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On this day in Black history, February 21:
— In 1961, inventor Otis Boykin patented the electric resistor, which enabled the regulation of electrical current within a circuit and aided in the development of today’s technology, such as televisions and smartphones. Boykin is also responsible for the 1964 creation of a control unit for pacemakers, a small device that helps regulate heartbeat by electric stimulation.
— In 1965, civil rights leader Malcolm X was assassinated at the age of 39 while giving a speech at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan. He was buried on February 27 during a funeral attended by fellow civil rights leaders, including Bayard Rustin, Andrew Young and John Lewis.
— In 1974, Kool & The Gang earned RIAA-certified Gold status for their hit “Jungle Boogie.”
— Happy Birthday to Nina Simone, Barbara Jordan, John Lewis, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Jordan Peele and Charles “Wish Bone” Scruggs Jr.
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