Jerry Lawson: Inventor of the video game cartridge
“The whole reason I did games was because people said, ‘You can’t do it.’ I’m one of the guys, if you tell me I can’t...
Category : Black Firsts
Shirley Chisholm: Pioneering African American Politician
Shirley Chisholm was a pioneering African-American politician, who became the first Black woman to serve in the United States Congress. Chisholm was also the first...
Marshall “Major” Taylor: The Black Cyclone
“It is my thought that clean living and a strict observance of the golden rule of true sportsmanship are foundation stones without which a championship...
The Aba Women’s War
The Aba Women’s Riot, also known as the Women’s War, was an insurrection in Nigeria when it was occupied by the British to redress social,...
King Shaka Zulu: One of the greatest warriors of all time
“There have been many outstanding leaders and generals in the African continent, but none captures the imagination as Shaka of Senzangakhona. From a small volunteer...
Cathay Williams: The first African American woman to enlist in the U.S. Army
Cathay Williams (1844 – 1892), a.k.a. William Cathay, was the first known African American woman to enlist in the United States Army, and the only...
Sarah Jane Woodson Early: The first African American woman professor
Sarah Jane Woodson Early was an African American educator, author and temperance activist. For 30 years Early was a teacher and school principal in Ohio,...
Dorothy Dandridge: The Iconic Leading Actress
“America was not geared to make me into a Liz Taylor, a Monroe, a Gardner.” ~Dorothy Dandridge Dorothy Dandridge was the first African-American woman to...
George Poage: The first African-American athlete to win a medal in the Olympic Games
George Coleman Poage was the first African-American athlete to represent the United States in the Olympic Games, winning two bronze medals at the 1904 games...
Patricia E. Bath: World-famous Ophthalmologist
Patricia E Bath discovered and invented laserphaco, a new device for cataract surgery. Bath is also the first Black woman doctor to receive a patent...