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Black History

historian carter g woodson

How Carter G. Woodson Fueled the Creation of Black History Month

The historian promoted Negro History Week as part of efforts to embed Black studies into the American education system.

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Civil Rights Movement

Video poster

Martin Luther King Jr. - Call to Activism

a statute of four men standing side by side in front of a college building

How the Greensboro Four Began the Sit-In Movement

By Colin McEvoy

Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks: Timeline of Her Life, Montgomery Bus Boycott and Death

By Sara Kettler

little rock nine photo courtesy u.s. army/wikimedia commons

The Lasting Impact of the Little Rock Nine

By Biography.com Editors

Birmingham Chlldren's Crusade

The Birmingham Children's Crusade of 1963

Black Sports History

philadelphia eagles quarterback jalen hurts holding the lombardi trophy as confetti falls

Every Black Quarterback to Play in the Super Bowl

Wilma Rudolph

How Wilma Rudolph Overcame Early Health Problems to Launch a Record-Breaking Career

nat sweetwater clifton holding basketbal

The Man Behind the First All-Black Basketball Team

Rachel and Jackie Robinson

How Jackie Robinson's Wife Helped Him Break Baseball's Color Barrier

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lonnie johnson holding a super soaker and its us patent while sitting on the grass outside his home, june 1992

How Lonnie Johnson Invented the Super Soaker

The engineer tuned toy inventor gamed up the idea for the water gun while preparing for a NASA mission.

By Jordan Zakarin

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Trivia You Should Know

martin luther king jr

Little Known Facts About Black History

Learn about Martin Luther King Jr., W.E.B. Du Bois and other prominent African American figures.

By Biography.com Editors

sidney poitier

10 Black Actors and Actresses Who've Won Oscars

Bessie Coleman

10 Black Pioneers in Aviation Who Broke Barriers

Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin and 11 Other Black Singers Who Got Their Start in Church

By Clarence Haynes

carter g woodson

Carter G. Woodson & the First Black History Month

Legal Figures

ketanji brown jackson

Ketanji Brown Jackson

Mildred Loving

Mildred Loving

Linda Brown Smith, left, of Topeka, Kansas, listens to Benjamin L. Hooks, executive director of the NAACP, during ceremonies observing the 25th anniversay of the U.S. Supreme Court's desegregation ruling in the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in Columbus, S.C., May 1979. It was Brown's father who initiated the class-action suit in the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kans., which led to the U.S. Supreme Court's 1954 landmark decision against school segregation. (AP Photo)

Linda Brown

Thurgood Marshall

Thurgood Marshall

Scientists

black and white drawing of granville t woods

Granville T. Woods

portrait of ada lovelace

Ada Lovelace

james west sits at a desk and looks at the camera, he holds a circular device in his hands, he wears a bright blue quarter zip top and glasses, behind him is a computer and window blinds

James West

portrait of madam cj walker

Madam C.J. Walker

Abolitionists

black and white photo of harriet tubman

Harriet Tubman

frederick douglass

Frederick Douglass

Sojourner Truth

Sojourner Truth

Nat Turner

Nat Turner

Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi

How Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi Created the Black Lives Matter Movement

What started off as a hashtag on a Facebook post has become a national rallying cry for equality.

By Jordan Zakarin

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Politics

kamala harris

10 Things You May Not Know About Kamala Harris

Nelson Mandela, delivering a speech in Afrikaans at the KKNK, Vryheid van Oudtshoorn

14 Inspiring Nelson Mandela Quotes

By Rachel Chang

shirley chisholm

10 of the First Black Women in Congress

jesse jackson shaking supporters' hands

Black Politicians Who Ran for President of the US

Breakthroughs

clarence lester sits in the open cockpit of a world war ii fighter plane, while an engineer works on the front of the plane

This Tuskegee Airman Broke Military Barriers and Survived a Plane Ejection

Clarence “Lucky” Lester had a storied career that included shooting down three enemy planes in a single mission.

By Colin McEvoy

George Washington Carver

How George Washington Carver Went From Enslaved to Educational Pioneer

By Barbara Maranzani

nasa space scientist and mathematician katherine johnson poses for a portrait at work at nasa langley research center in 1966 in hampton virginia

10 Black Female Pioneers in Science

daniel hale williams

Daniel Hale Williams Performed Open Heart Surgery

By Jordan Zakarin

black and white photo of madam cj walker

10 Black Inventors Who Changed Your Life

Arts & Entertainment

louis armstrong with his trumpet

11 Notable Artists from the Harlem Renaissance

By Tyler Piccotti, Catherine Caruso

Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou: The Meaning Behind Her Poem "Still I Rise"

By Sara Kettler

Jean-Michel Basquiat paints in 1983 in St. Moritz, Switzerland

10 Black Visual Artists Who Broke Barriers

Nina Simone

How Nina Simone Used Her Performances For Activism

By Barbara Maranzani

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Moments in Black History

Mahalia Jackson singing at the Lincoln Memorial during 'Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom' in Washington, D.C. in 1957

How Mahalia Jackson Sparked Martin Luther King Jr.’s 'I Have a Dream' Speech

By Rachel Chang

web du bois

How W.E.B. Du Bois Helped Create the NAACP

muhammad ali and malcolm x at a crowded counter

The True Story Behind One Night in Miami

Sojourner Truth

Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman” Speech May Not Have Contained That Famous Phrase

By Rachel Chang

Famous Black People

marcus garvey stares at the camera while seated, he wears a suit jacket, vest, collared shirt and tie

Marcus Garvey

ruby bridges sitting in front of a painting in a blue dress

Ruby Bridges

Medgar Evers

Medgar Evers

Serena Williams attends The Prelude to The Paris Games 2024 on July 25, 2024 in Paris, France.

Serena Williams

jesse owens smiles at the camera, he wears a light colored sleeveless shirt with a winged emblem in the center of the chest

Jesse Owens

stephen curry looks to the left as he holds a basketball at his chest, he wears a white golden state warriors uniform

Stephen Curry

simone biles smiles at the camera, she wears a black leotard with gemstones, a white hair ribbon, and a gold medal with a red, white, and blue lanyard

Simone Biles

lorraine hansberry

Lorraine Hansberry

trevor noah smiles at the camera, he wears a black tuxedo and tie with a white collared shirt and stands in front of a black background

Trevor Noah

Spike Lee

Spike Lee

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Shonda Rhimes attends ABC News, Yahoo! News, Univision Pre-White House Correspondents Dinner cocktail reception at Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Yahoo! News)

Shonda Rhimes

wangari maathai

Wangari Maathai

More Black History

whitney houston and dolly parton

The Story Behind “I Will Always Love You”

Vice President And Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris Delivers Concession Speech At Howard University

11 Groundbreaking Women in U.S. Politics

Bessie Coleman

10 Black Pioneers in Aviation Who Broke Barriers

louis armstrong with his trumpet

12 Notable Artists from the Harlem Renaissance

NFL player Russell Wilson at 2026 Forbes Iconoclast Summit

Russell Wilson

marsha p johnson in dark outfit and black hair smiles as she stands on the corner of christopher street and 7th avenue during the pride march

Marsha P. Johnson

Michael Jackson starred in the 1984 music video for "Thriller"

Inside Michael Jackson’s Thriller Music Video

Katherine Johnson At NASA Langley Research Center

NASA’s Hidden Figures: The Unsung Women You Need to Know

michael jackson file photos by kevin mazur

Michael Jackson

dr. lise meitner

8 Female Scientists Whose Discoveries Were Credited to Men

maya angelou

19 Inspirational Maya Angelou Quotes

A historical illustration depicting a person speaking passionately to an audience.

Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman” Speech May Not Have Contained That Famous Phrase