On July 10, the area entered the history books when the mercury climbed to a blistering 134 degrees Fahrenheit (57 degrees Celsius) at Furnace Creek, California, breaking the record for the highest temperature ever recorded.
Carl Stokes, the first black mayor of a major American city: Black History Month. View full sizePlain Dealer file photoCarl Stokes, shown in 1968 in downtown Cleveland, focused many of his efforts as mayor on improving city services and helping Cleveland's poorest residents.
First Person of African Ancestry Elected to a Public Office in British North America: Matthias de Souza, Colonial Maryland Legislature, 1641-1642. First Person of African Ancestry Elected to a State Office in the United States: Alexander Twilight, Vermont Legislature, 1836-1837. First African American Woman Elected to a State Legislature: Crystal Bird Fauset, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 1938-1940.