Abbreviated List of Historical Characters

Louis Armstrong (1901–1971), nicknamed Satchmo and Pops, was one of the most influential artists in the history of jazz. His career as a trumpeter, composer, and singer spanned the 1920s through the 1960s.

Amiri Baraka (1934–2014), born LeRoi Jones, was an African American writer well-known for his political activism and social criticism, displayed through his poetry, drama, fiction, and essays.

Mary Bruce (1900–1995), originally from Chicago, taught dance in New York City for over fifty years. Over the span of her career, Bruce taught students such as Josephine Premice, Ruby Dee, Martina Arroyo, and Marlon Brando; she also offered free lessons to students who couldn’t afford them.

Eugene Jacques Bullard (1895–1961) became the first African American military pilot during World War I after working as a boxer in Paris. Bullard eventually became the owner of his own nightclub, L’Escadrille.

Leonard Harper (1899–1943) was a dancer, producer, and choreographer with his own studio in New York City during the Harlem Renaissance. Harper’s work spanned a variety of genres, from burlesque to Broadway musicals.

Lucille Nelson Hegamin (1894–1970) was born in Macon, Georgia, and became the second African American blues singer to record. She retired from music in 1934 to pursue a career in nursing.

Ilse Koch (1906–1967), nicknamed the “Bitch of Buchenwald,” was one of the first Nazis tried by the US military. She was the wife of Nazi commandant Karl Otto Koch, and was known and feared for her especially sadistic practices toward prisoners.

Milton Mesirow, better known as Mezz Mezzrow (1899–1972), was a Jewish American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist. Over the course of his career, he played with and recorded many African American musicians, including Louis Armstrong.

Bessie Smith (1894–1937), known as the “Empress of the Blues,” was the most popular and influential female blues singer of her era.

Mike Todd (1909–1958) was an American theater and film producer best known for his Academy Award–winning movie, Around the World in 80 Days. He was married to Elizabeth Taylor before his death in a plane crash.