BK Nation Celebrates Black History Month
During the month of February, our country will be celebrating Black History Month. This is an opportunity for Americans to pause, reflect and honor African Americans who have made significant contributions to our country. The 2026 theme for Black History Month is "A Century of Black History Commemorations." This centennial celebration honors the contributions of African Americans and the African diaspora, reflecting on the impact of Black history on culture, identity, and national understanding. The theme invites communities to reflect on how the rituals of remembering have shaped Black life and culture. The observance began as "Negro History Week" in 1926 and has evolved into a month-long celebration, with the 2026 theme marking a century of national commemorations.
In support of this year’s theme, I have included a commemorative word search puzzle for your educational enrichment. Feel free to download the puzzle HERE.
Christmas in January
Christmas may have ended in December but for me, I had an extra day of Christmas on January 10, 2026. I joined 18 avid historical wargamers at Fort Christmas, Florida to play a massive boardgame of the American Civil War. This game was played with beautifully crafted 54mm miniatures which added realism and excitement to the game. My generalship skills were lacking on that day as I lost both games leading my men in battle as one of the Confederate generals. Still, I had an awesome time and looking forward to seeing the fellas in Kissimmee, Florida in April at our annual wargaming convention.
For those that may not know, Fort Christmas was constructed on December 25, 1837 by U.S. Army soldiers and Alabama volunteers led by Brigadier General Abraham Eustis during the Second Seminole Indian War. The fort served as a supply source for soldiers fighting the Seminole Indians in that area. It was abandoned in March, 1838 after the Seminole threat deescalated.
Please take time to look at the Fort Christmas photos by clicking HERE.
Notable Events In February By The Numbers
1, 1960 - In Greensboro, North Carolina, four African American students sat down and ordered coffee at a lunch counter inside a Woolworth's store. They were refused service, but did not leave. Instead, they waited all day. The scene was repeated over the next few days, with protests spreading to other southern states, resulting in the eventual arrest of over 1,600 persons for participating in sit-ins.
2, 1848 - The war between the U.S. and Mexico ended with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. In exchange for $15 million, the U.S. acquired the areas encompassing parts or all of present day California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Texas. The treaty was ratified on March 10, 1848.
3, 1943 - An extraordinary act of heroism occurred in the icy waters off Greenland after the U.S. Army transport ship Dorchester was hit by a German torpedo and began to sink rapidly. When it became apparent there were not enough life jackets, four U.S. Army chaplains on board removed theirs, handed them to frightened young soldiers, and chose to go down with the ship while praying.
4, 1861 - Apache Chief Cochise was arrested in Arizona by the U.S. Army for raiding a ranch. Cochise then escaped and declared war, beginning the period known as the Apache Wars, which lasted 25 years.
5, 1922 - The first issue of Reader’s Digest is published.
6, 1933 - The 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was adopted. It set the date for the Presidential Inauguration as January 20th, instead of the old date of March 4th. It also sets January 3rd as the official opening date of Congress.
7, 1795 - The 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, limiting the powers of the Federal Judiciary over the states by prohibiting Federal lawsuits against individual states.
8, 1910 - The Boy Scouts of America was founded by William Boyce in Washington, D.C., modeled after the British Boy Scouts.
9, 1943 - During World War II in the Pacific, U.S. troops captured Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands after six months of battle, with 9,000 Japanese and 2,000 Americans killed.
10, 1942 - The first Medal of Honor during World War II was awarded to 2nd Lt. Alexander Nininger (posthumously) for heroism during the Battle of Bataan.
11, 1990 - In South Africa, Nelson Mandela, at age 71, was released from prison after serving 27 years of a life sentence on charges of attempting to overthrow the apartheid government. In April 1994, he was elected president in the first all-race elections.
12, 1999 - The impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton in the U.S. Senate ended. With the whole world watching via television, Senators stood up one by one during the final roll call to vote "guilty" or "not guilty." On Article 1 (charging Clinton with perjury) 55 senators, including 10 Republicans and all 45 Democrats voted not guilty. On Article 2 (charging Clinton with obstruction of justice) the Senate split evenly, 50 for and 50 against the President. With the necessary two-thirds majority not having been achieved, President Clinton was thus acquitted on both charges and served out the remainder of his term of office lasting through January 20, 2001.
13, 1945 - During World War II in Europe, British and American planes began massive bombing raids on Dresden, Germany. A four-day firestorm erupted that was visible for 200 miles and engulfed the historic old city, killing an estimated 135,000 German civilians.
14, 1849 - Photographer Mathew Brady took the first photograph of a U.S. President in office, James Polk.
15, 1898 - In Havana, the U.S. Battleship Maine was blown up while at anchor and quickly sank with 260 crew members lost. The incident inflamed public opinion in the U.S., resulting in a declaration of war against Spain on April 25, 1898, amid cries of "Remember the Maine!"
16, 1948 - NBC TV begins its first nightly newscast.
17, 1815 - President James Madison signs the Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812.
18, 1861 - Jefferson Davis is inaugurated as President of the Confederate States of America.
19, 1942 - Internment of Japanese Americans began after President Franklin Roosevelt issued an Executive Order requiring those living on the Pacific coast to report for relocation. Over 110,000 persons therefore shut down their businesses, sold off their property, quit school and moved inland to the relocation centers.
20, 1943 - German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel broke through American lines at Kasserine Pass in North Africa as inexperienced U.S. Troops lost their first major battle of World War II in Europe, with 1,000 Americans killed.
21, 1965 - Former Black Muslim leader Malcolm X was shot and killed while delivering a speech in a ballroom in New York City.
22, 1956 - In Montgomery, Alabama, 80 participants in the three-month-old bus boycott voluntarily gave themselves up for arrest after an ultimatum from white city leaders. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks were among those arrested. Later in 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court mandated desegregation of the buses.
23, 1942 - During World War II, the first attack on the U.S. mainland occurred as a Japanese submarine shelled an oil refinery near Santa Barbara, California, causing minor damage.
24, 1867 - The House of Representatives voted to impeach President Andrew Johnson. The vote followed bitter opposition by the Radical Republicans in Congress toward Johnson's reconstruction policies in the South. However, the effort to remove him failed in the Senate by just one vote.
25, 1925 - Glacier Bay National Monument in Alaska is established.
26, 1848 - The Communist Manifesto pamphlet was published by two young socialists, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It advocated the abolition of all private property and a system in which workers own all means of production, land, factories and machinery.
27, 1950 - The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, limiting the president to two terms or a maximum of ten years in office.
28, 1844 - During a demonstration of naval fire power, one of the guns aboard the USS Princeton exploded, killing several top U.S. government officials on the steamer ship, and narrowly missed killing President John Tyler.
Time for Courage
This past Christmas, I had the opportunity to ship my novel, A Time for Courage, to twenty service men and women throughout the country. As a retired Navy veteran, I was honored to do such a noble deed. Just knowing that people have requested my book makes all of the countless hours of research, rewrites, edits and headaches worthwhile. If you haven’t already, I invite you to take a quick view of the book trailer on YouTube. You can also purchase the book on Amazon.
Parting Thoughts
One month in the books and eleven more to go. For those who are contemplating writing a book this year, this message is for you….Just Do It!! I will be your biggest fan and waiting to purchase your book on amazon or whatever platform you choose. I can’t even describe the feeling when Amazon shipped my first set of books and I looked at the cover page, and the author’s name and said, who is Kenneth Richmond? Oh, that’s me! I couldn’t believe my journey started on a six-month deployment onboard the USS John F. Kennedy in 1998 when I wrote the first lines of A Time for Courage. And now, it all came to an end on March 4, 2024, the date it was finally published. Hopefully, your book won’t take that long. They have so many resources nowadays to help fulfill your dream of becoming an independent author. In closing, I want to remind you to earmark that special person and present them with a book of your choice. And…..feel free to hit me up sometimes to say hello and let me know what you’re reading as well as your favorite genre of books.