Black History Facts

Black history month honours the contributions of African Americans to U.S. history.

The celebrations began as "Negro History Week," created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a noted African American historian, scholar, educator and publisher. In 1976, it became a month-long celebration. The month of February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

• First Lawyer: John Mercer Langston passed the bar in Ohio in 1854.
• First Supreme Court Justice: Thurgood Marshall served in the U.S. Supreme Court from 1967 to 1991.
• First Senator: Hiram Rhodes Revels represented the state of Mississippi from February 1870 to March 1871.
• First Woman Representative: Shirley Chisholm was elected to the House of Representatives in 1968. She represented the state of New York.
• First Black President: Barack Obama became U.S. president in 2008.
• First Black Vice President: In 2021, Kamala Harris became vice president.

• Heavyweight Boxing Champ: Jack Johnson became the first African American World Heavyweight Champion in 1908.
• First Professional Black Baseball Player: On April 5, 1947, Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers and became the first African American to play Major League Baseball.

• Oscar Winner: In 1940, Hattie McDaniel was the first African American to win an Academy Award for her performance in Gone With the Wind. She portrayed a loyal slave governess.
• First Black Billionaire: Robert Johnson sold his cable station, Black Entertainment Television (BET) in 2001 and became the first Black billionaire. Other billionaires include Oprah Winfrey and Michael Jordan.

• Eminent Scientist: George Washington Carver developed 300 derivative products from peanuts, including cheese, milk, coffee, flour, ink, dyes, plastics, wood stains, soap, linoleum, medicinal oils, and cosmetics.
• Self-Made Millionaire: Madam C.J. Walker invented a line of African American hair care products. She established Madame C.J. Walker Laboratories.