People, Locations, Episodes

Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Polician and Medical Assistant born.

*Félix Houphouët-Boigny was born on this date in 1905. He was a Black African politician and physician. Houphouët-Boigny was born in Yamoussoukro, the Ivory Coast, to a family of hereditary chiefs of the Baoulé people. His first name, Dia, means “prophet” or “magician.” His father was N’Doli Houphouët. When N’Go was murdered in 1910, Dia […]

Paul Cornely, Physician and Public Health Advocate born

*Paul Cornely was born on this date in 1906. He was a Black physician, public health pioneer, and activist. Paul Bertau Cornely was born in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe. His mother was Adrienne Mellon, and his father was Eleodore Cornely. At the age of three, his family moved to Puerto Rico. He moved to the United States as […]

Lawrence Knox, Chemist, and Teacher born

*Lawrence Knox was born on this date in 1906.  He was a Black Chemist and teacher.  Lawrence Howland Knox was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and was the son of William Knox.  He had four siblings, two sisters and two brothers.  In the 1820s, his grandfather, Elijah Knox, was born in North Carolina to a […]

Janet Bragg, Nurse, Aviator, and Businesswoman born

*Janet Bragg was born on this date in 1907. She was an African American aviator, nurse, and nursing home proprietor.

Theodore Howard, Surgeon, and Activist born

*Theodore Howard was born on this date in 1908. He was an African American surgeon, businessman and activist.

Hattie Bessent, Nurse, and Educator born

*Hattie Bessent was born on this date in 1908. She was a Black psychiatric nurse, educator, and administrator. From Florida, Bessent received her B.S. degree from Florida A&M University, an M.S. degree from Indiana University, and an EdD from the University of Florida in Psychological Foundations. After being trained as a psychiatric nurse, Bessent had a […]

Myra A. Logan, Surgeon, and Health Advocate born

*This date in 1908 is celebrated as the birth date of Myra Logan. She was a Black Surgeon and women’s health advocate.   Myra Adele Logan was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, the daughter of Warren and Adella Hunt Logan. She was the youngest of eight children. Her mother was college-educated and involved in the suffrage […]

The National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses is Founded

*On this date in 1908, the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN) was founded. Martha Minerva Franklin founded the association.

Helen O. Dickens, Pioneering Doctor born

*Dr. Helen Octavia Dickens was born on this date in 1909. She was a doctor, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and former associate dean of medicine.

William Shockley Jr., Eugenicist born

*William Shockley Jr. was born on this date in 1910. He was a white-American physicist and inventor.   William Bradford Shockley Jr. was born to American parents in London and was raised in his family’s hometown of Palo Alto, California, from the age of three. William Hillman Shockley’s father was a mining engineer who speculated in mines for a living […]

Oran Eagleson, Psychologist, and Professor born

*Oran Eagleson was born on this date in 1910. He was a Black professor and psychologist. Oran Wendle Eagleson was born in Unionville, Indiana. He worked shining shoes and shoe repair finisher from high school through his graduate years. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1931 and a master’s in 1932, both in Indiana. In […]

Von Mizell, Doctor born

*Von Mizell’s birth is celebrated on this date in 1910. He was a Black Physician and activist. Von Delaney Mizell was the son of Isadore S. and Minnie (Moore) Mizell, who lived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He attended Morehouse College in Atlanta and became the second Black doctor in Broward County, Florida. He married Alpha […]

Vivien Thomas, Surgical Researcher born

Vivien Theodore Thomas was born on this date in 1910. He was an African American supervisor of Surgical Research Laboratories.

Johnnie Carr, Nurse, and Activist born

*Johnnie Carr was born on this date in 1911. She was a Black Activist and nurse. From Alabama, Johnnie Rebecca Daniels was the daughter of parents John and Annie Richmond Daniels, the youngest of six children. When she was nine, her father died; following his death, the family moved away from their farm to the […]

Frances Rains, Nurse, and Businesswoman born

*On this date in 1911, Frances Mary McHie Rains was born. She was an African American nurse, community worker, educator and businesswoman.

From Minneapolis, Minnesota, as a young girl Frances McHie wanted to become a social worker mainly due to her exposure to a local activist and businesswoman W. Gertrude Brown. After high school she attempted to enroll at the University of Minnesota’s school of Nursing. After being turned down because she was Black, Minnesota senator Sylvanus A. “S.A.” Stockwell and Mrs. Brown brought the issues and young Frances before the state legislature.