Science
41 facts
Mae Jemison Goes to Space
Mae Jemison became the first African American woman to travel in space aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour.
George Washington Carver Born
George Washington Carver, agricultural scientist who developed hundreds of products from peanuts, was born into slavery in Diamond, Missouri.
Katherine Johnson Born
Katherine Johnson, NASA mathematician whose calculations were critical to early space missions, was born in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
Tuskegee Syphilis Study Exposed
The Associated Press exposed the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, in which the U.S. government had left hundreds of Black men untreated for syphilis for 40 years.
George Washington Carver Dies
Agricultural scientist George Washington Carver passed away at Tuskegee Institute.
Daniel Hale Williams Born
Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, pioneer of open-heart surgery, was born in Pennsylvania.
Bessie Coleman Earns Pilot License
Bessie Coleman became the first African American woman and first Native American to earn an international pilot's license.
Henrietta Lacks Dies
Henrietta Lacks died of cervical cancer; cells taken from her without consent became the first immortal human cell line, revolutionizing medicine.
Bessie Coleman Gets Pilot License
Bessie Coleman became the first African American woman and first Native American woman to hold a pilot's license.
Daniel Hale Williams Performs Open-Heart Surgery
Daniel Hale Williams performed one of the first successful open-heart surgeries in the United States.
Charles Drew Born
Charles Drew, pioneer of blood banking who saved countless lives, was born in Washington, D.C.
First African American in Space
Guion Bluford became the first African American in space aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger.
Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler Graduates
Rebecca Lee Crumpler became the first African American woman to earn a medical degree in the United States.
Kenneth and Mamie Clark Conduct Doll Test
Psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark conducted their famous doll studies demonstrating the harmful effects of segregation on Black children.
Benjamin Banneker Born
Benjamin Banneker, self-taught astronomer, mathematician, and almanac author, was born in Baltimore County, Maryland.
Ernest Everett Just Born
Pioneering biologist Ernest Everett Just was born in Charleston, South Carolina.
Elijah McCoy Born
Inventor Elijah McCoy, whose innovations inspired the phrase "the real McCoy," was born.
Garrett Morgan Born
Garrett Morgan, inventor of the traffic signal and gas mask, was born in Paris, Kentucky.
Granville T. Woods Patents Multiplex Telegraph
Inventor Granville T. Woods patented the multiplex telegraph, allowing communication between moving trains and stations.
Elijah McCoy Patents Automatic Lubricator
Elijah McCoy patented a device for automatically lubricating steam engine parts, so effective that people demanded "the real McCoy."
Jan Ernst Matzeliger Patents Shoe Lasting Machine
Jan Ernst Matzeliger invented a shoe lasting machine that revolutionized the footwear industry.
Lewis Howard Latimer Patents Carbon Filament
Lewis Howard Latimer patented an improved process for manufacturing carbon filaments for light bulbs.
Guion Bluford Born
Guion Bluford, the first African American in space, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Matthew Henson Reaches the North Pole
Matthew Henson, an African American explorer, was one of the first people to reach the North Pole.
Mary Jackson Becomes NASA's First Black Female Engineer
Mary Jackson became NASA's first Black female engineer after a legal petition to attend segregated classes.
Dorothy Vaughan Becomes NASA's First Black Supervisor
Dorothy Vaughan became the first African American supervisor at what would become NASA.
Shirley Ann Jackson Born
Shirley Ann Jackson, the first African American woman to earn a doctorate from MIT, was born in Washington, D.C.
Percy Julian Born
Percy Julian, chemist who pioneered the synthesis of medical compounds from plants, was born in Montgomery, Alabama.
Mae Carol Jemison Born
Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to travel in space, was born in Decatur, Alabama.
Dr. Daniel Hale Williams Born
Daniel Hale Williams, pioneer of open-heart surgery, was born in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania.
Henrietta Lacks Born
Henrietta Lacks, whose cells revolutionized medical research, was born in Roanoke, Virginia.
Shirley Temple and Bill Robinson
Granville T. Woods received his most important patent, for the synchronous multiplex railway telegraph.
Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole
Mary Seacole, Jamaican-born nurse and war heroine, sailed for the Crimean War after being rejected by British military authorities.
Patricia Bath Patents Laserphaco Probe
Patricia Bath patented the Laserphaco Probe, becoming the first African American woman doctor to receive a medical patent.
Matthew Henson Born
Matthew Henson, African American explorer who co-reached the North Pole, was born in Charles County, Maryland.
Granville T. Woods Born
Granville T. Woods, prolific inventor known as the "Black Edison," was born in Columbus, Ohio.
Garrett Morgan Invents Traffic Signal
Garrett Morgan patented the three-position traffic signal, improving road safety worldwide.
The Real McCoy Inventor
Elijah McCoy, whose inventions were so superior they inspired "the real McCoy," patented his first automatic lubricator.
Lonnie Johnson Patents the Super Soaker
Nuclear engineer Lonnie Johnson received his patent for the Super Soaker water gun, which became one of the top-selling toys of all time.
Claudia Alta Taylor Johnson Signs Civil Rights Act
The first African American graduate of a Southern white medical school completed studies at the University of Arkansas.
Eslanda Goode Robeson Born
Eslanda Goode Robeson, anthropologist, author, and civil rights activist married to Paul Robeson, was born in Washington, D.C.