Unknown Black History Facts
Unknown Black History Facts: Literature
Poems on Different Topics, Religious & Moral, by Phillis Wheatley, has the 1st African American to release a book of poetry in 1773. Wheatley, who was born in Gambia & purchased to Wheatley family near Boston when she has seven years old, was liberated shortly after the publication of her book.
The first documented book written by Black American was “Bars Fight,” written by poet & activist Lucy Terry during 1746. Terry was born into slavery on Rhode Island like a toddler, but after married a free Black guy at the age of 26, he was set free.
Clotel: or, The President’s Daughter, was first African-American novel published in 1853. William Wells Brown, an abolitionist and lecturer, wrote it.
Unknown Black History Facts: Inventors
Madam C.J. Walker founded a haircare brand for African-American women, which led to her being the first female African-American self-made millionaire. Self Made, a Netflix show based on her journey, is now available.
Lisa Gelobter, a computer scientist, contributed to the invention of Shockwave in 1995, a key technology that paved the way for web animation. (We can thank her for the GIFs.)
Over 500 new goods made from sweet potatoes & peanuts including cooking oils, paint, & soap, were developed by agricultural scientist George Carver.
Unknown Black History Facts: Sports
John Taylor becomes 1st African American to secure gold at the Olympics in 1908, when he won the 4 x 400 meter relay. During 1948, Alice Coachman made history by being the first Black woman to secure an Olympic gold medal in the high jump.
unknown black history facts: The Bill Pickett Memorial Rodeo, founded in 1984, is the world’s only travelling African American rodeo.
Fritz Pollard & Bobby Marshall were the first African-Americans to play in NFL in 1920. Pollard was the first Black coach in the league.
Gabby Douglas becomes first Black gymnasts to capture the Single All-Around title at the 2012 London Olympics.
Sheryl Swoops was first player to combine with the WNBA in 1996, and the league made its debut a year later.
Unknown Black History Facts: Life And Society
The “Negro Motorist Green Book,” first published in 1936, was a helpful guide for Black travelers on places in America—and subsequently overseas—that were either Black-posses or didn’t practice segregation. The publication lasted 30 years. In 1966, 2 years after Civil Rights Law was signed, it ceased publication.
Alpha Kappa Alpha association, Inc. (AKA), the first Black female Greek-letter organization, was established at Howard University in 1908. The 1st Black male Greek-letter organization, Alpha Phi Alpha Sorority, Inc. (Alpha), was established in 190 at Cornell University.
Between 1810 and 1850, an estimated 100,000 enslaved individuals migrated to the North through the Underground Railroad.
Vermont Becomes First Colony To Abolish Slavery In July 1777.
The French honored black American soldiers for their service in WWI ninety years before the United States did. During World War I, the Harlem Hellfighters had an all-Black regiment. They were allotted towards the French Army and ordered to active service in December 1917. The Hellfighters were welcomed and assimilated with the military there, which was a far cry from their time in the US Army. During the war, the 369th received over 170 Croix de Guerre awards. The men did not receive a Congress Gold Medal until 2019, in appreciation of the danger they took & the rewards they received.
Unknown Black History Facts: Ralph Bunche Was The First African-American And The First Person Of Color To Win The Nobel Peace Prize.
Bunche, a diplomat & political scientist, started working for the United Nations in 1944, as the coalition’s shape began to take shape in the final days of WWII. He and Eleanor Roosevelt were the architects of the Universal affirmation of Human Rights, which was adopted in 1948. His Nobel Prize was presented in acknowledgment of his work during the late 1940s Arab-Israeli conflict. Bunche negotiated the 1949 Peace Agreement as the UN’s principal mediator for the conflict. He was given the Nobel Peace Prize the following year.
Harriet Tubman Was First Woman To Command A Military Mission In The United States.
unknown black history facts: Tubman commanded a regiment with in Attack on Combahee Ferry in 1863. Tubman planned and executed the attack, which rescued 750 enslaved people & destroyed the Confederates’ camp. A few weeks later, in Darien, Georgia, the 54th Massachusetts Unit, an all-Black volunteer unit, carried out a similar raid.
Unknown Black History Facts: Thurgood Marshall’s Path To The High Court Began When He Was A Little Boy.
Marshall’s parents instilled in him the value of knowledge, the Democracy, & the rule of law from an early age. Thurgood & his brother were taken to court by their father, a train porter, in their birthplace of Baltimore. Marshall’s mother, a teacher, would meet the three of them after supper for a discussion about the cases they’d seen that day & other current topics. Marshall said his father “did it by training me to argue, by testing my logic on every step, by making me justify every statement I made.” President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated Marshall to be the first Black high Court justice in 1967.
Lincoln University Has Been The Country’s First Historically Black Institution To Provide Degrees.
unknown black history facts: This modest public institution in Pennsylvania, which is still in service today, recently made headlines following Mackenzie Scott gave $20 million to school. In 1854, the Lincoln Institute (then known as Ashman Institute) received its first pupils. Medal of Honor recipient & poet Langston Hughes, class of 1929;Civil War soldier Christian Fleetwood, class of 1860; and Thurgood Marshall, first Black Supreme Court justice, class of 1930, are just a few of the notable thinkers and creators who have passed through its halls.