Josephine Baker
A revolutionary entertainer and spy who danced past prejudice in Paris, then fought fiercely for civil rights and adopted a 'Rainbow Tribe' of children.
1906–1975 (age 69)·American and French entertainer·Birthday: June 3·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Josephine Baker was a hurricane of talent and defiance born into poverty in St. Louis. She fled a segregated America as a teenager, finding in 1920s Paris not just a stage, but liberation. Her 'Danse Sauvage' in a banana skirt was a sensation, a complex performance that played to exotic stereotypes while exuding a subversive, electric confidence that made her the queen of the Jazz Age. She became Europe's first Black superstar, a singer, actress, and muse. During World War II, she turned her fame into a weapon, working as a spy for the French Resistance, smuggling intelligence in her sheet music. Later, she used her voice for the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, refusing to perform for segregated audiences. In a final act of radical idealism, she adopted twelve children from different ethnic backgrounds, calling them her 'Rainbow Tribe,' a living experiment in harmony at her French château.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Josephine was born in 1906, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Josephine Was Born
The biggest hits of 1906
Josephine's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1906Born
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Started school
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1919Became a teenager
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
1922Could drive
King Tut's tomb discovered in Egypt
President: Warren G. Harding"April Showers" — Al Jolson
1924Could vote
First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France
President: Calvin Coolidge"It Had to Be You" — Isham Jones
1927Turned 21
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
1936Turned 30
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1946Turned 40
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1956Turned 50
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1966Turned 60
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1975Died at 69
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Key Achievements
- Became an international star and a defining symbol of the Jazz Age in Paris with her performances at the Folies Bergère.
- Served as a spy for the French Resistance during WWII, for which she was later awarded the Croix de Guerre and named a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur.
- Was the first Black woman to star in a major motion picture, the 1927 French silent film 'Siren of the Tropics.'
- Refused to perform for segregated audiences in the United States and was a speaker at the 1963 March on Washington.
Did You Know?
She performed her famous 'banana dance' wearing a skirt made of artificial bananas.
She received over 1,500 marriage proposals during her career.
She was investigated by the FBI for her outspoken views on civil rights and alleged communist ties.
She is the only American-born woman to have received full French military honors at her funeral.
““The things we truly love stay with us always, locked in our hearts as long as life remains.””
