Journalist and anti-lynching crusader Ida B. Wells is born into slavery in Holly Springs, Mississippi.
At a Glance
- Date
- 16 July 1862
- Location
- Holly Springs, Mississippi
- Key people
- Ida B. Wells
- Category
- Media & Journalism
- Source
- Southern Horrors (1892); biographical records · Library of Congress
What It Meant Then
Her investigative reporting exposed the terror of lynching to the world.
What It Means Now
Wells was a founder of the NAACP and a pioneer of the Black press and suffrage.
Cite this page
- MLA
- “Ida B. Wells Is Born.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/on-this-day/ida-b-wells-is-born/.
- APA
- Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Ida B. Wells Is Born. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/ida-b-wells-is-born/
- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “Ida B. Wells Is Born.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/ida-b-wells-is-born/.
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.