This Day In History: 2017-03-26
March 6, 1964 – “Muhammad Ali Announces His Conversion to Islam” Muhammad Ali, formerly known as Cassius Clay, held a press conference to announce his conversion to Islam. Ali had recently become the youngest boxer to win the heavyweight championship from another boxer, Sonny Liston. His joining the Nation of Islam led to Ali becoming a pivotal civil rights leader. He would go on to become one of the most prominent sports figures of the 20th century. During the time of his conversion, he was mentored both by Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X.
November 23, 2002 - "First Native American Travels to Space"
John Herrington, a registered member of the Chickasaw Nation, was the first Native American to travel into space as the mission specialist for STS-113, the 16th mission to the International Space Station. During his mission, Herrington performed three spacewalks that totaled 19 hours and 55 minutes. The length of his mission was 13 days, 18 hours and 47 minutes. Herrington was inducted to the Chickasaw Hall of Fame the same year he went into space. William Pogue, a crewman aboard Skylab 4 in 1973-1974, had Choctaw ancestry, but was not an enrolled member of the Choctaw.