Ellen Armstrong was an African American female magician and daughter of Prof. John Hartford Armstrong.Born in 1914, she got her start at the age of six as assistant in her father's show. As a young child, she showed great skill as a "psychic" performer, and even had her own mind reading segment of the show. … [Read more...] about Thursday Open Thread: Famous African-American Magicians
Arts and Culture
Wednesday Open Thread: Famous African-American Magicians
Henry "Box" Brown (c.1816–after 1889) was a 19th-century Virginia slave who escaped to freedom at the age of 33 by arranging to have himself mailed in a wooden crate in 1849 to abolitionists in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He left behind his enslaved wife and children. … [Read more...] about Wednesday Open Thread: Famous African-American Magicians
Tuesday Open Thread: Famous African-American Magicians
Did you know that America's first born magician was black? Harry Houdini was a big fan. Richard Potter, the first American-born stage magician and ventriloquist, black or white. Prior to Potter’s career in the early 19th century, the performance of magic and ventriloquism had been the domain of white European men. … [Read more...] about Tuesday Open Thread: Famous African-American Magicians
Monday Open Thread: Successful African-American Magicians
This week's thread will focus on lesser known but successful African-American magicians. There is not a ton of information on this topic, so I will be parsing together as background as possible. Benjamin Rucker (June 6, 1889 – April 15, 1934) was an American stage magician, better known by his stage name Black Herman. Born in Amherst, Virginia, he was the most … [Read more...] about Monday Open Thread: Successful African-American Magicians
Sunday Musical Brunch Thread: Ciara aka Russell Wilson’s Girlfriend
Ciara Princess Harris (born October 25, 1985), known mononymously as Ciara (pronounced /siːˈɛrə/, see-err-ə), is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress and fashion model. Born in Austin, Texas, she traveled around the world during her childhood, eventually moving to Atlanta, Georgia where she joined the girl group Hearsay; however, the group disbanded … [Read more...] about Sunday Musical Brunch Thread: Ciara aka Russell Wilson’s Girlfriend