1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:05,480 Speaker 1: Hey, y'all, we're rerunning two episodes today. Enjoy the show. Hello, Hello, everyone, 2 00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:08,840 Speaker 1: Welcome to this Day in History class, where we bring 3 00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:22,520 Speaker 1: you a new tidbit from history every day. The day 4 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:30,000 Speaker 1: was February nineteen. Malcolm X, an American activists and religious leader, 5 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:33,600 Speaker 1: was preparing to speak at a rally for his organization 6 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 1: of Afro American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in New 7 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:41,519 Speaker 1: York City. But as he was about to address the audience, 8 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:45,520 Speaker 1: someone shouted a racial slur, then yelled, get your hand 9 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:50,159 Speaker 1: out of my pocket. Malcolm X told them to be calm, 10 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 1: and his bodyguards moved to break up the commotion. But 11 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:57,640 Speaker 1: as the bodyguards left Malcolm X's watch, a man with 12 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:01,160 Speaker 1: a sawed off shotgun rushed the stage, shooting Malcolm X 13 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 1: in the chest. Two more men fired handguns at Malcolm X. 14 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 1: The crowd, made up of about four people, erupted in panic. 15 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:16,160 Speaker 1: Malcolm X was rushed to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, where he 16 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:21,560 Speaker 1: was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival. Malcolm X had 17 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:26,760 Speaker 1: told reporters the following just days before his death, I 18 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 1: don't worry. I'll tell you I'm a man who believed 19 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:33,240 Speaker 1: that I died twenty years ago, and I live like 20 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:36,320 Speaker 1: a man who is dead already. I have no fear 21 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:42,319 Speaker 1: whatsoever of anybody or anything. As a champion for black rights, 22 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:45,840 Speaker 1: Malcolm X was an advocate of armed self defense and 23 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:50,600 Speaker 1: black nationalism. His views on separating black and white people 24 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:54,440 Speaker 1: and other philosophies he had adopted during his time with 25 00:01:54,520 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: the Nation of Islam changed in the later years of 26 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:02,520 Speaker 1: his life. After his pilgrimage to Mecca, he began speaking 27 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 1: out against the Nation of Islam, its principles, and its leader, 28 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:11,120 Speaker 1: Elijah Mohammed. But Malcolm X still faced the resentment of 29 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:15,400 Speaker 1: people who considered him violent and threatening, as well as 30 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:18,400 Speaker 1: members of the Nation of Islam who disapproved of his 31 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:21,960 Speaker 1: split with the movement. In fact, Malcolm X had been 32 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:25,280 Speaker 1: receiving death threats and been assaulted by people in the 33 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:29,720 Speaker 1: Nation of Islam. A week before Malcolm X was assassinated, 34 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:34,960 Speaker 1: his house in East Elmhurst Queen's was firebombed. The attackers 35 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:38,640 Speaker 1: through Molotov cocktails through the windows, but one bomb that 36 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 1: was supposed to go through the back of the house 37 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:45,480 Speaker 1: hit the door and didn't make it Inside the house, Malcolm, 38 00:02:45,639 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 1: his wife Betty, and their four daughters made it out alive. 39 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 1: The house went up in flames and the blaze was 40 00:02:53,320 --> 00:02:56,840 Speaker 1: put out around three am. No one was charged with 41 00:02:56,880 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 1: the crime, but the Nation of Islam owned the house 42 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 1: Malcolm X and his family had lived in and they 43 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 1: were looking to evictim. Malcolm believed the Nation of Islam 44 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:11,880 Speaker 1: was responsible for the attack, so a week later, when 45 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 1: Malcolm X was assassinated and three members of the Nation 46 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 1: of Islam were found guilty, the case was pretty much 47 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 1: open and shut. Talmas Hayer, Norman three Ex Butler, and 48 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: Thomas fifteen X Johnson were convicted of murder in March 49 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:32,280 Speaker 1: of nineteen sixty six and sentenced to life in prison. 50 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:38,000 Speaker 1: Heyer confessed to the crime, but Johnson and Butler maintained 51 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:42,760 Speaker 1: their innocence. In nineteen seventy seven and seventy eight, Hayer 52 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:47,080 Speaker 1: submitted affidavits that reaffirmed his statement that the other two 53 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 1: men who had been convicted weren't involved in the assassination. Instead, 54 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 1: the affidavits named for other men from the Nation of 55 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:59,440 Speaker 1: Islam who helped commit the murder, but the case was 56 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:04,320 Speaker 1: never real and in all three were eventually released from prison. But, 57 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:08,080 Speaker 1: as it often happens when a major social or political 58 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 1: figure is assassinated, that's not where the story ended. In 59 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:17,200 Speaker 1: the days and years after Malcolm X's murder, conspiracy theories 60 00:04:17,520 --> 00:04:22,480 Speaker 1: popped up left and right. People blamed the m YPD, FBI, 61 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:26,480 Speaker 1: and CIA for not having an adequate police presence at 62 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:30,919 Speaker 1: the Audubon ballroom. Others have accused current Nation of Islam 63 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:36,239 Speaker 1: leader Louis Farakhan of Malcolm X's assassination, and still others 64 00:04:36,279 --> 00:04:40,480 Speaker 1: are convinced coin tal Pro, as the FBS counter intelligence 65 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:45,760 Speaker 1: program was known, was the chief orchestrator of assassination. Coin 66 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:49,279 Speaker 1: tel Pro have been targeting civil rights leaders and getting 67 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 1: informants to infiltrate their organizations. Many believe that Malcolm X's 68 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:59,760 Speaker 1: assassins may still be on the loose, and in January nineteen, 69 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:03,279 Speaker 1: a group of more than sixty U S citizens called 70 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:08,000 Speaker 1: for a new congressional investigation into the assassination of Malcolm X, 71 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:11,560 Speaker 1: as well as Martin Luther King Jr. John F. Kennedy, 72 00:05:11,640 --> 00:05:17,000 Speaker 1: and Robert F. Kennedy. After Malcolm X was assassinated, many 73 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:20,520 Speaker 1: grieved him as they would a martyr, and many others 74 00:05:20,640 --> 00:05:25,040 Speaker 1: welcomed the end to his fiery rhetoric Malcolm X remains 75 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:28,159 Speaker 1: a divisive figure in the history of the Civil rights 76 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:33,520 Speaker 1: era in America. I'm Eves Jeff Coote, and hopefully you 77 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:38,000 Speaker 1: know a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 78 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 1: I just think it's worth mentioning to that. Heyer, Johnson, 79 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:46,279 Speaker 1: and Butler all later changed their names, but I didn't 80 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:49,880 Speaker 1: really talk about that during the story. To avoid any confusion. 81 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:54,760 Speaker 1: Heyer changed his name to Mujahi Abdulla Hallem, Johnson to 82 00:05:54,920 --> 00:06:00,480 Speaker 1: Khalil Islam, and Butler to Mohammed abdul Aziz. Thanks for 83 00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:03,880 Speaker 1: showing up. If you haven't gotten your fill of history 84 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:08,800 Speaker 1: after listening to today's episode, you can follow us on Twitter, Instagram, 85 00:06:08,839 --> 00:06:14,160 Speaker 1: and Facebook at t d i h C podcast. We'll 86 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:24,000 Speaker 1: meet here again tomorrow. Hi again everyone, I'm Eves, and 87 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:27,400 Speaker 1: you're listening to this day in History class, where instead 88 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:29,839 Speaker 1: of going back to the future, we go back to 89 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:43,120 Speaker 1: the past. The day was February one, ninety three. Singer, musician, 90 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:47,599 Speaker 1: and activist Nina Simone was born. Simone is remembered for 91 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:51,400 Speaker 1: her unique musical style that blended several different genres and 92 00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:57,160 Speaker 1: often expressed social commentary. Simone was born Eunice Kathleen Wyman 93 00:06:57,360 --> 00:07:00,640 Speaker 1: and try On, North Carolina. Her mother was a Methodist 94 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:04,240 Speaker 1: minister and domestic worker, and her father was a handyman 95 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:08,839 Speaker 1: and preacher. She was the sixth of eight children. Music 96 00:07:08,920 --> 00:07:11,040 Speaker 1: was an important part of her life from the time 97 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:14,320 Speaker 1: she was a child. She played piano in her mother's church, 98 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:18,520 Speaker 1: and she took piano lessons with a woman named Muriel Mazanovich, 99 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:22,760 Speaker 1: who influenced her love of bach In turn box music 100 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:27,280 Speaker 1: influence Simon's drive to become a concert pianist. After she 101 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:31,320 Speaker 1: graduated from high school, Simone began attending the Juilliard School 102 00:07:31,360 --> 00:07:35,080 Speaker 1: of Music. She planned on going to the Curtis Institute 103 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:39,040 Speaker 1: of Music in Philadelphia, but the school rejected her application. 104 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:42,400 Speaker 1: Simone believed that she did not get in because of 105 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 1: her race, but her family had already moved from North 106 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:50,000 Speaker 1: Carolina to Philadelphia, so Simone stayed in the city and 107 00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:54,360 Speaker 1: gave piano lessons. Hoping to earn more money, Simone decided 108 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:58,160 Speaker 1: to start playing piano and bars. In nine four, she 109 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:00,480 Speaker 1: auditioned to sing at the mid to On Bar and 110 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:04,560 Speaker 1: Grille in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She began singing and 111 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:10,320 Speaker 1: playing piano for six hours a night there She mixed classical, gospel, 112 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:13,320 Speaker 1: jazz and blues in her music, topping it off with 113 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:16,400 Speaker 1: her deep vocals. She built up an audience of young 114 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:19,160 Speaker 1: people at the bar and moved on to more upscale 115 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:24,280 Speaker 1: clubs in Philadelphia. Her mother, deeply religious, disapproved of her 116 00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:28,680 Speaker 1: performing in bars, so she took the stage name Nina Simone, 117 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:31,800 Speaker 1: based on the word Nina, a nickname she was given 118 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:34,679 Speaker 1: by a boyfriend, and the name of the French actress 119 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:40,240 Speaker 1: Simone Sor. Having had much success in bars, Simone hired 120 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:43,840 Speaker 1: agent Jerry Fields, who connected her with beth Lehem Records. 121 00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:48,680 Speaker 1: In ninety nine, her debut album, Little Girl Blue was released. 122 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:52,120 Speaker 1: The first single, I Loved You Porgie was a hit 123 00:08:52,280 --> 00:09:02,880 Speaker 1: and helped launch her career. You Buggy Dude, Let Me. 124 00:09:05,679 --> 00:09:09,160 Speaker 1: But Simone was unhappy with her experience at Bethlehem Records. 125 00:09:09,679 --> 00:09:12,839 Speaker 1: She soon signed with Colpis Records and released her first 126 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:17,400 Speaker 1: album with them, The Amazing Nina Simone. From that point 127 00:09:17,480 --> 00:09:20,880 Speaker 1: she gained more success as a live performer. She performed 128 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:25,079 Speaker 1: at the Newport Jazz Festival in Carnegie Hall. She married 129 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:28,040 Speaker 1: Andrew Stroud and had a daughter in nineteen sixty two, 130 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:31,120 Speaker 1: and she continued to perform in jazz clubs, though she 131 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:35,880 Speaker 1: resisted the label of jazz singer. As she recorded more songs, 132 00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:38,720 Speaker 1: Simone began to merge her own style of music with 133 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:42,319 Speaker 1: her political views. Her music was influenced by the Civil 134 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:45,680 Speaker 1: rights movement and acts that took place during it, like 135 00:09:45,760 --> 00:09:49,079 Speaker 1: the Birmingham church bombing and the murder of Medger Evers. 136 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:53,480 Speaker 1: The song Mississippi Got Damn expresses her anger over these 137 00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:58,920 Speaker 1: events and her advocacy of civil rights. Alabama's Got misshap 138 00:10:00,320 --> 00:10:05,480 Speaker 1: California's made me lose my rest. Everybody knows about fish 139 00:10:05,640 --> 00:10:11,319 Speaker 1: ship being dap and just ship, I know you can 140 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:16,520 Speaker 1: feel it. Simone also became friends with Lorraine Handsbury, who 141 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:18,880 Speaker 1: was also an artist who spoke up for civil rights 142 00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:22,920 Speaker 1: and other social causes at the time. Simone continued to 143 00:10:22,920 --> 00:10:26,320 Speaker 1: write protest songs such as Sunday in Savannah and to 144 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:48,720 Speaker 1: Be Young, Gifted in Black m Good. She made friends 145 00:10:48,760 --> 00:10:51,720 Speaker 1: with other people in the movement, such as James Baldwin 146 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:55,839 Speaker 1: and Langston Hughes, but throughout the nineteen seventies. In early 147 00:10:55,920 --> 00:11:02,200 Speaker 1: nineteen eighties, Simone lived abroad in places like Liberia, Belgium, Barbados, France, 148 00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:06,160 Speaker 1: and the Netherlands. She was disillusioned by American society and 149 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:09,680 Speaker 1: the civil rights movement. On top of that, she left 150 00:11:09,679 --> 00:11:13,880 Speaker 1: her husband, who had been abusing her. She continued to perform, 151 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:17,760 Speaker 1: but she was affected by bipolar disorder. She often had 152 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:21,800 Speaker 1: outbursts on stage, and she faced many more personal difficulties 153 00:11:22,800 --> 00:11:26,760 Speaker 1: In her later years. She published an autobiography, released the 154 00:11:26,800 --> 00:11:31,079 Speaker 1: album A Single Woman, and had her music featured on soundtracks. 155 00:11:31,720 --> 00:11:33,640 Speaker 1: She spent the last years of her life at her 156 00:11:33,679 --> 00:11:38,440 Speaker 1: home in France. She died in two thousand three, just 157 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:42,840 Speaker 1: a month after her passing. The Curtis Institute, which rejected 158 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:48,160 Speaker 1: her application decades prior, awarded her an honorary degree. Since 159 00:11:48,160 --> 00:11:50,400 Speaker 1: her death, she has been the subject of a lot 160 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:54,400 Speaker 1: of scholarship in films regarding her personal life, as well 161 00:11:54,480 --> 00:11:57,440 Speaker 1: as her contributions to music and the civil rights movement. 162 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:01,360 Speaker 1: I'm Eve Jeff Cote, and hopefully you know a little 163 00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:05,320 Speaker 1: more about history today than you did yesterday. Looking up 164 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:08,600 Speaker 1: our content a little more sophisticated than cat memes in 165 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:12,000 Speaker 1: your feed. Connect with us on social media at T 166 00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:17,280 Speaker 1: D I h C Podcast, or if you would prefer 167 00:12:17,360 --> 00:12:19,800 Speaker 1: to email us, you can send us a message at 168 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:24,240 Speaker 1: this day at I heart media dot com. Thanks for listening, 169 00:12:24,559 --> 00:12:27,240 Speaker 1: Mary History, to all, and to all a good night. 170 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:37,480 Speaker 1: M For more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the 171 00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:40,160 Speaker 1: iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 172 00:12:40,200 --> 00:12:40,960 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.