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Abram Petrovich Gannibal (1696 – May 14, 1781)

He was an  Afro-Russian   nobleman ,  military engineer  and  general . Kidnapped as a child and presented as a gift to  Peter the Great , he was raised in the Emperor's household, and eventually rose to become a prominent member of the imperial court in the reign of Peter's daughter  Elizabeth . He is the great-grandfather of the author and poet  Alexander Pushkin . The main reliable accounts of Gannibal's life come from  Peter the Great's Negro , Pushkin's unfinished biography of his great-grandfather, published after Pushkin's death in 1837. Scholars argue that Pushkin's account may be inaccurate due to the author’s desire to elevate the status of his ancestors and family. There are a number of contradictions between the biographies of Pushkin and the German novel,  The Blackamoor of Peter the Great . One such a historical biography by Gannibal's son-in-law Rotkirkh was largely responsible for the myth, propagated by som...

Educators And Humanitarians

       Born in Eufaula, Alabama, Carrie Tuggle was the daughter of a Mohawk chief and former slave. Around the turn of the century, she moved to Birmingham, Alabama in search of a career.        She became a social worker and counseled delinquent boys, often appearing with them in court. At that time juveniles were tried in the same court as adults. Mrs. Tuggle saw the injustice of this situation and was instrumental in the formation of the Jefferson County Juvenile and Domestic Court.        In 1903, she formed the Tuggle Institute in Enon Ridge as a school and residence for homeless boys. From a modest start, the Institute became an important factor in the advancement of Blacks. Outstanding graduates from Tuggle include businessman Dr. A. G. Gaston, and musicians John J.("Fess")Whatley and Erskine Hawkins.        The Birmingham Board of Education purchased Toggle Institute in 1934 and later nam...

Supreme Court Limits Cellphone Searches After Arrest

In a strong defense of digital age privacy, a unanimous Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that police may not generally search the cellphones of people they arrest without first getting search warrants. Cellphones are powerful devices unlike anything else police may find on someone they arrest, Chief Justice John Roberts said for the court. Because the phones contain so much information, police must get a warrant before looking through them, Roberts said. "Modern cellphones are not just another technological convenience. With all they contain and all they may reveal, they hold for many Americans the privacies of life," Roberts said. The message to police about what they should do before rummaging through a cellphone's contents following an arrest is simple. "Get a warrant," Roberts said. The court chose not to extend earlier rulings that allow police to empty a suspect's pockets and examine whatever they find to ensure officers' safet...