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1619
100
In 1923, Garrett Morgan expanded upon this device to regulate the crossing of vehicles more safely.
What is the three-position traffic signal?
Note: The signal Garrett Morgan patented was a T-shaped pole with three settings. He sold the rights to his invention to General Electric for $40,000.
100
In 1955, this 14 year old African American boy was abducted, tortured, and lynched before being disposed of in a river in Mississippi after being accused of offending a white woman in her family's grocery store.
Who is Emmett Till?
Note: Emmett Till was a Chicago native visiting family in Mississippi when this occurred. His murder provided a catalyst for the emerging civil rights movement.
100
In 1906, this fraternity was founded at Cornell University, making it the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African American men.
What is Alpha Phi Alpha?
Note: Prominent members of Alpha Phi Alpha include Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., W.E.B. DuBois, Rev. C.T. Vivian, Duke Ellington, Thurgood Marshall, Jesse Owens and Andrew Young.
100
In 1966, this former Boston Celtics center became the first Black coach in the NBA and the first to win an NBA championship.
Who is Bill Russell?
Note: Bill Russell brought 11 championships to the Boston Celtics across his 13-year tenure with the team. He was a 5 time MVP winner, 12 time NBA All-Start, and led the US national basketball team to gold at the 1956 Olympics.
100
In 1619, a ship arrived on the shores of this state carrying the very first enslaved Africans to be brought to the British colonies of North America.
What is Virginia?
Note: On August 20, 1619, “20 and odd” Angolans, kidnapped by the Portuguese, arrived in the British colony of Virginia and were then bought by English colonists.
200
In 1912, Garrett Morgan invented this device after noticing how many firefighters were killed my smoke on the job.
What is the gas mask?
Note: The hood, which went over the head, featured tubes connected to wet sponges that filtered out smoke and provided fresh oxygen.
200
In 1932, hundreds of Black men were used as test subjects in this study on the effects of syphilis with no informed consent or effective care.
What is the Tuskegee Study (Experiment)?
Note: In 1947, penicillin became widely available as a treatment for syphilis, but it was never offered to the men any point during the remaining 25 years of the Tuskegee Study because of their race.
200
In 1930, this umbrella organization was founded at Howard University and now houses nine black Greek-letter organizations.
What is the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) or Divine 9 (D9)?
Note: Altogether, the NPHC’s membership exceeds 1.5 million individuals around the world.
200
In 1987, this artist became the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame but missed the induction ceremony due to her fear of flying.
Who is Aretha Franklin?
Note: Aretha Franklin was only twenty-five when she clinched the title of Lady Soul with her unforgettably proud, sexy, candid and confident 1967 version of Otis Redding’s ‘‘Respect.”
200
This can take place in numerous forms such as affirmative action, individual monetary payments, scholarships, etc. to make amends for the wrongdoings of the government to African Americans and bridge the racial wealth gap.
What are reparations (for slavery)?
Note: In 1865, Field Order 15, also known as 40 Acres and a Mule, was issued as one of the first forms of reparations for slavery; however, President Johnson overturned this ruling initially made by President Lincoln.
300
In 1956, Mary Kenner invented this item to give women a more comfortable and sanitary alternative for handling their periods.
What is the sanitary belt?
Note: The sanitary belt was patented 30 years after Mary Kenner invented it, because the company who was initially interested in her creation rejected it when they learned she was African American.
300
If legendary gospel vocalist Mahalia Jackson was not at the National Mall in Washington DC on August 28th, 1963, this never would have happened.
What is the "I Have a Dream" speech?
Note: Mahalia Jackson shouted, "Tell them about the dream, Martin" and he did, improvising his most famous words.
300
Stepping and strolling is rooted in this South African tradition that was developed as a means of communication amongst mine workers who were forbidden from talking to one another.
What is the gumboot dance?
Note: Standing by, applauding, mine managers remained oblivious that the chest smacks, clicks, whistles and boot taps were often coded criticism about poor conditions.
300
In 1908, at the height of the Jim Crow era, this boxer defeated Tommy Burns to become the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion.
Who is Jack Johnson?
Note: During Jack Johnson’s reign, promoters sought a “Great White Hope” to defeat the flamboyant champion, and his victories were often marred by racial discord.
300
In 1959, this recording company was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. in Detroit, Michigan, which went on to become one of the most successful Black-owned business and influential independent record companies in American history.
What is Motown Record Corporation?
Note: Detroit-born 29-year-old Berry Gordy founded Tamla Records with an $800 loan from his family’s collective savings. By the following year, he’d merge this into the Motown Record Corporation: an independent empire that would seal its genuinely iconic status.
400
In 1887, Alexander Miles took out a patent for a mechanism that automatically opens and closes these, making this method of transportation much simpler and safer.
What are elevator doors?
Note: Prior to Alexander Miles' invention, elevator patrons were required to manually shut a door to cut off access to the elevator shaft, which often led to accidents.
400
During this era, the United States grappled with the question of how to integrate millions of newly freed African Americans into social, political, and labor systems.
What is Reconstruction?
Note: During Radical Reconstruction, which began with the passage of the Reconstruction Act of 1867, newly enfranchised Black people gained a voice in government for the first time in American history, winning election to southern state legislatures and even to the US Congress.
400
In 1738, free Blacks were required to complete military service in 1738; however, the government prohibited them from carrying arms due to concerns of a rebellion and instead gave them musical instruments, which eventually led to the formation of these.
What are HBCU marching bands?
Note: A distinctive "HBCU-style" of marching band originated in the South in the 1940s through the blending of earlier traditions of military music and minstrel shows with a performance repertoire based on popular song.
400
This musician is considered a foundational influence on jazz, shifting the focus from collective improvisation to solo performance.
Who is Louis Armstrong?
Note: Louis Armstrong was one of the first popular African American entertainers to cross over to wide popularity with white and international audiences.
400
While this term typically refers to repressive laws and customs, it originated from a fictional caricature of a clumsy, dimwitted Black enslaved man.
What is Jim Crow?
Note: Throughout the 1830s and '40s, white entertainer Thomas Rice performed a popular song-and-dance act modeled after a slave, he named the character Jim Crow. He darkened his face, acted like a buffoon, and spoke with an exaggerated and distorted imitation of African American Vernacular English.
500
In 1981, Sarah Boone modified this device to allow for simple, easy, and effective smoothing of the contours of tight, fitted materials without introducing unwanted creases.
What is the ironing board?
Note: Sarah Boone's board was very narrow and curved, as well as padded and collapsible, making it ideal for both ironing and storage.
500
In 1961, these activists mounted a Greyhound bus in Washington, DC and embarked on a tour of the American south to protest segregated bus terminals.
Who are Freedom Riders?
Note: Freedom Riders tried to use “whites-only” restrooms and lunch counters at bus stations in Southern states. The groups were confronted by police officers, as well as horrific violence from white protestors, along their routes, but also drew international attention to the civil rights movement.
500
In 1837, this Historically Black College and University (HBCU) was established, making it the first and oldest.
What is Cheyney University?
Note: Cheyney University was established through a $10,000 endowment from Richard Humphreys, a Quaker philanthropist, to design and establish a school to educate people of African descent and prepare them as teachers.
500
This artist rose to success during the 1980s as part of the Neo-expressionist movement and is considered one of the best known artists of his time and one of only a small number of Hispanic-African-American artists to have achieved international recognition.
Who is Jean-Michael Basquiat?
Note: At 21, Jean-Michael Basquiat became the youngest artist to ever take part in Documenta in Kassel, Germany. At 22, he was one of the youngest to exhibit at the Whitney Biennial in New York.
500
In 1804, the Black people of this country were the first enslaved people in the history of the world to successfully overthrow their enslavers and establish their own nation.
What is Haiti (or Saint-Domingue)?
Note: Haiti (which means "mountainous") became the world's first Black republic and the the first country in the Americas to abolish slavery.