May 16 - BlackFacts.com Black History Minute

BlackFacts.com: Learn/Teach/Create Black History

BlackFacts.com presents the black fact of the day for May 16.

Janet Jackson was born.

She is an American singer and actress, one of the most popular recording artists of the 1980s and ’90s.

The youngest of nine siblings in Motown’s famed Jackson family, Janet Jackson parlayed her family’s success into an independent career that spanned recordings, television, and film.

In her early career, Jackson credited her brothers Michael and Jermaine Jackson as musical influences.

She began her career with the variety television series "The Jacksons" in 1976 and went on

to appear in other TV shows throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, including "Good Times", "Diff'rent Strokes", and "Fame".

In 1982, she became a pop icon following the release of her third and fourth studio albums Control (1986) and Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989). Having sold over 100 million records, Jackson is one of the world's best-selling music artists of all time.

Jackson has also been recognized for playing a pivotal role in crossing racial boundaries in the recording industry.

She has been cited as an inspiration among numerous performers. Jackson was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.

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