Police commissioner Bull Connor turns high-pressure fire hoses and police dogs on child demonstrators in Birmingham.
At a Glance
- Date
- 3 May 1963
- Location
- Birmingham, Alabama
- Key people
- Bull Connor, Martin Luther King Jr.
- Category
- Civil Rights Movement
- Source
- Contemporary news photographs (1963) · Britannica
What It Meant Then
Images of the violence appeared on front pages worldwide and shocked the conscience of the nation.
What It Means Now
The Birmingham images helped build support for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Cite this page
- MLA
- “Fire Hoses and Dogs in Birmingham.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/on-this-day/fire-hoses-and-dogs-in-birmingham/.
- APA
- Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Fire Hoses and Dogs in Birmingham. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/fire-hoses-and-dogs-in-birmingham/
- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “Fire Hoses and Dogs in Birmingham.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/fire-hoses-and-dogs-in-birmingham/.
Editorial Note
By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.