Inventions
This agricultural pioneer is the father of the peanut industry as he discovered over 300 hundred uses for peanuts.
George Washington Carver
Who was the first African American chosen as Miss America?
Vanessa Williams
She wasn't the first person to refuse to give up their seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. There were actually several women who came before her; one of whom was Claudette Colvin.
Rosa Parks
This man served as the primary neurosurgeon on a team that performed the first successful surgery to separate conjoined twins connected at the back of the head.
Dr. Ben Carson
"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His hands can't hit what his eyes can't see" was a quote uttered just before what would be a life-changing fight for this iconic boxer.
Muhammad Ali
Lonnie Johnson invented this summertime favorite water filled toy.
The Super Soaker
Who was the first African American actress to win an Academy Award for best actress?
Halle Berry
In hopes to shed light on the racial injustices of the civil rights era, Stan Lee debuted this Marvel series' first comic book in 1963 as in effort to use metaphors to express his intolerance for bigotry and racism.
X-Men
In 1716 an enslaved African man named Onesimus shared a revolutionary way to prevent Smallpox. The term for this vaccination process.
Inoculate/Inoculation
He is considered one of the best heavyweight boxers of all time claiming his first belt at 20 years old and holding the record as the youngest boxer to win a heavyweight title.
Mike Tyson
In 1923 Garret Morgan invented the three-position traffic signal. He also invented a device which is used to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases.
The Gas Mask
Performers like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sammy Davis Jr., James Brown, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, and countless others have showcased their talents on this Harlem theater's stage.
The Apollo Theater
This movie adapted from a popular nonfiction novel, brought to life the story of Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Dorothy Vaughan, a team of female African American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program. It was their brilliant work that propelled the first American, John Glenn, into orbit in 1962.
Hidden Figures
This 35-year old PhD, is one of the National Institutes of Health's leading scientists working directly to develop and produce the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett
Twenty years ago, these Williams sisters made history together as the youngest and only African American pairing in the modern era of tennis to complete a career Grand Slam in women’s doubles.
Venus and Serena Williams
Hold your ear! This woman became one of the first Black millionaires after she invented what is known as the hot comb.
Madame CJ Walker
This multipotentialite is a highly successful American actor, singer-songwriter, comedian, television presenter, and record producer who became widely known for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film Ray.
Eric Marlon Bishop more commonly known as Jamie Foxx
One in four cowboys was Black, despite the stories told in popular books and movies. In fact, it's believed that the real “Lone Ranger” was inspired by this slave who eventually was the first ever African American US Deputy Marshall.
a. Idris Elba
b. Bass Reeves
c. John Ware
d. Bill Pickett
Bass Reeves
In 1951, this woman's stolen cells made one of the greatest medical contributions as they were deemed "immortal" and used to create many medical advancements today like the Polio vaccine. These HeLa cells could in the future potentially cure some forms of cancer.
Henrietta Lacks
He won two Super Bowl titles and made one World Series appearance in 1992, making him the only athlete to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series. You may know him as "Prime Time".
Deion Sanders
He played 14 seasons in the NFL and 9 seasons in the MLB!
Companies like ADT or Amazon Ring wouldn't have this to sell without Maria Van Brittan Brown who created what many of us have in the home to keep us safe.
Alarm System
Marie Van Brittan Brown created an early version of the modern home security system
In 1953, blues singer Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton released this song before Elvis Presley’s 1956 version.
a. Hound Dog
b. Love Me Tender
c. Jailhouse Rock
Hound Dog
I was the first woman and first African American to run for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.
a. Daisy Bates
b. Kamala Harris
c. Shirley Chisholm
d. Michelle Obama
Shirley Chisholm
Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm was the first African American woman in Congress (1968) and the first woman and African American to seek the nomination for president of the United States from one of the two major political parties (1972).
As the father of the blood banking system, this scientist and doctor solved the problem of storing and using blood for transfusions by developing a process for removing plasma from blood. He is also accredited with starting the American Red Cross and Blood for Britain (provided blood for soldiers injured in World War II) blood banking.
a. James Baldwin
b. Charles Drew
c. Frederick Douglas
d. W. E. B. Du Bois
Charles Drew
During the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 Charles Drew lost his sister to the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 which led him to enter the medical field.
He was the first African American golf champion to tour on the Professional Golf Association (PGA) circuit.
a. Calvin Peete
b. Tiger Woods
c. Lee Elder
d. Charlie Sifford
Charlie Sifford