(December 1, 1940- April 9, 2011) Photo credits: The Estate of Jerry Lawson (Jerry Lawson) Before Xbox, PlayStation, or even Atari, you had to buy a...

Self-made Millionaire at the age of 15

April 5, 2019

Wally Amos was the first black talent agent and entrepreneur who founded Famous Amos cookies.

April 7, 2019

Inventors

Black Firsts

Dr. Percy Lavon Julian, the Chemist Who Defied Boundaries and Changed Medicine

tellersuntold - February 17, 2025

Introduction Black History Month is a time to celebrate the contributions of African Americans who have shaped our world. While figures like Martin Luther King...

Celebrating Black History: The Legacy of James Edward Maceo West and His Revolutionary Electret Microphone

February 6, 2025

Marie Van Brittan Brown: The Trailblazing Inventor Behind the First Home Security System

October 24, 2024

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African-American Firsts

“Breaking Barriers: Exploring the Legacy of Harold Washington, Chicago’s First Black Mayor”

Black Firsts tellersuntold - February 28, 2023

It's election season in Chicago, and every candidate for Mayor is black, but one. This was the complete opposite in 1983, when Harold Washington,...

Matthew Alexander Henson: One of the First to Reach the North Pole

Black Firsts Nonso Nwagbo - May 6, 2021

Matthew Alexander Henson was born on August 8, 1866, in Charles County, Maryland, U.S. He was an African American explorer. "My thoughts were on the...

Sylvia Robinson: The Mother of Hip Hop

Black Firsts tellersuntold - March 27, 2023

Introduction Hip-hop has become among the most well-known and significant musical genres worldwide, but it wasn't always that way. Hip-hop was largely an underground movement...

Phillis Wheatley: 25 fascinating facts

Black Firsts tellersuntold - March 16, 2025

Phillis Wheatley, a name that should be etched in the annals of American history, remains largely unknown to many. Yet, her story is one...

Gertrude Jeannette-First Woman Cabdriver Who Turned Broadway Actor

Black Firsts tellersuntold - November 21, 2019

Gertrude Hadley Jeannette became the first woman in New York City licensed to drive a motorcycle. She was the first woman licensed to drive a cab. She became...

Jesse Owens: the Buckeye Bullet!