europe and asia. on this day in 1950, a tennis phenom name althea gibson became the first african american player to play in a u.s. national competition. althea came from harlem, a native there, showing a natural talent from the very start. at 15 years old, althea won her first state title. then 10 more championships. but officials still rejected her entry into the national grass court championships, because, after all, she was black. a tennis champion wrote an essay supporting gibson. in addition, the association invited her to qualify, which she did, and earned a spot in the big tournament. althea gibson would vil win major events throughout her career, including wimbledon and the french and u.s. opens, but she aced the tennis color barrier 63 years ago today. and now you know the news for