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Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam, popularly known as Akon, rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, was born to Senegalese parents in St Louis, Missouri on this day in 1973.

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Basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lew Alcindor at birth, was born on this day in 1947 in New York City.

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On this day in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed an act that abolished slavery in Washington, DC. It was the beginning laws which included the Emancipation Proclamation, and the ratification of the 13th Amendment of the Constitution.

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Martin Lawrence, multi-talented actor, comedian, and entertainer was born on this day in 1965 in Frankfurt, Germany, where his dad was stationed.