ON THIS DAY AUGUST 11 2023

This Day in History: August 11

Featured Event

1973




At a back-to-school party in the Bronx, New York, DJ Kool Herc (Clive Campbell) introduced the technique of playing the same album on two turntables and extending the drum section (which became known as the breakbeat); the night is widely recognized as the birth of hip-hop.



Who are the founders of hip-hop?

While a number of people were influential in the creation of hip-hop, much credit is given to Kool Herc (Clive Campbell), a Jamaican immigrant who was the first major hip-hop disc jockey. At a Bronx party on August 11, 1973, he introduced the technique of playing the same album on two turntables and extending the drum section (which became known as the breakbeat). Many recognize this night as the birth of hip-hop. Other pioneering hip-hop deejays include Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash. The three men are often called the “holy trinity” of early hip-hop.

Featured Biography

Viola Davis
American actress




Viola Davis, (born August 11, 1965, Saint Matthews, South Carolina, U.S.), American actress known for her precise, controlled performances and her regal presence. She accomplished the rare feat of winning the four major North American entertainment awards (EGOT: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony).
Davis was raised in Central Falls, Rhode Island, where her father found work as a horse groom at nearby racetracks and her mother took on domestic and factory jobs. Their income was frequently insufficient to support the family, and they endured grim rat-infested apartments and occasional food shortages. As a child, Davis began acting in school productions and theatre competitions. She enrolled at Rhode Island College, where she majored in theatre and graduated in 1988. She proceeded to the Young Peoples School for the Performing Arts in Rhode Island on scholarship before attending the Juilliard School, from which she graduated in 1994.


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