called House of Dereon with her mother. She also launched her own fragrance, Heat, in 2010. During her career, Beyonc has served as a spokesperson and model for several other brands, including L'Oreal and Tommy Hilfiger. Recently, Beyonc found herself under fire for performing a private concert for Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi on New Year's Eve in 2010. She later donated her fee from the event to help victims of the Haitian earthquake. According to some reports, Beyonc said that her father had been responsible for arranging the Libyan concert. She decided to drop her father as her manager in March 2011. Despite this passing controversy, the future looks bright for Beyonc. She began work on a new album, and was signed on as the headlining act at the Glastonbury Festival in southwest England. Married to Jay-Z since 2008, Beyonc was the subject of many pregnancy rumors over the years. In 2011, however, the notoriously private couple went public with the news of their impending new arrival. Beyonc showed off her growing baby bump at the MTV Video Music Awards that August. By the end of 2011, there had been several false reports of Beyonc delivering her baby. She and Jay-Z finally welcomed their daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, on January 7, 2012. The couple spared no expense to maintain their privacy during this special timerenting out a floor of New York's Lenox Hill Hospital. Courtesy of Biography.com

WAKA FLOCKA
Waka Flocka Flame was born by the name Juaquin Malphurs on May 31, 1986. He never dreamed of becoming an artist since he was a kid. Despite the fact that his mother is a CEO of artist management group Mizay Entertainment, he shied himself away from music and instead focused on his love for basketball. And after his youngest brother died in automobile accident when he was just 14, Waka moved even further away from music, opting to spend his time running the streets of Atlanta with his friends. "That whole period of my life really messed with my head," he said. "I ain't even gonna lie - it killed me as a man. But it also made me stronger as a man in the future." After a while, he then tried music as a fun activity of messing around with sound to relieve his frustration. "I was going through so much at the time," he said in an attempt to find a way to pour his distress. "I had so much stress and so many issues. I couldn't release my emotions physically, so releasing them verbally was the only option I had." The result was a street album "Salute ...Me or Shoot Me, Vol. 1" which was out in 2008 and featured "O Let's Do It" which rose at No. 7 on Billboard Rap Songs chart. Certainly having all the connections to get a quick step on music business, he made his own road and earned the spot on the chart that he deserved. Two years after, he dropped a debut album "Flockaveli" which made a notable debut at No. 6 on Billboard Hot 200. His single "No Hands" even rose higher to No. 5 on Billboard Rap Songs and peaked at No. 6 on R&B Songs charts.
Courtesy of AceShowbiz.com

MICHAEL JACKSON
American superstar Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana, on August 29, 1958, and entertained audiences nearly his entire life. His father,Joe Jackson, had been a guitarist but was forced to give up his musical ambitions following his marriage to Katherine (Scruse). Together they prodded their growing family's musical interests at home. By the early 1960s, the older boys Jackie, Tito and Jermaine had begun performing around the city; by 1964, Michael and Marlon had joined in. A musical prodigy, Michael's singing and dancing talents were amazingly mature, and he soon became the dominant voice and focus of TheJackson 5. An opening act for such soul groups as the O-Jays and James Brown, it was Gladys Knight (not Diana Ross) who officially brought the group to Berry Gordy's attention, and by 1969, the boys were producing back-to-back chart-busting hits as Motown artists ("I Want You Back," "ABC," "Never Can Say Goodbye," "Got to Be There," etc.). As a product of the 1970s, the boys emerged as one of the most accomplished black pop/soul vocal groups in music history, successfully evolving from a group like The Temptations to a disco phenomenon. Solo success for Michael was inevitable, and by the 1980s, he had become infinitely more popular than his brotherly group. Record sales consistently orbited, culminating in the biggest-selling album of all time, "Thriller" in 1982. A TV natural, he ventured rather uneasily into films, such as playing the Scarecrow in The Wiz (1978), but had much better luck with elaborate music videos. In the 1990s, the downside as an 1980s pop phenomenon began to rear itself. Michael grew terribly child-like and introverted by his peerless celebrity. A rather timorous, androgynous figure to begin with, his physical appearance began to change drastically, and his behavior grew alarmingly bizarre, making him a consistent target for scandal-making, despite his numerous charitable acts. Two brief marriages -- one to Elvis Presley's daughter Lisa Marie Presley -- were forged and two children produced by his second wife during that time, but the purposes behind them appeared image-oriented. Despite it all, Michael Jackson's passion and artistry as a singer, dancer, writer and businessman are unparalleled, and it is these prodigious talents that will ultimately prevail over the extremely negative aspects of his seriously troubled adult life. For it all to end on June 25, 2009, with his sudden death at age 50 of a drug-induced cardiac arrest, just as he was coming out of a four-year reclusive period and rehearsing for a sold-out London concert "comeback" in July, seems uncommonly cruel and tragic. Millions upon millions of dedicated fans will remember where they were "the day Michael died". Courtesy of IMDB.com

BILLY HOLIDAY
Considered by many to be the greatest jazz vocalist of all time, Billie Holiday lived a tempestuous and difficult life. Her singing expressed an incredible depth of emotion that spoke of hard times and injustice as well as triumph. Though her career was relatively short and often erratic, she left behind a body of work as great as any vocalist before or since. Born Eleanora Fagan in 1915, Billie Holiday spent much of her young life in Baltimore, Maryland. Raised primarily by her mother, Holiday had only a tenuous connection with her father, who was a jazz guitarist in Fletcher Hendersons band. Living in extreme poverty, Holiday dropped out of school in the fifth grade and found a job running errands in a brothel. When she was twelve, Holiday moved with her mother to Harlem, where she was eventually arrested for prostitution. Desperate for money, Holiday looked for work as a dancer at a Harlem speakeasy. When there wasnt an opening for a dancer, she auditioned as a singer. Long interested in both jazz and blues, Holiday wowed the owner and found herself singing at the popular Pod and Jerrys Log Cabin. This led to a number of other jobs in Harlem jazz clubs, and by 1933 she had her first major breakthrough. She was only twenty when the well-connected jazz writer and producer John Hammond heard her fill in for a better-known performer. Soon after, he reported that she was the greatest singer he had ever heard. Her bluesy vocal style brought a slow and rough quality to the jazz standards that were often upbeat and light. This combination made for poignant and distinctive renditions of songs that were already standards. By slowing the tone with emotive vocals that reset the timing and rhythm, she added a new dimension to jazz singing. It was not, however, until 1939, with her song Strange Fruit, that Holiday found her real audience. A deeply powerful song about lynching, Strange Fruit was a revelation in its disturbing and emotional condemnation of racism. Holidays voice could be both quiet and strong at the same time. Songs such as God Bless the Child and Gloomy Sunday expressed not only her undeniable talent, but her incredible pain as well. Due to constant racial attacks, Holiday had a difficult time touring and spent much of the 1940s working in New York. While her popularity was growing, Holidays personal life remained troubled. Though one of the highest paid performers of the time, much of her income went to pay for her serious drug addictions. Though plagued by health problems, bad relationships, and addiction, Holiday remained an unequaled performer. By the late 1940s, after the death of her mother, Holidays heroin addiction became so bad she was repeatedly arrested eventually checking herself into an institution in the hopes of breaking her habit. By 1950, the authorities denied her a license to perform in establishments selling alcohol. Though she continued to record and perform afterward, this marked the major turning point in her career. For the next seven years, Holiday would slip deeper into alcoholism and begin to lose control of her once perfect voice. In 1959, after the death of her good friend Lester Young and with almost nothing to her name, Billie Holiday died at the age of forty-four. During her lifetime she had fought racism and sexism, and in the face of great personal difficulties triumphed through a deep artistic spirit. It is a tragedy that only after her death could a society, who had so often held her down, realize that in her voice could be heard the true voice of the times Courtesy of PBS.org

LUTHER VANDROSS
In 1981, Luther Vandross released his debut album, Never Too Much, which sold more than a million copies. Though Vandross was a major R&B phenomenon, it wasn't until the early 1990s that he became a pop success. He won his first Grammy in 1991 for "Here and Now," two in 1992 for "Power of Love" and a fourth in 1997 for "Your Secret Love." He also won four 2004 Grammys before passing away in 2005. PROFILE Singer, songwriter. Born April 20, 1951, in New York City. The youngest of four children, Vandross was raised by his mother after his father died. He became interested in R&B music during high school, and in 1972, his song "Everybody Rejoice" was picked up for the Broadway musical The Wiz. Soon after, he started recording commercial jingles and worked as a backup singer and arranger for such popular artists as David Bowie, Bette Midler and Barbara Streisand. In 1981, Vandross signed with Epic and released his debut album, Never Too Much, which sold more than a million copies. He released several subsequent albums throughout the 1980s, often partnering with such luminary female artists as Aretha Franklin. Though Vandross was a major R&B phenomenon, it wasn't until the early 1990s that he became a pop success. He won his first Grammy in 1991 for "Here and Now," two in 1992 for co-writing and performing "Power of Love," and a fourth in 1997 for "Your Secret Love." Vandross continued to produce recordings throughout the 1990s with great success. These included a Top Ten remake of "Endless Love" with Mariah Carey, "This is Christmas" in 1996 and "I Know" in 1998. The singer suffered a debilitating stroke in 2003, from which he never fully recovered. He appeared via video at the 2004 Grammys, where he won four awards for his last album "Dance With My Father," including Song of the Year. Vandross died on July 1, 2005.
Courtesy of Biography.com

SPORTS FIGURES

MICHAEL JORDAN
Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born in Brookyln, New York on February 17, 1963. He was the fourth of five children born to James and Deloris. James Jordan was a mechanic andDeloris Jordan was a bank teller. Soon after Michael's birth, James and Deloris felt that the streets of Brooklyn were unsafe to raise a family, so they moved the family to Wilmington, North Carolina. As a youngster, Michael immediately became interested in sports. However, it was baseball not basketball that was his first love. He would play catch in the yard with his father, who loved baseball. He soon started to play basketball to try and follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Larry, whom he idolized growing up. At Laney High School, as a sophomore, he decided to try out for the varsity team but was cut because he was raw and undersized. The following summer, he grew four inches and practiced tirelessly. The hard work paid off as he averaged 25 points per game in his last two years and was selected to the McDonald's All-American Team as a senior. Following high school, he earned a basketball scholarship from North Carolina University where he would play under legendary coach Dean Smith. In his first year, he was named ACC Freshman of the Year. He would help lead the Tarheels to the 1982 NCAA Championship, making the game-winning shot. After winning the Naismith College Player of the Year award in 1984, Jordan decided to leave North Carolina to enter the NBA draft. Although he decided to leave college early, he would later return to the university in 1986 to complete his degree in geography. In the 1984 NBA draft, he was selected with the third overall pick by the Chicago Bulls. As a rookie for the Bulls, he made an immediate impact, averaging an amazing 28.2 points a game, including six games where he scored 40+ points. He was selected to the NBA All-Star Game and named Rookie of the Year. This would just be the beginning of a career filled with awards and accolades. In the upcoming years, he would go on to win five regular season MVP awards, six NBA championships, six NBA finals MVP awards, three All-Star game MVP awards, and a defensive player of the year award. In 1993, tragedy struck Jordan's seemingly perfect life. On July 23, 1993, his father, James, was murdered off Interstate 95 in North Carolina. Two locals had robbed him, shot him in the chest and threw his body in a swamp. Three months later on October 6, 1993, following a run of three consecutive NBA championships, Jordan announced his retirement from basketball citing that "he no longer had the desire to play." Now "retired" at age 33, it was uncertain what Jordan would do next. Would he take a year off out of the public eye to grieve and then come back to the Bulls? Would he go out and look for a white collar job in the field of geography, his college major? Or would he take up a completely different hobby like golf? In early 1994, Jordan decided to take up a new hobby alright. However, it wasn't golf. It was baseball. Despite not playing baseball since high school some 13 years ago, he signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox in 1994. He played one unspectacular season for the Double-A Birmingham Barons. On March 18, 1995, Jordan, a man of few words since his retirement, sent two important words to media sources everywhere: "I'm Back". He celebrated his return to the NBA by doing what he always did best: winning. Although the Bulls would lose in the playoffs to the Orlando Magic, it was obvious that Jordan was still the same superstar player. He would go on to lead the Bulls to three more consecutive NBA championships and etch his place in the history as the "NBA's greatest player of all-time". On January 13, 1999, Jordan re-announced his retirement, saying that "he was 99.9 percent sure that he would never play again". Soon after, Jordan became part owner of the Washington Wizards. Near the start of the 2001-02 season, there were hints that Jordan may try another comeback to the NBA. On September 25, 2001, Jordan confirmed those rumors, announcing that he would once again return to the NBA as a member of the Wizards. His two seasons in Washington were mediocre at best. His statistics were solid and he showed some flashes of his old self but he could not lead the Wizards to the playoffs and missed several games due to injury. He retired for good following the 2002-03 season and was subsequently dismissed as president of the Washington Wizards. In June 2006, he became part owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. Later that year, he filed for divorce from Juanita, his wife of 17 years. They have three children together.

Courtesy of IMDB.com

MIKE TYSON
One of the most frightening human beings ever to step into the boxing ring, Mike Tyson was the model of the supreme gladiator - unbeaten and unbeatable. Never before had one individual captured the attention of the wider world via sport except Muhammad Ali. From 19871990, he was the undisputed world heavyweight champion conducting a reign of terror in the prize-fighting ring and earning millions of dollars whilst doing it. He had won the WBC title in November 1986 at the tender age of twenty becoming the youngest heavyweight champion ever. Soon after he claimed the WBA crown from James "Bonecrusher" Smith before beating Tony Tucker for the IBF championship. Brutal victories against the likes of Pinklon Thomas, Tony Tubbs, Larry Holmes, Tyrell Biggs and Michael Spinks confirmed his status as the best in the world. However, his life outside the ring was as engrossing as his life in it. A short-lived marriage to actress Robin Givens was followed by a catalogue of personal misfortune that ultimately resulted in him losing his world championship to James "Buster" Douglas in Tokyo in February 1990. He was jailed for rape in 1992 and released in 1995. A comeback later that same year saw him beat two opponents before regaining the WBC heavyweight crown in March 1996. He added the WBA crown to his tally by beating Bruce Seldon before getting stopped by the unheralded Evander Holyfield in November 1996. A rematch in June 1997 saw him bite a chunk of Holyfield's ear off - an act that earned him worldwide condemnation. He has continued to fight on and off; a title challenge in 2002 saw him lose in 8 rounds to Lennox Lewis whilst a routine assignment in July 2004 saw him beaten by another British talent, Danny Williams, in 4 rounds. His final fight was a loss to Irishman Kevin McBride in 2005, although to most observers it was clear Tyson had absolutely nothing left. Now he is fighting bankruptcy and a drugs charge, although his status as a cult celebrity still stays strong as well as his boxing legacy.
Courtesy of IMDB.com

DOMINIQUE DAWES
Dawes was born on November 20, 1976 in Silver Spring, Maryland to Don and Loretta Dawes. She has an older sister, Danielle, and a younger brother, Don Jr. Dawes began gymnastics at age six and trained her entire career with Kelli Hill at Hills Gymnastics. She retired from the sport after the 2000 Olympics, and graduated with a Bachelors degree from the University of Maryland in 2002. Dawes served as president of the Womens Sports Federation from 2004 until 2006, and was a commentator for Yahoo! Sports at the 2008 Olympics. She also works as a motivational speaker and hosts clinics for young gymnasts throughout the US. Dominique Dawes won all four events and the all-around at the 1994 US Nationals. A three-time Olympian, Dawes represented the US in the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Games and won three Olympic medals. Dawes first competed at the US Nationals as a junior elite in 1988. She placed an unremarkable 17th all-around, but improved to 3rd all-around in the junior division one year later. As a young gymnast, Dawes was best known for her back-toback tumbling on floor. Her first pass would often be seven to 10 skills in a row, and go from one corner to the other and back again. Dominique Dawes qualified to her first Olympic team in 92, at only fifteen. She wasnt yet one of the stars of the team, but was a solid competitor that earned high scores. Led by Shannon Miller and Kim Zmeskal, the US team earned bronze, and Dawes, along with teammate Betty Okino, became the first African-American female gymnast to win an Olympic medal. In 1993 Dawes was quickly becoming one of the best gymnasts in the world, and at Worlds that year, she led the all-around field after three events. Knowing that she needed a very strong vault to win, she gambled on a new vault a 1 1/2twisting Yurchenko and lost. She fell on her second attempt, and ended up fourth overall. Teammate Miller took the all-around title, but Dawes served notice that she would be an all-around force in the coming years. Dawes also grabbed two silver medals in the event finals on bars and on beam. The all-around at the 1994 Worlds proved to again be a heartbreak for Dawes. As in 93, Dawes competed vault last, and once again, fell on one of her attempts. She ended up fifth in the all-around, and was further disappointed in the event finals, finishing fourth on bars and sixth on beam and floor. At the 1994 US Nationals, Dawes showed that she could, in fact, beat the best in the world. Dawes bested two-time world all-around champion Shannon Miller on every event and the all-around. Dawes brought home five gold medals from the competition, and became the second woman after Joyce Tanac-Schroeder to complete a sweep of every event and the all-around at US Nationals. Dawes qualified to her second Olympic team by winning the Olympic Trials (with the absence of 96 national champion Shannon Miller and 95 national champion Dominique Moceanu). The team, nicknamed The Magnificent Seven, was heralded as the best US Olympic team ever assembled, and the squad lived up to its name. The US gymnasts became the first (and so far only) American womens team to win Olympic gold. Dawes had another disappointing all-around competition, however. She was leading the competition after two events when an uncharacteristic fall on floor knocked her out of the medals. Dawes came back strong in the individual event finals, winning a bronze on floor and placing fourth on bars. Dawes retired after the 96 Games, but returned to competition in 2000 to try for an unprecedented third Olympic team. After a seventh place finish at Olympic Trials, Dawes was named to the team. In Sydney, the team took fourth place, just out of the medals. Courtesy of Gynmastics.com

VENUS & SERENA WILLIAMS

Brought up in a tough neighborhood, the sporty siblings saw tennis as their way to the top. But allegations about their father and the murder of ther sister have rocked the duo. Venus was born on 17 June 1980 in Lynwood California USA and Serena on 26 September 1981 in Saginaw, Michagan US Ranked in the top five in the world for the past two years, the prodigal Williams sisters have stunned the world. The key to their game is fast serves and strong returns that exhaust their opponents on the court. Still in their early 20s, speculation abounds as to which of the sisters will ultimately prove to be the most successful player in the long-term. The sisters path into professional tennis was plotted before their birth. Their father, Richard, loved to watch tennis on TV, and dreamed he would one day watch his yet-to-be-born children play on screen. His first three daughters were not destined to be tennis stars, but Venus and Serena took to the game immediately. For six hours a day they would play with tatty rackets and dud balls against a wall or on a pot-holed court, while their father shouted instructions from a tennis manual. The pair both began to compete before they were five. They had not yet hit puberty when invitations to national training camps were dropping through their post box in Compton, LA. As young teenagers, Richard Williams withdrew his daughters from the junior circuit and turned them both professional; he justified his actions to critics by saying the girls should concentrate on school where they were both A grade students. Too young to compete in World Tennis Association events, the teenagers played in private events and their games improved dramatically. Of age, Venus was the first to reach a major final, but lost the US Open to Martina Hingis. Serena then won the US Open in 1999. The following year she won Wimbledon. For the moment, Serena remains the more successful player.
Courtesy of the BiographyChannel.com

MICHAEL VICK
Born in Newport News, Virginia, on June 26, 1980, quarterback Michael Vick showed early talent and drew NFL attention while playing for Virginia Tech. Drafted by the Atlanta Falcons, he seemed to be fulfilling his promise until poor choices and illegal activities suspended his career. He served time in prison for illegal dog fighting before signing on as quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. Athlete. Michael Dwayne Vick was born on June 26, 1980, in Newport News, Virginia. The second of four children born to unmarried teenaged parents, Brenda Vick and Michael Boddie, Vick grew up in a tough area of his hometown, a place dominated by drugs and gang activity. Despite their surroundings, Brenda and Michael, who eventually married, ran a stable household. Michael, a sandblaster at the local shipyard who had played football in his youth, seems to have had a special premonition about his son. According to one account, upon Vick's birth his father cradled him in his arms, took him outside, and held him up toward the nighttime sky. "Behold the only thing greater than yourself," he then said, repeating the words Omoro spoke to his son, Kunta Kinte, in the movie Roots. ATHLETIC ABILITY Like his father, who gave him his first football at the age of three, Vick showed an early talent for the game. At Warwick High School, Vick grew close to the football team's coach, Tommy Reamon, a former World Football League star. Reamon pushed Vick to work on his passing skills and hit the weight room to add bulk to his skinny frame. Plagued by a weak offensive line, Reamon encouraged Vick to take advantage of his blazing speed by scrambling out of the QB pocket and improvising the team's offense. Vick flourished under his coach's tuteledge and by his senior year, Vick, who throws left but is actually right-handed, was considered one of the top high school quarterbacks in the country. Turning down an offer to go to Syracuse University, Vick chose to stay closer to home and sign on with Virginia Tech in nearby Blacksburg. There, the highly touted Vick did not disappoint. After redshirting his freshmen year, the 19-year-old quarterback led the Hokies to an undefeated season and a spot in the Sugar Bowl where they fell against Florida State in the national title game. Vick was named the Big East's Offensive Player of the Year, and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting. Vick and the Virginia Tech team slipped down in the rankings the following year, but the National Football League scouts drooled at the prospect of seeing the QBa 6-foot 1-inch, quarterback who could chuck the ball 80 yardson the pro stage. His athletic prowess even caught the attention of Major League Baseball, and in the 2000 MLB draft the Colorado Rockies selected Vick in the 30th round, this despite the fact that he hadn't even played the game since he was 14. NFL CAREER Vick, however, didn't give baseball a serious thought. Instead he bypassed the final two years of college to play in the NFL. In desperate need of a quarterback and a star, the Atlanta Falcons traded up to the No. 1 slot in the 2001 NFL draft and nabbed him. Vick's reward for turning pro was a six-year, $62 million contract that included a $15 million signing bonus. Playing sparingly his rookie year, Vick took over Atlanta's starting quarterback job the following season, leading the Falcons to the playoffs and earning a spot in the Pro Bowl. After an injury shortened his 2003 season, Vick and his teammates captured the AFC South crown in 2004, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game. The script seemed to be going as planned. The Falcons were now title contenders and Vick was the franchise QB the club had yearned for. That season, team officials handed Vick a lavish 10-year, $130 million contract extension. In July of 2009, the NFL announced that Vick would be considered for full reinstatement, and would be scheduled to play in regular-season games by October. Under the agreement, Vick would be allowed to participate in practices, workouts and meetings and may play in his club's final two preseason games. During this time he will remain a free agent. In exchange, Vick will be monitored by former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy, who has served as Vick's mentor. NFL officials will also receive regular reports from Vick's probation officer as well as outside professionals and psychiatrists in an ongoing evaluation of the athlete's ability to compete.
Courtesy of Biography.com

JACKIE ROBINSON
Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born in 1919. Jackie was born in trying circumstances because his father left the family soon after his birth. The situation was exacerbated by the fact that his family was the only black household on the block and it was the age of racial discrimination. In order to get away from all this the Robinson family moved to California and Jackie joined UCLA. Jackie Robinson was a born athlete and he soon was at the crossroads of which sport to take up as a career. The decision he took at this stage made him the first black Major Leaguer in sixty years. Jackie Robinson went on to become one of the best baseball players of all time. In 1945, Jackie Robinson impressed Branch Rickey, the president of the Brooklyn Dodgers organization. Inducting Robinson into the team meant a considerable amount of risk for Rickey because no one had heard of a black baseball player. It was something that was inconceivable for most people. Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. One of the many conditions that he had to agree to was that he would not be allowed to argue because he was black. The news that a Blackman was playing Major League baseball spread like wildfire throughout the nation. All over the country, blacks were united in their support for Robinson. Special masses were held on match days where the preachers would pray for Jackie Robinson. Apart from being black another factor that went against Jackie Robinson was that he was 27 years old. It was unusual for someone to make his major league debut at this age. He was famous for not backing down when faced with the most difficult of circumstances. As a lieutenant in the Army he risked a court-martial by refusing to sit in the back of a military bus. In his first season with the Dodgers, the players made life difficult for Jackie Robinson. A group of Dodger players, led by Dixie Walker, suggested they would strike rather than play alongside Robinson. But the team management told them that Jackie would play and that Dixie and his mates could leave if they wished. Robinson found solace in the company of Pittsburgh Pirate - Hank Greenberg, the first major Jewish baseball star who had experienced anti-Semitic abuse. Jackie Robinson formed a very effective combination with shortstop Pee Wee Reese. Jackie Robinson was named Rookie of the year in 1947. Robinson was an exceptionally talented and disciplined hitter, with a career average of .317. Jackie Robinson was known as the most aggressive and successful base runner of his era. He consistently disrupted the concentration of pitchers, catchers and middle infielders. Jackie Robinson's home plate prowess and defensive skills bear testimony to the fact that he was regarded as one of the most intelligent baseball players of any era. It was almost impossible to get Robinson, last man out. Most of Jackie Robinson's biggest challenges were off-field. In spite of his sterling performance on the field, his teammates signed a petition to get him off the team. Base runners dug kicked their spiked shoes into his shins and substitutes on the bench exhorted him to carry their bags and drinks. Fans of the Brooklyn Dodgers preferred that the team lose without Robinson than win with him in the team. Out of the 10 years that Jackie Robinson played baseball; 6 years were spent leading the Brooklyn Dodgers into the World Series. He married Rachel Issum on Feb. 10, 1946. He had 3 children with Rachel: Jackie Jr., Sharon and David. His #42 jersey was retired by Major League Baseball in 1997. He was named the league's most valuable player in 1949. In 1957, Jackie Robinson retired from baseball and became a business executive with the NAACP. In 1962, Jackie Robinson was inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame. Jackie Robinson died at the premature age of 53 in 1972. After his death the Jackie Robinson Foundation was instituted. It provides scholarships to 141 students annually who are sent to more than 60 colleges all over the country. Jackie Robinson did it all. He scared the pitchers, rattled the fielders broke the batting record books but most importantly he opened the doors for the blacks in Major League Baseball. Baseball was a sport that was run by the Whites and played by the Whites, this had changed forever.
Courtesy of Biography.com

George Washington Carver

Generally, when people think of famous African-American inventors, one of the first names that springs to mind is George Washington Carver. Perhaps most famously, Carver's inventions included the discovery of over 300 different uses for peanuts such as making cooking oil, axle grease and printer's ink. But despite his penchant for inventing, Carver was never interested in money or prestige so much as helping his fellow man. Born at the end of the civil war, George Washington Carver displayed a strong desire for knowledge from an early age and took particular interest in plants. As a young boy, Carver became known as the "plant doctor" and was regularly called upon by neighbors to "cure" ailing plants. But it wasn't until late in his twenties that Carver had the opportunity to study plants more thoroughly. While initially enrolled at Simpson College to study art and piano, Carver transferred to Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (now known simply as Iowa State University) to follow his passion. Though he was the first African-American student accepted to Iowa State, George Washington Carver quickly became a campus leader and, excelling in botany and horticulture, went on to become the university's first African-American faculty member. After finishing his education, George Washington Carver was convinced by Booker T. Washington to serve as the director of agriculture at the upstart Tuskegee Institute. Though the job offered very little in terms of pay, Carver took the position and ran with it. It was there he devised his method of crop rotation, whereby farmers would rotate cotton (which depleted the soil of nutrients) with peanuts (which replenished them) from year to year. Through the system, crops flourished but a large surplus of peanuts also developed. This led George Washington Carver to develop alternate uses for the peanut. When he later determined that sweet potatoes and pecans also could help replenish soil, he invented over a hundred different uses for them too. Despite the positive impact George Washington Carver's inventions had on the South, the inventor never sought out glory. Instead, he continued to invent, discover and teach in order to make the world a better place. Inscribed on his tombstone is the epitaph: "He could have added fortune to fame, but caring for neither, he found happiness and honor in being helpful to the world.

Invention: Peanut Butter

Madam C. J. Walker
Sarah Breedlove, who later became known as Madam C. J. Walker, was born into a former-slave family to parents Owen and Minerva Breedlove. Madam Walker was an entrepreneur who built her empire developing hair products for black women. She claims to have built her company on an actual dream where a large black man appeared to her and gave her a formula for curing baldness. When confronted with the idea that she was trying to conform black womens hair to that of whites, she stressed that her products were simply an attempt to help black women take proper care of their hair and promote its growth. She was the first African-American woman millionaire

Invention: Hair Growth Lotion

Garrett Morgan
Many of the world's most famous inventors only produced one major invention that garnered recognition and cemented their prominent status. But Garret Augustus Morgan, one of the country's most successful African-American inventors, created two the gas mask and the traffic signal. Born in the last quarter of the nineteenth century to former slaves, Garrett A. Morgan was only formally educated to a sixth-grade level. Fortunately, like many great inventors, Morgan had an innate mechanical mind that enabled him to solve problems. And, unlike most other inventors, he also was a skilled entrepreneur. After moving to Cleveland, Ohio, at the age of 18, Garrett Morgan's business sense and strong work ethic led him to almost immediate success. He invented and patented the first chemical hair straightener, started his own sewing equipment repair business, and even established a newspaper the Cleveland Call. But Morgan's most prolific accomplishments came in his role as an inventor. He received a patent for the first gas mask invention in 1914, but it wasn't until two years later that the idea really took off. When a group of workers got stuck in a tunnel below Lake Erie after an explosion, Morgan and a team of men donned the masks to help get them out. After the rescue was a success, requests for the masks began pouring in. Similarly, Garrett Morgan's other famous invention the traffic signal was also invented to help save lives. After witnessing an accident on a roadway, Morgan decided a device was needed to keep cars, buggies and pedestrians from colliding. His traffic signal was designed to stand on a street corner and notify vehicles and walkers whether they should stop or go. After receiving a patent in 1923, the rights to the invention were eventually purchased by General Electric.

Inventions: Gas Mask and the 1st Traffic Signal

Lonnie G. Johnson
An anonymous source said of the Super Soaker: "I got fired from a job once because of my Super Soaker. I guess that's what happens when you accidentally drench a customer when you're trying to get a co-worker who ducks." Famous black inventor and scientist Lonnie G. Johnson probably didn't have that little scenario in mind when he invented the Super Soaker squirt gun, but it is one of the countless memories that can be recalled by those who were young enough to enjoy the Super Soaker after its release in 1989.

Invention: Supersoaker

George Edward Alcorn

Not many inventors have resumes as impressive as George Edward Alcorn's. Among his credits, the African-American inventor received a B.A. in physics, a master's degree in nuclear physics and a Ph.D in atomic and molecular physics. On top of that, Alcorn worked for the likes of Philco-Ford, Perkin-Elmer, IBM and NASA, created over 20 different inventions and was granted eight patents. Despite such impressive credentials, Alcorn is probably most famous for his innovation of the imaging x-ray spectrometer a device that helps scientists better understand what materials are composed of when they cannot be broken down. Receiving a patent for his method in 1984, Alcorn's inclusion of the thermomigration of aluminum in the spectrometer was regarded as a major innovation by experts in the field. The invention led to Alcorn's reception of the NASA Inventor of the Year Award. And that wasn't the only award George Edward Alcorn received. Along with being awarded a NASA medal for his work in recruiting minority scientists and engineers, he also won the Government Executives Magazine's prestigious Technology Leadership Award for the Airborne Lidar Topographical Mapping System. And, in 2001, Alcorn was awarded special congressional recognition for his efforts in helping Virgin Islands businesses through application of NASA technology and technology programs. George Alcorn's work as an educator should not be overlooked either. He held positions at both Howard University and the University of the District of Columbia, where he taught courses in electrical engineering. He also was an organizer and mentor for the University of Maryland, Baltimore County's (UMBC's) Myerhoff Program, which works to promote minority Ph.Ds in science and mathematics.

Invention: X-ray spectrometer