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April 1959

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Achievement · business
Berry Gordy Founds Motown Record Corporation

Berry Gordy Jr. officially incorporated Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, having borrowed $800 from his family's savings club. Gordy's vision of a Black-owned, vertically integrated music enterprise — which would control artist development, songwriting, production, and distribution — became a model of Black business excellence.

Events

  1. April 14, 1959
    Berry Gordy Founds Motown Record Corporation

    Berry Gordy Jr. officially incorporated Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, having borrowed $800 from his family's savings club. Gordy's vision of a Black-owned, vertically integrated music enterprise — which would control artist development, songwriting, production, and distribution — became a model of Black business excellence.

  2. April 7, 1959
    Lorraine Hansberry Wins New York Drama Critics Circle Award

    Lorraine Hansberry won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play for A Raisin in the Sun, becoming the first Black playwright and youngest American playwright to win the award. She beat out Tennessee Williams, Archibald MacLeish, and Eugene O'Neill in the voting.

  3. April 9, 1959
    Boston Celtics Repeat as NBA Champions

    The Boston Celtics swept the Minneapolis Lakers to win their third NBA championship, with Bill Russell dominant at both ends of the floor. The Celtics' sustained excellence transformed NBA basketball and elevated the league's profile nationally.