People, Locations, Episodes

Percy L. Julian, Chemist, and Teacher born

Dr. Percy Lavon Julian was born on this date in 1899. This African American research chemist was a pioneer in the chemical synthesis of drugs used in medicine.

Rosco McKinney, Anatomy Scientist born

*Roscoe Lewis McKinney was born on this date in 1900. He was a Black scientist specializing in Anatomy.  From Washington D.C., He earned his B.A. from Bates College in 1921. From there, he taught Biology at Morehouse College for two years. He earned his Ph.D. in Anatomy from the University of Chicago in 1930, assisted […]

E. Luther Brookes, Chemist born

*E. Luther Brookes’s birth is celebrated on this date in 1900. He was a Black chemist and Professor. From Jamaica, British West Indies, Enos Luther Brookes was the son of Professor James M. Brookes and Martha Brookes. “The death of his mother prevented his acceptance of a scholarship to an English University. He traveled to Central America […]

Samuel Nabrit, Biologist born

*Samuel Nabrit was born on this date in 1905. He was an African American biologist, educator, and activist.

Harold Finley, Parapsychologist born

*Harold Finley was born on this date in 1905. He was an African American Parapsychologist and Protozoologist.

From Palatka, Florida Harold Eugene Finley was the son of Eugene and Lugina Finley. He received a Bachelor of Science from Morehouse University in 1928. One year later he received a Master of Science from the University of Wisconsin his Ph.D. in Zoology in 1942. Dr. Finley was appointed as Professor at Atlanta University in 1938 where he stayed until 1947.

Angie Lena Turner King, Chemist born

*Angie Lena Turner King was born on this date in 1905. She was a Black chemist, mathematician, and educator.   Angie Lena Turner was born in the segregated coal-mining community of Elkhorn in McDowell County, West Virginia. She had a difficult childhood following her mother’s death when she was eight. Turner graduated high school at […]

William Claytor, Mathematician born

William Claytor was born on this date in 1908. He was an African American mathematician and educator.

Frank Mann, Aviator, and Engineer born

On this date we mark the birth of Frank Mann in 1908. He was an African American engineer and designer.

Warren E. Henry, Scientist born

Warren Henry’s birth in 1909 is marked on this date. He was an African American scientist from Evergreen, AL.

Warren Elliot Henry was born on a peanut farm where George Washington Carver lived and did research during summer months. Both of his parents were graduates of Tuskegee Institute, and young Warren was reading when he was four, occasionally going on walks with his father and Carver. He, too, attended Tuskegee Institute, where he majored in three subjects: mathematics, English, and French, earning a Bachelor of Science.

W. Lincoln Hawkins, Chemist, and Engineer born

*W. Lincoln Hawkins was born on this date in 1911. He was a Black chemist, engineer, and environmental justice advocate.   Walter Lincoln Hawkins was born in Washington, D.C. His father was a lawyer for the U.S. Census Bureau, and his mother was a science teacher in the District of Columbia school system. Hawkins also […]

E. Oscar Woolfolk, Chemist and Professor born

*E. Oscar Woolfolk was born on this date in 1912.  He was a Black chemist and Professor.  From Tupelo, Mississippi, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Talladega College, Alabama, in 1934 and a Master of Science from Ohio State University in 1939. Ten years later, he earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University […]

Jasper Jeffries, Physicist born

*Jasper B Jeffries was born on this date in 1912. He was a Black physicist and teacher.  Jasper Brown Jeffries was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the eldest child of Brown and Edna Jeffries. He had three younger brothers, Carl, Hubert, and Robert. Jeffries earned his B.S. degree in 1933 from West Virginia State College […]

Bessie Blount, Inventor, and Forensic Scientist born

On this date, we mark the birth of Bessie Blount in 1914, an African American inventor and forensic scientist.

She was born in Hickory, Virginia. Little else is known of her family or her childhood except that she had long wanted to work in the medical field. Blount left home and traveled north to New Jersey to become a physical therapist. She studied at both Panzar College of Physical Education and at Union Junior College. Then she moved to Chicago where she finished her training.

Archie Williams, Athlete, Educator, and Engineer, born

Archie Williams was born on this date in 1915. He was an African American athlete and teacher.

Born in Oakland, CA, Williams attended San Mateo Junior College (now College of San Mateo). His coach, Dr. Oliver Byrd, was instrumental in preparing him for future achievements. Soon Williams transferred to the University of California-Berkeley to become a mechanical engineer. He continued to run track.

Carolyn B. Parker, Physicist, and Professor born

*Carolyn Parker was born on this date in 1917.  She was a Black physicist and professor.  Carolyn Beatrice Parker was born in Gainesville, Florida. Her father, Julius A. Parker, was a successful physician and pharmacist who graduated from Meharry Medical College, the first medical school for Blacks in the South. Her mother was Della Ella […]