Politicians
Inventors & Scientisits
Made in Detroit
Harlem Renaissance
Athletes
100
She was the first African American woman to serve as United States Secretary of State, and the first African American and the first woman to serve as the President’s National Security Advisor.
What is Condoleezza Rice
100
He invented the “SuperSoaker” in 1989
What is Lonnie Johnson
100
He delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech first in Detroit, before taking it to Washington.
What is Martin Luther King, Jr.
100
Harlem, New York City, NY This was the birthplace of the Harlem Renaissance, which was called a literary and intellectual flowering that fostered a new black cultural identity in the 1920s and 1930s
What is Harlem, New York City, NY
100
He broke the color barrier in baseball and became the first African American to play in the major leagues
What is Jackie Robinson
200
This foreign policy advisor became the first African American woman to serve as an ambassador to the United Nations.
What is Susan Rice
200
He invented electronic control devices for guided missiles, IBM computers, and the control unit for pacemakers.
What is Otis Boykin
200
This Detroit native refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Alabama, which spurred a nation-wide effort to end segregation of public facilities.
What is Rosa Parks
200
Credited as one of the founding fathers of the Harlem Renaissance, this playwright/poet/novelist became famous for his first published poem, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”.
What is Langston Hughes
200
Also a social activist and philanthropist, he was the first boxer to win the world heavyweight championship three times.
What is Muhammad Ali
300
In 1967, he became the first African American U.S. Supreme Court Justice.
What is Thurgood Marshall
300
He is credited with performing the first open heart surgery on July 9, 1853.
What is Daniel Williams
300
This event lasted five days and left 43 dead and 467 injured; it is reputed to have deepened the divide between whites and blacks in Detroit, instigate a frantic spike in “white flight” out of the city, and created extremist groups within each racial group.
What is 1967 riots
300
This theatre rose to prominence during the Harlem Renaissance, during which time it was reputed to only hire black entertainers; of these were James Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday.
What is The Apollo Theatre
300
In 1961, he broke the color barrier in golf when he became the first African American to play in the PGA tour.
What is Charlie Sifford
400
In 1993, this Illinois native became (and still is, to date) the first African American woman elected to the United States Senate.
What is Carol Braun
400
After completing the STS-8 mission aboard the Challenger, this engineer and astronaut became the first black man in space.
What is Guion Bluford
400
Founded by Barry Gordy in 1959, this company became one of the most successful black-owned companies in the nation, and cultivated the careers of music greats such as Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.
What is Motown Records
400
This writer and sociologist was co-founder of the NAACP, and was one of the most famous social activists during the Harlem Renaissance.
What is W.E.B. Du Bois
400
This Olympic track star won three gold medals and two silver medals, and still holds world records in 100-meter and 200-meter races, which were set in 1988.
What is Florence “Flo-Jo” Griffith-Joyner
500
In 1998, he became the first African American general in the United States Army.
What is Benjamin Oliver Davis
500
In 1993, she became both the first African-American and the first woman to serve as Surgeon General, and is famous for her controversial views on masturbation, stating “[Masturbation] is a part of human sexuality, and perhaps it should be taught”.
What is Joycelyn Elders
500
In 1974, he was elected as the first black mayor of Detroit.
What is Coleman Young
500
This official publication of the National Urban League employed Harlem Renaissance writers and editors, published poems and short stories by African Americans, and promoted African American literature.
What is Opportunity Magazine
500
Following her careers in college and professional basketball, she became the first female member of the Harlem Globetrotters in 1985.
What is Lynette Woodard