Did You Know That A Black Man Invented The Fire Escape Ladder?

Wakanda News Details

Did You Know That A Black Man Invented The Fire Escape Ladder?

Joseph Winters was important to the safety of people who live in cities. On May 7, 1878, the fire escape ladder was patented by Joseph Winters. Joseph Winters invented a wagon-mounted fire escape ladder for the city of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Joseph Winters was born in 1816 in Virginia to an African-American brick maker and a Shawnee […]

Source: Black Then

You may also like

Williams, Daniel Hale (1856-1931)

Daniel Hale Williams III was a pioneeringsurgeon best known for performing in 1893 one of the world’s first successfulopen heart surgeries. Williams was born on January18, 1856, in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania toSarah Price Williams and Daniel Hale Williams II . Following the death of his

fave

Source: Black Past

Name at birth: Tavis Roberts

fave

Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Alexander, Archer (ca. 1810-1879)

Archer Alexander was born into slavery on a Virginia plantation around the year 1810. His likeness, in face and figure, immortalizes all American slaves on a monument to emancipation that stands in Lincoln Park in Washington, D. C. The bronze monument Emancipation, also known as the Freedmens

fave

Source: Black Past

Afro-Asian Writers' Conferences (1958-1979)

The Afro–Asian Writers’ Conferences were a series of gatherings of literary figures from Asia and Africa that took place over two decades to denounce imperialism and to establish cultural contacts among their countries. The first conference (and by far the best known) was held in October 1958 in

fave

Source: Black Past

Brisby, William H. (1831-1916)

William Henry Brisby was born free in New Kent County, Virginia in 1831 and lived on 32 acres of land that he inherited from his father. He later bought additional land and eventually had a 179 acre farm. Brisby worked mostly as a blacksmith and wheelwright but raised sheep, and engaged in

fave

Source: Black Past

Antioch Baptist Church, San Jose, California (1893- )

Organized on August 2, 1893 in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hawkins, Antioch Baptist Church was the first African American Baptist church in San Jose, California. Rev. C.C. Laws was called as the first pastor, requesting a salary of $10.00 a month with board, with the provision that as the church

fave

Source: Black Past

The Genesis Group of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1971– )

In 1971 Ruffin Bridgeforth, Darius Gray, and Eugene Orr, all African American Mormons, met at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City to create a strategy for receiving greater support for the black members of the Latter Day Saints. In that year, there were only three or four hundred Latter-day

fave

Source: Black Past

Born: 6/3/1904 Washington, D.C., U.S.Died: 4/1/1950 Burlington, North CarolinaCharles Drew was an American physician, surgeon, and medical researcher. He researched in the field of blood transfusions, developing improved techniques for blood storage, and applied his expert knowledge to developing

fave

Source: Blackfacts.com

Washington, Hercules (Enslaved Cook of George Washington) (1755?- ?)

Hercules Washington was the enslaved head cook at George Washington’s Mount Vernon plantation home where he prepared meals for decades for the Washington family and the guests who visit the mansion. Hercules was most likely born in 1755 somewhere in Virginia although the exact place of birth and

fave

Source: Black Past

Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass was a former slave who became one of the great American anti-slavery leaders of the 1800s. Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in Maryland but in 1838, at age 20, he escaped to freedom in New York. A few years later he went to work for abolitionist William Lloyd

fave

Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Garrett Augustus Morgan

Born: 3/4/1877 Claysville Community, KentuckyDied: 7/27/1963 Cleveland, OhioGarrett Augustus Morgan, Sr. was an African-American inventor and community leader. An invention he worked on the development of a chemical for hair-straighteningAwards / Achievements:

fave

Source: Blackfacts.com

Colin Powell is a retired four-star general of the United States Army. He is currently serving as an American Statesman. Powell was the first African-American to serve as the Secretary of State, which he did from 2001 to 2005 under George W. Bush. Powell is to date, the only African American to

fave

Source: Black History Resources

Faith Congregational Church [Hartford] (1819- )

The Faith Congregational Church in Hartford, Connecticut began in 1819 as a place for African Americans to worship on their own since they were previously only able to worship in the backs of churches and in church galleries in that city. A group of African Americans began worshipping in the

fave

Source: Black Past

African-American History Quiz

African-American History Quiz | FactMonster

fave

Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Born to a teen mother whose husband left her early on, Alvin Ailey grew up in the small Texas town of Navasota with a family that was facing financial difficulties. Drawing inspiration from the black church services and the music at the local dance hall, Ailey left for Los Angeles at the age of 12

fave

Source: Black History Resources

Baraka, Amiri amērē bərä´kə [key], 1934–2014, American poet, playwright, and political activist, b. Newark, N.J., as Everett LeRoy Jones, studied at Rutgers Univ., Howard Univ. In college he adopted the name LeRoi Jones. In the 1950s he moved to Greenwich Village, where he associated with writers

fave

Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Cooperman, Hillel

Hillel Cooperman is currently continuing a twenty-five-plus year career as a thought leader and executor in the technology industry. Hillel spent almost a decade at Microsoft rising to be the Product Unit Manager for the Windows User Experience team, responsible for the user interface of Windows

fave

Source: Black Past

Shirley Chisholm

Born: /30/924 Brooklyn, New YorkDied: //2005 Ormond Beach, FloridaShirley Chisholm was an American politician, educator, and author. In 968, she became the first African-American woman elected to the United States Congress, and represented New Yorks 2th Congressional District for seven terms from

fave

Source: Blackfacts.com

BlackPast.org - To Understand the Present, You Must Enter the Past

BlackPast.org is a one-stop shop for everything you want to know about African-American history. Chock full of robust, easy to use features and one of a kind facts and information, everyone will find something of value in this amazing website. Watch this brief video to learn more. Visit the

fave

Source: Black Past

African American History: Bibliography

fave

Source: Black Past

Kwanzaa | FactMonster

fave

Source: Fact Monster - Black History

Emory O. Jackson, the Birmingham World, and the Fight for Civil Rights in Alabama

In the article below, Kimberley Mangun, an associate professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Utah, describes her ongoing research on the Birmingham (Alabama) World and its longtime editor, Emory O. Jackson. Mangun is writing a cultural biography of Jackson and the

fave

Source: Black Past

Brown, Wesley (1927-2012)

Wesley Brown earned distinction in 1949 as the first African American to graduate from the United States Naval Academy. Wesley Brown grew up in Washington, D.C. and attended Dunbar High School. A “voracious reader,” Brown joined the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History

fave

Source: Black Past

Ross, Michael K. (1941-2007)

Michael K. Ross was a Washington State legislator, civil rights activist, and contractor who, although he worked from within established political channels, was not afraid to go against the grain to affect social

fave

Source: Black Past

Jenkins, Joseph Charles (1914-1959)

Joseph Charles Jenkins, the first African American naval officer, paved the way for the beginning of desegregation in the United States Coast Guard. Jenkins was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1914. Unfortunately, there is little information regarding his

fave

Source: Black Past

Lincoln Motion Picture Company

African American audiences were generally ignored by the major motion picture studios in the first two decades of the 20th Century. Nonetheless, demand for films aimed at black theaters in both the South and larger Northern cities prompted the formation of several “black” motion picture

fave

Source: Black Past

Gentrification, Integration or Displacement?: The Seattle Story

In the following article, Henry W. McGee, Jr., a Seattle University Professor of Law and Central District resident, discusses the recent dramatic transformation of the area from a predominately working class African American community into an area of high income white, Asian American and African

fave

Source: Black Past

Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago lie in the Caribbean Sea off the northeast coast of Venezuela. Trinidad, the larger at 1,864 sq mi (4,828 sq km), is mainly flat and rolling, with mountains in the north that reach a height of 3,085 ft (940 m) at Mount Aripo. Tobago, at just 116 sq mi (300 sq km), is heavily

fave

Source: Fact Monster - Black History

The Trillion Dollar African American Consumer Market: Economic Empowerment or Economic Dependency?

Collective African American net income (spending power) now exceeds $1 trillion dollars annually. Because of this economic reality, a wide variety of contemporary companies continually create marketing campaigns to effectively reach this important segment of the U.S. consumer market. Yet, in the

fave

Source: Black Past

Dillard University [New Orleans] (1869- )

Dillard University is a private, Historically Black liberal arts college located in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church. Dillard University is a result of the merger between Straight College and New Orleans University in

fave

Source: Black Past

More from Black Then

Black Then | Alexander Pierre Tureaud, Sr: Renowned Attorney Known as Mr. NAACP

Black Then | Phillis Wheatleys, Brought From Africa to America Poem

Black Then | Daniel Payne: First African-American President of a U.S. University

Black Then | Clarence Franklin: Civic Leader The Man With the Million Dollar Voice

Black Then | June 3, 1949: Wesley Anthony Brown Became First African American Graduate of U.S. Navy Academy

Black Then | James Augustine Healy: First African American Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church

Black Then | Ethel Ray Nance: Broke Racial and Gender Barriers in Minnesota

Black Then | Dr. Charles Watts: North Carolinas First African-American Surgeon

Black Then | Gertrude Pocte Geddes-Willis: One of the First Black Female Funeral Directors in New Orleans

Black Then | The Kissing Case: A Simple Kiss On The Cheek That Made Civil Rights History And Shattered The Lives of Two Innocent 9 Year Old Boys

Black Then | [Video]Minister Thomas Whitfield: The Maestro

Black Then | Author Poet Gwendolyn Brooks, a song in the front yard Poem

Mantan Moreland: Comedic Actor During the 1930s & 1940s

Rene Metoyer: Attorney & Louisiana’s First Black Notary Public

Two Headed Nightingale: The Enslaved Conjoined Twins Forced To Perform In Sideshows Who Became Famous Entertainers That Performed For British Royalty

Flash Black Photo: African American Bricklayers Union, 1899

Richard Riker And The New York Kidnapping Club: The Racist History Behind Riker’s Island

White Supremacy and the Democratic Party’s Dark Past

Rev. Avery C. Alexander: Influential Leader in the Struggle for Civil Rights for Louisiana

Dudley Randall: Founded the Publishing Company Broadside Press

Allen Lawrence Young: Educator & Founder of the Wake Forest Normal and Industrial School for Negroes

Documentary Short: The Million Man March [VIDEO]

David Ruggles, America’s First Afro-African Bookseller, Opened a Bookstore Near Broadway In 1834

Fannie Richards: First African-American School Teacher in the City of Detroit

Martha Jean “The Queen” Steinberg: First African American Female to Own a Radio Station

Rufus Atwood: Leading Academic Educator

Henry D. Marrow: 1970 Racial Killing in Oxford, North Carolina

Eva Jessye: The Grand Dame of Black Music in America

Thomy Lafon: Shrewd Businessman and Philanthropist

Ruth Simmons: First Black President of an Ivy League Institution

Curlee Brown, Sr: Early Pioneer and Fearless Warrior in the Struggle for Human Rights

Basil A. Paterson: Influential Harlem Labor Lawyer and Politician

Black Woman Schools Uninformed English Man About the Harsh Aftermath of Slavery (VIDEO)

David Bryant Fulton: Black Polemicist and Author

Daniel G. Hill: Human Rights Specialist, Historian & Public Servant

Jacob Dobson: First Known Person of African Descent in Nevada

Roy DeCarava: Great American Artist and Photographer of Harlem, New York

Hall Johnson: Violinist, Composer & Musical Director in New York and Hollywood

National Negro Health Week: Formed to Educate Black Communities on Proper Health Practices

Vincent Tubbs: First African American to Head a Motion Picture Industry Union

Venture Smith: The Black Paul Bunyan

Coretta Scott King: Her Activism and Legacy

Alfonso Elder: Second President of North Carolina College (North Carolina Central University)

Flash Black Photo: Pearl Bailey | Legends of Film Series

Black History Observed Through Genetic Makeup, According To Research

A Place All Our Own: The Highland Beach Resort, The First Black Owned Beach Resort Town In The United States

Judge Israel Augustine Jr: First Black District Judge in Louisiana & Civil Rights Activist

Lucy Harth Smith: Pioneer Activist and Educator

Frank Petersen, First African American To Become A Marine Aviator

Hadda Brooks: African-American Entertainer Extraordinaire

Sports Facts

Science Facts

Blackfacts BETA RELEASE 11.5.3
(Production Environment)