Trailblazing Athletes
This baseball player broke the color barrier in 1947.
Who is Jackie Robinson?
This woman refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus.
Who is Rosa Parks?
Southern farmland was becoming worn out because farmers kept planting the same crop repeatedly. This scientist encouraged farmers to rotate crops like peanuts and sweet potatoes to restore nutrients to the soil.
Which scientist promoted this solution?
Who is George Washington Carver?
This leader trusted God, escaped slavery, and repeatedly risked her life to guide others to freedom.
Who is Harriet Tubman?
In 2008, Americans elected the first Black president: ______.
Who is Barack Obama?
This Olympian won four gold medals in Berlin in 1936.
Who is Jesse Owens?
This minister delivered the "I Have a Dream" speech.
Who is Martin Luther King Jr.?
Imagine you're a city leader in 1920. Traffic accidents are increasing as cars become more common. A new three-position traffic signal (stop, go, and caution) helps solve this problem.
Who patented this improved signal?
a) Eljah McCoy
b) Garret Morgan
c) Granvile T. Woods
d) Lewis Latimer
B) Who is Garret Morgan?
This educator believed economic independence and practical skills were the key to long term progress and founded Tuskegee Institute.
Who is Booker T. Washington?
This woman became the first Black woman elected to Congress in 1968. Which state did she represent?
a) Alabama
b) Georgia
c) New York
d) Illinois
C) Who is Shirley Chisholm? (New York)
This tennis champion has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles.
Who is Serena Williams?
This former slave became a powerful abolitionist speaker and writer.
Who is Frederick Douglass?
Before modern computers, NASA relied on human mathematicians to calculate launch windows, orbital paths, and safe reentry angles.
Explain why precision was critical in these calculations and name the mathematician who became famous for this work.
Small errors could cause missions to fail or astronauts to miss reentry targets. Who is Katherine Johnson?
This gospel singer's music strengthened both churches and the Civil Rights Movement.
Who is Mahalia Jackson?
True or False:
Mae Jemison became the first Black astronaut in American history.
What is False?
(She was the first Black woman in space, not the first Black astronaut.)
This boxer was known as "The Greatest."
Who is Muhammad Ali?
This civil rights leader found the Rainbow Coalition to unite diverse communities.
Who is Jesse Jackson?
An inventor improved the carbon filament inside the light bulb, making it last longer and safer for widespread use in homes and cities.
Why was improving durability important for industrial America? Then name the inventor.
Durability made electric lighting more affordable and practical for businesses and households. Who is Lewis Latimer?
Born into slavery, she became a powerful voice for abolition and woman's rights, famously declaring that 'Ain't I a Woman?' while drawing strength from her deep Christian faith.
Who is Sojourner Truth?
In 1969, this African American musician became the first Black artist to have an album reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart, breaking a barrier in the music industry.
Name the artist and explain in one sentence why this moment mattered historically.
Who is Ray Charles?
(It opened doors for Black musicians in mainstream music, showing that talent could break through racial barriers in the entertainment industry.)
This gymnast became one of the most decorated Olympians in history.
Who is Simone Biles?
This Supreme Court Justice was the first Black justice appointed to the Court.
Who is Thurgood Marshall?
Clue 1: This engineer worked on power systems for NASA's spacecraft.
Clue 2: He later designed a high-powered water toy that became a massive commercial success.
Clue 3: His invention shows how scientific engineering skills can transfer into everyday products.
1. Name the engineer.
2. Explain how this engineering background likely helped him design this toy.
1. Who is Lonnie Johnson
2. His understanding of pressure systems and fluid dynamics helped design the powerful Super Soaker.
This civil rights leader formed the Rainbow Coalition to bring groups together around shared goals of justice and opportunity.
Who is Jesse Jackson?
In 2022, the U.S Supreme Court reached a historic milestone.
1. Name the justice who made history.
2. Why was this appointment historically significant?
3. Which branch of the government appoints Supreme Court justices.
1. Who is Ketanji Brown Jackson
2. She became she first Black woman appointed the U.S Supreme Court.
3. The Executive Branch (the President nominates; the Senate confirms)