Deep in school textbooks, written in between the lines of History, lives a world rich with characters most people have yet to read about. Before the likes of Muhammad Ali, Martin Luther King, Jr., and L.A. Reid, there lived men who marked history through inventions and ingenuity as well as achievements and accomplishments. Here are five men you can celebrate not just in February, but year round:
1. Thomas L. Jennings – Born in 1791 in New York, New York, Jennings became the first African-American to hold a U.S. patent . As a free black who operated a dry-cleaning business in New York City, Jennings sought to be granted a patent for a dry-cleaning process called “dry scouring”. On March 3, 1821, in New York City, Jennings was granted a patent. He was just 30 years old. This patent enabled him to build his own business, which in turn, allowed him to free his family out of slavery and support the abolitionist movement.
2. Edward Alexander Bouchet – Bouchet overcame many obstacles to become the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. from an American university and the first African-American to graduate from Yale University in 1874. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, to William and Susan Cooley Bouchet, Edward attended many schools that nurtured his academic talents. He was named valedictorian and graduated head of his class at Hopkins School in 1870. He was not only the first of his race to earn a doctorate degree from Yale, but the first to earn a Ph.D. in any area of study. His area of study was Physics. He was notably the first of his race to be elected to Phi Beta Kappa, among 20 Americans (of any race) to earn a doctorate in Physics, and was only the sixth to earn a doctorate in Physics at Yale.
3. Jesse Eugene Russell – Recognized globally as a thought-leader, technology expert, and inventor in the field of wireless communications, Jesse has helped shape the way in which our world operates in the 21st century. He holds several patents and continues to invent in the area of next generation broadband wireless technology, which is commonly referred to as 4G. He began as a pioneer in the field of digital cellular communication in the 80s, but continues to shape technology today. Currently, he is the Chairman and CEO of incNETWORKS, Inc . – a Broadband Wireless Communications Company focused on 4th Generation (4G ) Technologies and based in New Jersey.
4. DeHart Hubbard – As the first African-American athlete to win an Olympic gold medal, Hubbard began his athletic journey when he attended Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati and then graduated with honors at the University of Michigan in 1927. In college, DeHart was a three-time National Collegiate Athletic Association champion as well as a seven-time Big Ten Conference champion in track and field. It was at the 1924 Paris Summer Games, though, that history was made when DeHart Hubbard won an Olympic gold medal in an individual event; the running long jump.
5. Samuel Wilson – No, you didn’t read that wrong. His name is Samuel Wilson, though you probably know him better as The Falcon. As a fictional comic book superhero who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics, The Falcon has opened doors for African Americans to be represented in all mediums of pop culture. Although not the first African-American comic book character (that honor belongs to Lobo), Samuel Wilson provides a much-needed voice and representation for people of color in comics. First appearing in Captain America #117 (Sept. 1969), The Falcon was created by Stan Lee and Gene Colan .
Their lives may have had little impact on the way we view history, but their lives are surely a huge factor on the course history took. It is their achievements that make what our world is today. The past is filled with color – despite the solemnity of black and white photos we see today, but it was a rich tapestry of people making their colorful mark. Don’t forget to share the stories of these five men and learn more about the people that are a part of Black History Month.