Black Historical Figures You Didn’t Learn About in School
Whether you’re snacking on potato chips (thanks, George Crum) or relaxing in the comfort of your home (you can thank Marie Van Brittan Brown for home security), your life simply wouldn’t be the same without the Black inventors, thought leaders, and activists who helped shape our society. Check out these important Black writers, scientists, and athletes in history that you should know!
5 Black Writers You Should Know
Phillis Wheatley
Most Famous For: Being the first African American woman to publish her own poetry collection.
Although she spent much of her life enslaved, Phillis Wheatley became an influential poet when she was a teenager. In 1761, she was sold to the Wheatley family, who educated her (a very rare opportunity for enslaved people). Phillis’ talent flourished and, at age 14, she published her first poem. In 1773, she became the second woman and first African American woman to publish a poetry collection. After being emancipated, she spoke out against slavery
What to read:
On Being Brought From Africa to America
W.E.B. DuBois
Most Famous For: His groundbreaking writing about the African American experience that shaped the future of racial justice.
Throughout his lifetime, DuBois broke barriers. In 1895, he became the first African-American to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard University. In 1903, he published The Souls of Black Folk, a collection of essays that explored, among other racial issues, “double consciousness” — the internal conflict of African Americans to remain true to their Black identities while living in white American society. In 1910, DuBois became the Director of Publicity and Research for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and helped catapult the organization to the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement.
What to read:
Black Reconstruction in America
James Baldwin
Most Famous For: Writing several influential novels and essays that explored racial and social issues.
One of the most renowned writers of the 20th century, James Baldwin’s works explored issues of race, masculinity, sexuality, class, and more. As a gay Black man, Baldwin’s writing offered a unique perspective that aligned with the Civil Rights Movement and the Gay Liberation Movement in the mid-twentieth century. Today, some of his works, including If Beale Street Could Talk (1974), have been adapted for the screen, and others, like Notes of a Native Son (1955) and Go Tell It on the Mountain (1953) remain prominent.
What to read:
Octavia E. Butler
Most Famous For: Being one of the first premiere Black authors of award-winning science fiction.
Although she struggled with dyslexia, Octavia Butler began writing as a child and maintained a very strict writing schedule throughout her life. In 1976, she published her debut novel, Patternmaster, a dystopian science fiction novel that explored issues of class, race, and gender. Her other notable works include Kindred (1979), a slave narrative involving time travel, and Parable of the Sower (1993), a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel. In 1995, Butler became the first science fiction writer and Black author to receive a MacArthur Fellowship.
What to read:
Alice Walker
Most Famous For: Winning a Pulitzer Prize for her novel, The Color Purple, and actively participating in the Civil Rights Movement.
A prolific novelist, Alice Walker explored themes of race, gender, spirituality, and history in her works. Her most famous novel, The Color Purple (1982), follows a young Black woman named Celie living in the American South in the early 1900s as she survives an abusive relationship, explores her sexuality, and later comes into her own. Since its publication, censors and book banners have frequently challenged The Color Purple. Walker also wrote short stories, poetry, and essays. Walker’s activism continued in the streets; she joined the 1963 March on Washington and, in 2003, was arrested alongside 26 others during the International Women’s Day March in front of the White House.
What to read:
Other Important Black Writers To Know:
Frederick Douglass
Ida B. Wells
Zora Neale Hurston
Langston Hughes
Maya Angelou
Toni Morrison
August Wilson
Rita Dove
Edward P. Jones
Black authors have had a lasting impact on the American literary canon. Whether through poetry, novels, essays, or narratives, these five authors offer some of the most important contributions to the literary world. While these authors were breaking barriers in the world of publishing, other Black Americans were fighting for equality and education in the sciences. Here are five Black scientists you should know.
5 Black Scientists You Should Know
Granville T. Woods
Most Famous For: His contributions to the development of the telephone, streetcar, and more — and for holding over 50 patents in his lifetime.
Granville T. Woods was the first African American mechanical and electrical engineer after the Civil War. Woods’ most important invention was the induction telegraph, which allowed users to communicate by voice over a telegraph wire. In 1887, Woods defeated a lawsuit led by Thomas Edison, claiming that Edison was the original inventor of the induction telegraph. After Edison lost the case, he offered Woods a position at his company, but Woods turned it down. Woods died in 1910, but by then, he held over 50 patents for his inventions and had invented 15 appliances for railways.
George Washington Carver
Most Famous For: His groundbreaking research in agricultural science and his many inventions from food products.
Born to an enslaved family in Missouri, George Washington Carver became one of the most influential scientists and educators in the United States. In 1896, Carver became the head of the agricultural department at the Tuskegee Institute, where he developed hundreds of products — including over 300 stemming from the peanut. He also pioneered agricultural techniques, like crop rotation, that revived soil in the South that had been depleted by decades of cotton production. Carver brought his expertise to farmers in the “Jesup wagon,” a mobile classroom. In 1916, Carver became a member of the British Royal Society of Arts.
Marie Van Brittan Brown
Most Famous For: Inventing the first home security system.
In the 1960s, Marie Van Brittan Brown worked as a nurse in New York and, because of her long hours, she often didn’t return until late in the evening. Concerned for her safety while living in a high-crime neighborhood, Brown invented the first home security system in 1966, consisting of four peepholes, a sliding camera, television monitors, and two-way microphones. This way, she could communicate with people outside her door, unlock her door from a safe distance, and click a button to notify the authorities. In 1969, Brown received a patent for her invention, and the New York Times praised her ingenuity.
Gladys West
Most Famous For: Her brilliant skills as a mathematician that contributed to the development of GPS.
The daughter of farmers, Gladys West grew up in rural Virginia, spending her time between school and the fields. West graduated as the valedictorian of her high school class and attended Virginia State College, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics. In 1956, the U.S. Naval Proving Ground, a weapons laboratory, hired West as a mathematician, where she verified hundreds of computer calculations by hand. In 1978, West became the project manager of Seasat, an ocean surveillance satellite project and a predecessor to GPS navigation. Although she retired in 1998, West went on to earn her Ph.D. in public administration and policy affairs at age 70.
Mae C. Jemison
Most Famous For: Being the first African American woman to travel to space.
Mae C. Jemison grew up watching the Apollo airings on TV. At age 16, Jemison attended Stanford University, where she double majored in Chemical Engineering and African American Studies. Jemison then attended Cornell Medical School. After graduating, she served in the Peace Corps, and then opened her own private medical practice. In 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman to travel to space, inspiring Jemison to apply for the NASA astronaut program. In 1987, she was one of 15 applicants accepted from a pool of 2,000. On September 12, 1992, Jemison became the first African American woman to travel to space. Since then, Jemison has worked to inspire other children to go to space and even appeared on an episode of Star Trek.
Other Important Black Scientists To Know:
Katherine Johnson
Percy Julian
Marie M. Daly
Edward Bouchet
Charles R. Drew
Dorothy Vaughan
Mary Jackson
Walter Lincoln Hawkins
From potato chips to GPS, Black scientists and mathematicians overcame barriers and made life better for everyone. Until more recently, their accomplishments were not given the credit that they deserved, but recent efforts — from the film Hidden Figures to educating on TikTok — are calling attention to these contributions. As these inventors were creating important parts of our everyday lives, Black athletes were shaping the sports world. From Simone Biles to Serena Williams, Black athletes continue to display incredible skill and talent. Here are five Black athletes to know.
5 Black Athletes You Should Know
Jesse Owens
Most Famous For: Winning four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympic games, directly challenging Hitler’s idea of Aryan supremacy.
Nicknamed “the Buckeye Bullet,” Jesse Owens began smashing records in 1935, setting new records in the 100-yard dash, the long jump, the 220-yard dash, and the 220-yard hurdles. That year, Owens competed in 42 events and won every. single. one. In 1936, Owens headed to the Berlin Olympics, where Adolf Hitler and the Nazis planned to showcase Aryan supremacy. Owens proved them wrong, winning four gold medals and breaking two Olympic records. Upon returning home, however, President Roosevelt didn’t congratulate Owens as he did other champions. It wasn’t until 1976 that Owens received proper recognition when President Ford awarded him the Medal of Freedom.
Wilma Rudolph
Most Famous For: Winning three gold medals and breaking three records at the 1960 summer Olympics.
Although she battled polio and scarlet fever in her youth, Wilma Rudolph would go from being unable to walk to becoming one of the best track and field athletes in the world. With support and care from her parents and 22 siblings, Rudolph was able to leave her leg brace behind at age 11 and begin playing sports. In 1956, she won a bronze medal in the 4x100 relay. Four years later, Rudolph returned and won three gold medals, shattered records, and made history as the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field at the same Olympic game. Upon her return home, Rudolph fought segregation, refusing to attend her homecoming parade if it was not integrated.
Bill Russell
Most Famous For: Being a basketball superstar and becoming the first Black head coach of the NBA.
One of the greatest icons of the NBA, Bill Russell broke barriers on and off the court. Seeing his potential as a high school player, a former player from the University of San Francisco (USF) suggested that Russell be recruited. As a 6-foot-nine-inch player with an eye for strategy, Russell blossomed, leading the USF team to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Championship in 1955 and 1956. After graduating, the Boston Celtics drafted Russell. In the 13 seasons that Russell played with the Celtics, they won 11 NBA titles. In 1966, he became the first Black head coach of the NBA and spent the rest of his life working as a civil rights activist. In 2011, Russell received the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Althea Gibson
Most Famous For: Being the first Black player to cross the color line in tennis and golf.
Born to sharecroppers in 1927 and raised in Harlem, Althea Gibson was a gifted tennis player who won 56 international and national singles and doubles titles over the course of her career. At only age 14, Gibson won the American Tennis Association’s New York State Championship. In 1950, Gibson became the first Black player to compete in the U.S. National Championships (today, the U.S. Open), which she later won in 1957. When she retired from tennis in 1958, Gibson took up golf, becoming the first Black woman to join the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour in 1964.
Franco Harris
Most Famous For: Completing the “Immaculate Reception” play that helped the Steelers beat the Oakland Raiders, in the last 22 seconds of the game.
Franco Harris is behind one of the greatest and most controversial plays in NFL history. Selected 13th in the 1972 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Harris would have the rookie season of a lifetime. In a game against the Oakland Raiders, Franco Harris miraculously caught the football after it bounced off of Raiders player Jack Tatum, who then crashed into another Steelers’ running back. Harris caught the ball just in time and sprinted into the endzone, securing the Steelers’ first playoff win. Between 1972 and 1980, Harris was chosen for nine consecutive Pro Bowls and was All-Pro in 1977. In eight seasons, he rushed for more than 1,000 yards, breaking the record at the time.
Other Important Black Athletes To Know:
Jackie Robinson
John Carlos
Tommie Smith
Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Muhammad Ali
Jack Johnson
Blake Bolden
Hank Aaron
Learning Black history is an ongoing practice — one that goes beyond the month of February. These historical figures all had a monumental impact on our world today, but there are plenty of other Black people in history who made an impact. Visit a history museum near you to learn about more Black individuals who made contributions to literature, science, sports, and more! Who would you add to this list?
