Science & Medicine
In 1992, this physician became the first Black woman in space aboard STS-47.
Who is Mae Jemison?
Born Sarah Breedlove, she built a haircare empire and is widely recognized as the first self-made female millionaire.
Who is Madam C.J. Walker?
Elected in 2008, he became the first African American President of the United States.
Who is Barack Obama?
Garret Morgan, an African American inventor, is most known for inventing this modern invention.
The modern traffic light.
This man, elected in 1968, became the first Black Canadian Member of Parliament.
Who is Lincoln Alexander?
This doctor pioneered blood plasma storage and organized America’s first large-scale blood bank.
Who is Dr. Charles R. Drew?
This entrepreneur co-founded the streetwear brand FUBU (and later starred on Shark Tank).
Who is Daymond John?
Sworn in 2005, she became the first Black Governor General of Canada.
Who is Michaëlle Jean?
This inventor created an early home security system concept that influenced modern security tech.
Who is Marie Van Brittan Brown?
In 2013, this Nigerian-Canadian executive became the first African to serve as president of an NBA team when he took over the Toronto Raptors.
Who is Masai Ujiri?
In 1893, this surgeon performed one of the first successful open-heart surgeries and founded Provident Hospital.
Who is Daniel Hale Williams?
This media mogul became the first Black woman billionaire.
Who is Oprah Winfrey?
In 1968, she became the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Congress, and in 1972 ran for a major party’s nomination for president.
Who is Shirley Chisholm?
This IBM engineer’s patented work helped lead to the development of the color PC monitor and PC-compatible tech.
Who is Mark Dean?
In 1993, she became the first Black woman elected to Canada’s House of Commons.
Who is Jean Augustine?
This viral immunologist helped design the vaccine concept used in Moderna’s mRNA-1273 (Covid-19 Vaccine) after the SARS-CoV-2 sequence was released.
Who is Kizzmekia Corbett?
This Zimbabwean entrepreneur founded Econet Wireless, building one of Africa’s biggest telecom success stories.
Who is Strive Masiyiwa?
This Black Panther leader was assassinated in 1969 and became a symbol of state repression and resistance.
Who is Fred Hampton?
This inventor (with Gerhard Sessler) created the electret microphone, now a standard used in everyday devices.
Who is James E. West?
In 1984, she became the first Black person appointed to the Senate of Canada — and the first Black female senator in North America.
Who is Anne Cools?
This ophthalmologist invented laserphaco, earning a U.S. patent for a cataract-surgery device and becoming the first Black woman physician to do so.
Who is Patricia Bath?
This billionaire founded private equity firm Vista Equity Partners.
Who is Robert F. Smith?
This Pan-Africanist leader took power in 1983 as president of Upper Volta (later Burkina Faso) before being killed in a 1987 coup.
Who is Thomas Sankara?
This engineer advanced Voice over IP (VoIP), helping make internet calling and conferencing practical.
Who is Marian Croak?
In 1894, this Toronto politician became the first person of African descent elected to public office in a major Canadian city.
Who is William Peyton Hubbard?