People, Locations, Episodes

Sara Iredell Fleetwood, Nurse and Teacher born

*Sara Iredell Fleetwood’s birth is celebrated on this date in 1849. She was a Black nurse, clubwoman, and teacher. Sara Louise Iredell was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Elizabeth Susan (née Webb) and Geoffrey George Iredell. Her father was originally from Edenton, North Carolina, and was the son of an enslaved person who had […]

Joseph Lee, Inventor born

Joseph Lee’s birth in 1849 is celebrated on this date. He was an African American who invented machinery for processing food and became very prominent in the food industry.

Sarah Fraser, Doctor born

*On this date in 1850, Sarah L. Fraser was born. She was one of the first Black woman doctors in America.

The Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania is Founded

*The Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania (WMCP) founding is celebrated on this date in 1850.  This was the second medical institution established to train women in medicine to earn the M.D. degree and one of the earliest colleges a Black woman could earn a medical degree. The New England Female Medical College had been established […]

The New England Female Medical College is Incorporated

*On this date, in 1850, the New England Female Medical College (NEFMC) was incorporated.  This was one of the earliest colleges that assisted Black women in earning a medical degree.  Originally Boston Female Medical College was founded in 1848 by Samuel Gregory and was the first school to train women in medicine.  The American Medical […]

Edward Bouchet, Physicist born

*Edward Bouchet was born on this date in 1852. He was an African American educator, physicist and administrator.

Edward B. Ramsey, Doctor born

*Edward Burrell Ramsey was born on this date in 1852. He was a Black doctor.  A native of Hogansville, Georgia, he was the son of Ed and Frances Ramsey.  His father was a mulatto man and a wealthy landowner in Troup County, where Hogansville is located.   Ramsey was the second of eight sons and the […]

Dr. Robert Boyd, Scholar, and Doctor born

Robert Fulton Boyd was born on this date in 1855. He was an African American educator and doctor.

He was born in Giles County, Tennessee, the son of Maria Coffey and Edward Boyd. He was raised on a farm and in 1866, his mother brought him to Nashville to live with Paul Eve, a surgeon with an international reputation. During his stay with Dr. Eve, he enrolled in night classes at Fisk University and dreamed of becoming a physician. In 1872, he hired himself to General James H. Hickman, a real estate agent. Boyd worked half the day and attended school the other half, receiving no wages.

Nathan Mossell, Physician born

The birth of Nathan Mossell in 1856 is celebrated on this date. He was a Black physician born in Canada.

Nathan Francis Mossell had shown great academic promise at Lincoln University, where he was the winner of the Bradley Medal in Natural Science. Lincoln awarded Mossell its Bachelor of Arts degree in 1879. He received the Doctor of Medicine degree in 1882. At Penn he took second honors in his class. After graduation he was trained by Dr. D. Hayes Agnew in the Out-Patient Surgical Clinic of the University Hospital.

Daniel Hale Williams, Surgeon born

Daniel Hale Williams was born on this date in 1858. He was an African American physician and surgical pioneer who performed the first successful open-heart surgery

Born in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, Williams worked his way through Janesville Classical Academy as a barber and bass violinist. In 1893, he received a medical degree from Chicago Medical College, now part of Northwestern University. While still a medical student, Williams founded Provident Hospital, the first Chicago hospital with Blacks on staff.

Ernest Hayford, Physician, and Lawyer born

*Ernest Hayford was born on this date in 1858.  He was a Black African physician and lawyer on the Gold Coast.    Born in Anomabu, Ghana, Ernest James Hayford was the eldest son of the Rev. Joseph de Graft Hayford, a Methodist minister, and Mary Brew. J. E. Casely Hayford and Mark Christian Hayford were […]

James Brister, Dentist born

 *The birth of James Brister is celebrated on this date in 1858. He was a Black dentist. Born in Philadelphia, he was the son of dentist Joseph Brister and Olivia Rebecca Parker Brister. The families came to Philadelphia from Delaware and Maryland. In 1860, Joseph Brister was already a member of the Banneker Institute, organized […]

Charles E. Bentley, Dentist born

*Charles Edwin Bentley was born on this date in 1859. He was a Black dentist and activist.   Bentley was born and educated in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1887, he earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the Chicago College of Dental Surgery. In 1888, he founded what grew to be the largest local dental society in the world, […]

Benjamin Quartey-Papafio, Physician born

*Benjamin Quartey-Papafio was born on this date in 1859.  He was a Black physician and politician on the Gold Coast.  Benjamin William Quartey-Papafio was born into a leading Accra, Ghana family: his parents were Chief William Quartey-Papafio and Momo Omedru, a businesswoman from Gbese (Dutch Accra). His brother Emmanuel was an agriculturist and trader, and […]

Thomas Burton, Doctor, Administrator, and Poet born

Thomas William Burton was born on this date in 1860. He was an African American doctor, poet, and medical association administrator.

He was born near Tates Creek, Madison County, KY. Thomas was the youngest of 15 children of Edward and Eliza Burton, who were slaves. His father died when he was five and his mother died when he was nine.