55 years ago, the Voting Rights Act was passed on August 6, 1965. This Act was initially created to ensure that racial minorities, especially in the South, were not being denied their right to vote by prohibiting state and local governments from creating discriminatory voting laws. The Act focused on voter suppression in Southern states,… Read more »
Curtis Cokes, a Dallas native, was an all-around athlete, who began his professional boxing career in 1958 at the age of 21. He worked hard to become the World Boxing Association’s Welterweight World Champion in 1966, at the age of 30. Throughout his career, many trainers approached him to move to different cities to pursue… Read more »
The first Earth Day was celebrated fifty years ago today, on April 22, 1970. KXAS broadcast a special about the holiday at 11 AM. The new holiday in support of environmental protection was popular in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. As the original KXAS script (see image below) put it, schools at all levels, “from grade school… Read more »
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was first introduced to the U.S. Congress in 1923. It was designed to guarantee equal legal rights for women especially in matters of divorce, property, and employment among other matters. During the 1960s, with the first wave of feminism, the ERA regained support and was reintroduced to and approved by… Read more »
Business Executive, presidential candidate, philanthropist and life-long Texan, H. Ross Perot has passed away today at 89. A look back through the archive tells a powerful story, and provides evidence for all he will be remembered for. Here is a look at some the stories that are known, as well as some that may have… Read more »
In honor of Pride Month, UNT Special Collections is sharing previously unseen footage of LGBT civil rights activist Harvey Milk during an appearance in Dallas. On June 10, 1978, 40 years ago this week, the Texas Gay Conference V was in full swing at the Royal Coach Inn near Dallas Love Field in Dallas, Texas…. Read more »
The “Year in Review” compilation is a tradition of many news organizations, created as a way to look back on the top stories of the previous year. The earliest “Year in Review” in the WBAP/KXAS archives was compiled from 16mm footage recorded throughout the year 1952. The “Year in Review” compilations present some challenges to… Read more »
Today, as Senate Republicans unveil the latest draft of their proposed health care legislation, we are taking a look back at stories about health care. Two news stories reported by Doug Adams in 1979 echo many of the nation’s current debates and concerns over access to health care. A news story from April 23, 1979 describes… Read more »
Today we reflect on the struggle for women’s rights as we observe International Women’s Day. We’ve chosen two items from the NBC 5/KXAS archive that reflect women’s history in the DFW region. First, it might be hard to believe but women were not intentionally called for full-time jury service in the city of Dallas until September 5, 1955. A… Read more »
In honor of Super Bowl LI this Sunday, we flash back to January 1978 when the Dallas Cowboys met the Denver Broncos in New Orleans for Super Bowl XII. In the first ever Super Bowl broadcast in prime time, the Cowboys defeated the Broncos 27-10. In this clip, Texas News reporter Karen Parfitt reports on… Read more »
