Famous Firsts
The 1st African American to play in Major League Baseball.
Jackie Robinson
(1947)
He patented several inventions, including an improved sewing machine and traffic signal, a hair-straightening product, and a respiratory device that would later provide the blueprint for WWI gas masks.
Garrett Morgan
HBCU
Historically Black Colleges & Universities
Dre and Bow Johnson
Black-ish
Known for his bold stage presence and iconic look, along with a wide vocal range, which included a far-reaching falsetto and high-pitched scream.
Prince
The 1st Black writer to win a Nobel Peace Prize in Literature.
Toni Morrison
(1993)
An African American dressmaker who made her name by inventing the modern-day ironing board. With its approval in 1892, she became one of the first African American women to be awarded a patent.
Sarah Boone
NAACP
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
It was television’s first African American two-parent family sitcom.
Good Times
(1974-1979)
Multi-talented, all-round performer Known for his world-renowned single ‘What a Wonderful World’.
Louis Armstrong
The 1st to hold a seat on the US Supreme Court.
Thurgood Marshall
(1967-1991)
He is credited for inventing the first set of air conditioning units, as well as contributing intellectually to some of the world’s important inventions – the light bulb and the telephone.
Lewis Lattimer
SCLC
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Based on Terry McMillan’s novel, this film follows four very different African American women and their relationships with men.
Waiting to Exhale
(1995)
He achieved awards for civil rights work in addition to the UN Messengers of Peace prize. Among his world-famous singles are songs such as ‘Superstition’.
Stevie Wonder
The 1st Black owned company traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
Black Entertainment Television (BET)
(1991)
An aerospace engineer for NASA who invented the Super Soaker.
Lonnie G. Johnson
UNCF
United Negro College Fund
A prosperous African-American couple who were able to move from Queens to Manhattan.
The Jeffersons
(1975-1985)
He made history in April 2018 when became the first person to win a Pulitzer Prize for music for a hip-hop album, as well as the first artist to win the prize for music that isn't classical or jazz.
Kendrick Lamar
The 1st African American to complete a residency in ophthalmology and the 1st African American female doctor to receive a medical patent.
Patricia Bath
(1973 & 1988)
The designer of the sanitary belt for ladies, the toilet tissue holder, a walker and the moisture resistant pocket for the belt.
Mildred and Mary Davidson
PUSH
People United to Serve (previously Save) Humanity
On the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone’s hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.
Do the Right Thing
(1989)
“Breaks on a bus. Brakes on a car. Breaks to make you a superstar. Breaks to win and breaks to lose. But these here breaks will rock your shoes.”
Curtis Blow – The Breaks