Born: John Arthur Johnson
Heavyweight Champion 1908-15
The first African-American heavyweight champion, Jack Johnson dared to crash the color bar that had created two classes of boxers since the sport's beginnings. A gaudy, bold character who lived just as he wanted, Johnson enraged the defenders of white supremacy with his refusal to accept anything less than equality. He was beloved by blacks and some whites, but thoroughly hated and eventually conquered by those who saw him as a threat to America's divided society.
The Boxing Register