The first1991"> South African Democratic Election for Blacks and Whites was held on this date.

Nelson Mandela was elected president of1991"> South Africa in the country's first Democratic Election for all of its citizens.

Newscaster1991"> Diann Burns is named co-anchor of the Chicago ABC affiliate’s ten o'clock evening news. She is the first African American in Chicago to occupy such a position.

All-Pro NFL halfback O.J. Simpson was charged with the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman on this date in1991"> California. The trial was called the Trial of the Century and showed the racial divide in America. Simpson was eventually found not guilty but was held responsible for the murders in a future civil suit.

Newscaster1991"> Merri Dee receives special The National Voice Award in recognition of her commitment to children’s charities.

Beverly Harvard was appointed police chief on this date in1991"> Atlanta, Georgia. Harvard became the first African American woman to be named police chief of a major metropolitan city in America.

Cab Calloway dies in Hockessin, Delaware as a result of a stroke that he suffered earlier in the year.