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February 2021

Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

William Dr. Robert Elijah Cathay Norbert Dr. Edward Still Rebecca Smalls McCoy Williams Rillieux Bouchet Lee Crumpler

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Jan Ernst Charles B. Benjamin Bessie Frederick Alice H. Marian Matzeliger Brooks O. Davis Coleman McKinley Parker Anderson Jones

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

Ella Baker Alice Jane Bolin Amelia Dorothy Henrietta Tulsa’s Allison Boynton Height Lacks ‘Black Wall Dunnigan Robinson Street’

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

Marie Van Alice Jesse Shirley Ruby Mark E. Brittan Coachman LeRoy Ann Bridges Dean Brown Brown Jackson

The origins of Black History Month began in 1915, 50 years after the passing of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in the U.S. Carter G. Woodson and Minister Jesse E. Mooreland founded the Association of the Study of African-American Life and History (ASALH) to study and promote the achievements of black and other peoples of African descent. The group founded a National Negro Week in 1926. They chose the second week in February to coincide with both Abraham Lincoln’s and ’ birthday.

BHM 2021 BHM In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford officially recognized Black History Month to honor the accomplishments of African-Americans. During the event, President Ford stated, “Seize the opportunity to honor the often-neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our [the ’] history.” Video 1, Video 2

1. William Still, Father of the (1821 – 1902) As a prominent abolitionist and civil rights activist who grew the term Underground Railroad and as a chief "conductor" in Pennsylvania, William Still helped thousands of people achieve freedom and settle away from enslavement. Still served as a Philadelphia stationmaster along with the Underground Railroad. He documents his work with freedom seekers throughout his life in his book, "The Underground Railroad," drawing from his diary and others' stories. Still's passion for the cause of freedom was so great that when he died in 1902, called him "The Father of the Underground Railroad." View video 1 View video 2 ======Daily BHM Trivia Dr. Daniel Hale Williams established the first American African-American owned and operated hospital, Provident Hospital and Training School for Nurses, in 1891. Provident provided training for nurses and interns in . First Female African-American Physician 2. Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler, (1831-1895) Dr. Crumpler is the first African-American female physician in the U.S. Born in 1831, Dr. Crumpler first worked as a nurse in Massachusetts between 1852 and 1860. She was accepted to New England Female Medical College and earned an M.D. in 1864. She practiced medicine in Boston, MA and Richmond, VA, primarily working with the poor, who had limited access to medical care. In 1883, Dr. Crumpler published a renowned book, Book of Medical Discourses in Two Parts, which many believe is the first medical text written by an African-American author. View video . . . ======

Daily BHM Trivia Both Dr. and Dr. Martin Luther , Jr. started college when they just 15 years old. Dr. Rice studied political science at the University of Denver, and Dr. King majored in sociology at Morehouse College in Atlanta. 3. , American Abolitionist & Politician (1839-1915) Smalls was a slave on a Confederate transport ship when he led an uprising that freed the captives held onboard. They would subsequently sail north to freedom. This mutiny helped lead Abraham Lincoln to reconsider African-Americans' use as soldiers in the Civil War, something many had opposed. Robert Smalls would later go on to serve in the . View video . . . ======Daily BHM Trivia Journalist Ida Wells-Barnett refused to give up her railcar seat for a white man in 1884 and bit a conductor on the hand when he tried to force her. She was dragged off the train. She sued the railroad and initially won, but the decision was overturned.

Inventor, Moniker of “the Real McCoy” 4. Elijah McCoy, (1844 - 1929) McCoy received 57 patents, most having to do with the lubrication of steam engines. But over his lifetime, Elijah McCoy — reportedly the namesake for the famous phrase “the real McCoy” — the portable ironing board (for which he received patent approval in May 1874) may be the most timeless. As the legend goes, having to iron on uneven surfaces frustrated his wife, Mary Eleanor Delaney, so he created the ironing board to make her life more comfortable. McCoy is also behind another major invention beloved by homeowners and children alike: the lawn sprinkler. View video . . . ======Daily BHM Trivia In 2008, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt became the first man to ever set three world records in a single Olympic games. First Female Enlisted Soldier 5. Cathay Williams, (1844-1892) Born in Missouri as a slave, Cathay Williams was pressed into service for the Union Army after they entered Jefferson City in 1861. Working as a support person for the army ignited an interest in serving the military herself. So, posing as a man named William Cathay, she enlisted in the 38th infantry in 1866. As the one and only female Buffalo Soldier, Cathay served for nearly three years before falling ill, and a doctor discovered she was a woman leading to her discharge. Later in life, when Cathay became sick and applied for a pension as a former soldier, her claim was denied despite her service. View video . . . ======

Daily BHM Trivia Liberia was founded and colonized by emigrants. This West African country is one of two sovereign states that started as a colony for ex-slaves and marginalized . Sierra Leone is the other. American-French Inventor of the Sugar Refining Machine 6. Norbert Rillieux, (1806 – 1894) Rillieux was an American-French inventor who was widely considered one of the earliest chemical engineers and noted his pioneering invention of the multiple-effect evaporator. This invention was an essential development in the growth of the sugar industry. In 1946, Norbert Rillieux, a French-speaking Creole, invented a vacuum pan that revolutionized the sugar refining industry. Rillieux was also a cousin of the famous painter Edgar Degas. View video . . . ======Daily BHM Trivia The Institute for Colored Youth [now, Cheyney University], the first higher education institution for African-Americans, was founded in Cheyney, Pennsylvania, in 1837. It was followed by two other black institutions--Lincoln University, in Pennsylvania (1854), and Wilberforce University, in Ohio (1856). It paved the way for the 104 other Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), which have produced distinguished alums like , Herman Cain, and .

American Physicist & Educator 7. Dr. Edward Bouchet, (1852 - 1918) Bouchet was the son of a formerly enslaved person who had moved to New Haven, Connecticut. Only three schools there accepted Black students at the time, so Edward Bouchet's educational opportunities were limited. However, he managed to get admitted to Yale and became the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. and the sixth American to obtain one in Physics in 1874. Although segregation prevented Bouchet from attaining a more prestigious position, given his outstanding credentials (sixth in his graduating class), he taught for 26 years at the Institute for Colored Youth, serving as an inspiration to young African-Americans. View video . . . ======Daily BHM Trivia In 1848, husband and wife, William, and Ellen Craft, escaped slavery and made it to the North, and eventually to England, when she dressed as a white man, and he posed as one of his (her) slaves. A year later, Henry “Box” Brown mailed himself to freedom in a shipping box during a 27-hour trip from Richmond to Philadelphia. 8. Jan Ernst Matzeliger, Inventor of the Shoe-Lasting Machine (1852 – 1889) Matzeliger was an inventor of the shoe-lasting machine that mechanically shaped the upper portions of shoes which brought significant change to the shoe manufacturing industry. In 1863, Jan Ernst Matzeliger invented the machine that made mass- produced shoes possible. View video . . . ======Daily BHM Trivia The King of Pop, , snagged several Guinness World Records, including highest annual earnings for a pop star, best-selling album of all time for his classic, Thriller, and most Grammy Awards won in a year (he took home eight). Likewise, Beyoncé holds that record for the ladies — she took home six in 2010. 9. Charles B. Brooks, Inventor of the Street Sweeper (1865 - ?) While most people will never get behind the wheel of a self-propelled street sweeper, without Charles B. Brooks’ street- cleaning truck — equipped with trash-and-debris-pushing brushes — city streets would probably be much less clean. The Newark, New Jersey, native’s two other successful 1890s patents included dust-proof collection bags for his street sweeper, as well as a ticket punch that collected the tiny circular paper discards instead of letting them fall to the ground. View video . . . ======Daily BHM Trivia In 1983, negotiated the release of Lt. Robert O. Goodman, Jr., a Black pilot who had been shot down over and taken hostage.

10. Benjamin O. Davis Sr., First African-American Army General (1880 - 1970) Davis Sr. was the first African-American general in the American military. He served for 50 years as a temporary first lieutenant at an all-Black unit during the Spanish-American War. Throughout his service, Benjamin O. Davis Sr. was a military science professor at and Wilberforce University, a commander of the 369th Regiment, New York National Guard, and special assistant to the Secretary of the Army. When he retired in 1948, President Harry Truman oversaw the public ceremony, and Davis Sr. is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. View video . . . ======Daily BHM Trivia Before he was a blockbuster actor, Will Smith was The Fresh Prince and, along with partner Jazzy Jeff, won the first-ever Grammy for Best Rap Performance. They boycotted the awards because the category was barred from television. 11. , First African-American & Female Licensed Pilot (1892 -1926) As one of 13 children born to sharecroppers in 1892, Bessie Coleman took an interest in flying after hearing the pilots' stories in WWI. Being both female and African-American, she found it difficult to find anyone to train her in the US. No to be deterred, Coleman went to and trained to become a pilot there. She ultimately became the first African-American woman to get both a national and international pilot's license. View video . . . ======Daily BHM Trivia The hairbrush, lawn mower, traffic light, cellphone, refrigerator, and the air conditioner were all borne from African-American inventors’ creative laboring. 12. Frederick McKinley Jones, Inventor of Refrigerated Trucks (1893 - 1961) In the late 1940s, before Frederick McKinley Jones developed the automatic refrigeration equipment used in long-haul trucks transporting perishables, the only way to keep food cold while in transport was using ice. Jones holds more than 50 patents, and thanks to his invention, grocery stores could buy and sell products from far distances without the risk of spoilage during transportation. During World War II, the military transported blood and food using Jones' refrigeration technology. View video . . . ======Daily BHM Trivia Baseball legend had an older brother, Matthew Robinson, who was also a star athlete in his own right. In the 1936 Olympics, he won a silver medal in the 200-yard dash— coming in second to Jesse Owens.

13. Alice H. Parker, Inventor of the Gas Furnace (1895 - 1920) The central heating furnace design that Alice H. Parker patented in December 1919 made use of natural gas for the first time to warm homes. The limited efficiency of fireplaces (along with the smoke and ash they produce) during the cold winters at her Morristown, NJ house inspired her innovation. Many modern homes still employ a similar forced-air heating system, for which her idea was a forebear. View video . . . ======Daily BHM Trivia was the first African-American woman elected to Congress, and the first African-American major-party presidential candidate survived three assassination attempts during her 1972 campaign. 14. , American Contralto (1897 - 1993) Though Marian Anderson is considered one of the greatest contralto singers globally, she was often denied the opportunity to exhibit her unique vocal range because of her race. Things began to change in 1957 when she went on a 12-nation tour sponsored by the Department of State and the American National Theatre and Academy. Anderson documented the experience in her autobiography, My Lord What a Morning. In 1963, Anderson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in 1991, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammy’s. View video . . . ======Daily BHM Trivia Eatonville, FL, the childhood home of writer and cultural anthropologist, , is the first town in the country to be incorporated by African-Americans. Mother of the 15. , (1903 - 1986) After graduating as valedictorian from Shaw University in North Carolina, Ella Baker moved to New York City to help start the Young Negroes Cooperative League. Baker started working for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1940 and co-founded the organization In Friendship to fight against in 1955. In 1957, Baker helped organize Martin Luther King Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), but her most significant contribution to the movement was the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which prioritized nonviolent protest, assisted in organizing the 1961 Freedom Rides, and aided in registering Black voters. The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights exists today to carry on her legacy. View video . . .

======Daily BHM Trivia In 1948, Henry A. Wallace's Progressive Party considered African-American actor, singer, and civil rights activist as U.S. Vice President on the ticket.

First African-American Female White House Correspondent 16. Alice Allison Dunnigan, (1906 - 1983) Not only was Alice Allison Dunnigan the first African-American female White House correspondent, she was also the first black female member of the Senate and House of Representatives press galleries. Her love for writing began when she was 13, penning one-sentence pieces for the Owensboro Enterprise. Dunnigan and became the Chief of the Associated Negro Press in 1947, which allowed her to later become the first female African-American to follow a President's campaign out on the road. While Dunnigan had to pay her way to cover Harry S. Truman on his Western campaign trail, she would finally receive the respect she earned when John F. Kennedy was elected. She served as an education consultant of the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity until 1965. View video . . .

======Daily BHM Trivia Automatic gearshifts for cars were invented long before they were widely used. The gearshift patent was issued to African- American inventor, Richard B. Spikes. 17. Jane Bolin, First African-American Female Judge (1908 - 2007) In 1939, Jane Bolin became the nation's first African-American woman judge. She was the first African-American woman to graduate from Yale Law School and served on New York's Family Court for four decades. Besides dealing with many domestic cases, Bolin worked to stop probation officers from getting assignments based on their skin color. During her career, Bolin also worked with to create a program that would intervene before boys committed crimes. View video . . . ======Daily BHM Trivia In 1739, the Stono Rebellion in South Carolina became the largest slave revolt in colonial America — some of the men who participated had been soldiers in Africa before being sold into slavery. American Activist 18. , (1911 - 2015) Amelia Boynton Robinson began her civil rights in the 1930s when she started advocating for voting rights after one of the few African-American women registered to vote in Selma, Alabama. She also became the first African- American woman in Alabama to run for Congress in 1964. The following year, she helped Martin Luther King Jr. plan the from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, on March 7, 1965, now known as "Bloody Sunday." When state troopers forcefully attacked Boynton Robinson and roughly 600 demonstrators with tear gas, Billy clubs, and whips, a horrific photo of her injuries was circulated when she was hospitalized after the march. Later, in 1965, Boynton Robinson was invited to the White House when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, and in 1990, she received the Martin Luther King Jr. Medal of Freedom. View video . . . ======Daily BHM Trivia Paul R. Williams designed the Grave of the Unknown Soldier memorial at Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii, in honor of the servicemen

who died there in 1941. Godmother of the Women’s Movement 19. , (1912 - 2010) Hailed the "godmother of the women's movement," Dorothy Height used her education and social work background to advance women's rights. After receiving two degrees from New York University in the 1930s, Height worked for the New York City Department and became the assistant executive director of the Harlem Y.M.C.A. She was involved in anti- lynching protests, brought public attention to the exploitation of African-American women working in "slave markets," and escorted First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to the National Council of Negro Women, a council she served on for more than 40 years. In the 1950s, she lobbied President Dwight D. Eisenhower to take an aggressive stance on school desegregation issues. Height also worked with Martin Luther King Jr., and she stood on the platform as he delivered his famous "" speech in August 1963. Viewed video . . . ======Daily BHM Trivia The home of Josiah Henson, whose life is generally believed to have been an inspiration for the novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. has been restored and added to the National Register of Historic Places in North Bethesda, Maryland. Most Important Lines in Medical Research 20. Henrietta Lacks, (1920-1951) After being diagnosed with cervical cancer at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951, a sample of Henrietta Lacks' cancer cells were taken without her consent by a researcher. And though she succumbed to the disease at the age of 31 that same year, her cells would go on to advance medical research for years to come, as they had the unique ability to double every 20-24 hours. "They have been used to test the effects of radiation and poisons, to study the human genome, to learn more about how viruses work, and played a crucial role in the development of the polio vaccine," Johns Hopkins said. In 2017, Oprah starred in, and executive produced HBO's The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, adapted from Rebecca Skloot's book. View video . . . ======

======Daily BHM Trivia stopped celebrating her birthday for many years following the assassination of her friend, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the same day. She annually sent flowers to Mrs. King to commemorate that day. Tulsa’s ‘Black Wall Street’ (May 31 and June 1, 1921) 21. In 1921, Tulsa, ’s Greenwood District, known as Black Wall Street, was one of the most prosperous African- American communities in the United States. Local citizens in the area sparked two days of unprecedented racial violence. The Tulsa race massacre took place when mobs of white residents deputized and given weapons by city officials and attacked black residents and businesses. Thirty-five city blocks went up in flames, 300 people died, and 800 were injured. View video 1, View video 2 ======Daily BHM Trivia

At age 42, Satchel Paige became the oldest rookie to play Major League Baseball and continued to play until he was 47.

Inventor of the Modern Home Security System 22. Marie Van Brittan Brown, (1922 – 1999) Feeling unsafe due to her New York City neighborhood’s high crime rate, Marie Van Brittan Brown created an early version of the modern home security system more than a century later. The full-time nurse rigged a motorized camera to record her home entryway and project images onto a TV monitor. Included in her setup was a two-way microphone to communicate with visitors without opening the door and a panic button to notify police of any potential emergency in progress. After filing to patent the closed-circuit TV security system in 1966, Brown received her approval in December 1969. View video . . . ======Daily BHM Trivia In 1967, Robert H. Lawrence, Jr. became the first African-American to be trained as an astronaut. Unfortunately died in a plane crash during flight training before he could go on his first space mission. Sixteen years later, Guion “Guy” Bluford fulfilled Lawrence’s legacy by becoming the first Black man in space. In 1983, Bluford spent six days in space to launch a communications and weather satellite. First African-American Woman to Win an Olympic Gold Medal 23. Alice Coachman (1923 - 2014) Growing up in Albany, Georgia, the track star started running on dirt roads and jumping over makeshift hurdles. Alice Coachman became the first African-American woman from any country to win an Olympic Gold Medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. She set the record for the high jump at the Games, leaping to five feet and six 1/8 inches. Throughout her athletic career, she won 34 national titles—10 of which were in the high jump. She was officially inducted into The National Track-and-Field Hall of Fame in 1975 and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2004. View video . . . ======

Daily BHM Trivia African-American poet, activist, novelist, playwright, and innovator of the literary art form ‘jazz poetry,’ was discouraged by his father from being a writer and only agreed to pay for his college education if Hughes studied engineering. First African-American U.S. Navy Aviator 24. Jesse LeRoy Brown, (1926 – 1950) Jesse LeRoy Brown was the first African-American aviator to complete the U.S. Navy's basic flight training program, was a distinguished Flying Cross recipient, and the first African-American naval officer killed in the Korean War. Although Brown died young, his story inspires many to become military pilots. The dedication shown to squadron leader Brown when Thomas Hudner, a white man, in the heat of war proved just how irrelevant race matters could be in the military, which had often been a historically volatile area for race relations. Video 1, Video 2 ======Daily BHM Trivia Architect Paul Williams mastered the art of drawing upside down so that he could sit across from — not next to — white clients who didn’t want to sit side-by-side with an African-American person.

African-American Dancer, Director, Choreographer, & Activist 25. Alvin Ailey, (1931-1989) Alvin Ailey was an acclaimed dancer and choreographer who earned global recognition for his impact on modern dance. After honing his technique at the Lester Horton Dance Theater—and acting as its director until its 1954 disbandment—Ailey yearned to choreograph his ballets and works that differed from the current traditional pieces. He was inspired to start the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1958, a multiracial troupe that provided a platform for talented African-American dancers and traveled worldwide. His most famous piece, "Revelations," is an ode to the Southern . Ailey died of an AIDS- related illness at 58, but the company still exists today in New York City. View video . . . ======Daily BHM Trivia President is a lot of firsts, but he’s also a Grammy award winner. His audio books, and , won Best Spoken Word Album in 2008. Theoretical Physicist 26. Dr. , (1946 - ) Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson was the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. from MIT. Upon graduating from MIT, Dr. Jackson began work at Bell Laboratories. As a prominent theoretical physicist, she executed groundbreaking scientific research that paved the way for inventions such as fiber optic cables, touch-tone telephones, the portable fax, the technology behind caller ID, and call waiting. View video . . . ======Daily BHM Trivia

Athletes John Carlos and Tommie Smith made history — and headlines — when they raised their black-gloved fists on the awards stand at the 1968 Olympics. Both also wore Black socks and no shoes on the podium, representing African-American in United States. 27. , American Activist (1954 - ) At six years old, Ruby Bridges probably had no idea the bold act she committed in 1960 would launch a chain reaction leading to schools' integration in the South. Bridges became the first African-American student to attend William Frantz Elementary in Louisiana at desegregation height. She is now the Ruby Bridges Foundation chair, which was formed in 1999 to promote "the values of tolerance, respect, and appreciation of all differences." View video . . . ======Daily BHM Trivia After retiring from baseball, Jackie Robinson helped establish the African-American-owned and controlled Freedom Bank.

28. Mark E. Dean, Computer Scientist / Engineer (1957 - ) Mark E. Dean holds three of IBM’s nine original patents. Dean designed hardware that connected various technology to computers, and he developed the first color computer monitor. Dean also has more than 20 patents in his name. View video . . . ======Daily BHM Trivia Being mischievous was Thurgood Marshall’s gateway to the law. For punishment, he was forced to copy the Constitution which eventually piqued his interest and was the foray to his long career as a lawyer and civil rights activist who served as the first African-American Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the U.S.