On July 10, the area entered the history books when the mercury climbed to a blistering 134 degrees Fahrenheit (57 degrees Celsius) at Furnace Creek, California, breaking the record for the highest temperature ever recorded.
Carl Stokes, the first black mayor of a major American city: Black History Month. View full sizePlain Dealer file photoCarl Stokes, shown in 1968 in downtown Cleveland, focused many of his efforts as mayor on improving city services and helping Cleveland's poorest residents.
(born 1927). U.S. public official David Dinkins served as the first African American mayor of New York City (1990-94). Previous to his election, he served as a New York state assemblyman from 1966 to 1967, as New York City clerk from 1975 to 1985, and as Manhattan borough president from 1986 to 1990.