People, Locations, Episodes

Black History And The Manhattan Project, a story

*On this date in 1941, we affirm the Manhattan Project and Black history.  This American project (Metallurgical Laboratory) led to the development of the atomic bomb, which ended World War II.  With lobbying from A. Phillip Randolph, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 8802 was issued that summer.  It stated, “There shall be no discrimination in […]

George Washington Carver Recognition Day is Celebrated

On this date in 1943, George Washington Carver Day was established

Ronald Mickens, Physicist born

*Ronald Mickens, a Black physicist, author, and educator, was born on this date in 1943.   Ronald Elbert Mickens is the son of Joseph and Daisy Mickens, who live in Petersburg, VA. He spent much of his youth with his grandparents, and James Williamson introduced him to science. Mickens graduated from Peabody High School, taking algebra, […]

Valerie L. Thomas, Physicist, and Inventor born

*Valerie Thomas, a Black scientist (physics) and inventor, was born on this date in 1943. Valerie L. Thomas was born in Baltimore, MD. As a child, she was interested in science after observing her father tinkering with the television and seeing the mechanical parts inside the TV. At the age of eight, she read The Boys’ […]

Saundra Oyewole, Microbiologist born

*Saundra Herndon Oyewole was born on this date in 1943. She is a Black Microbiologist and educator. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Howard University, where she earned her B.S. in zoology magna cum laude, Dr. Oyewole earned her M.S. in microbiology at the University of Chicago and her Ph.D. in microbiology at the University of Massachusetts, […]

Henry Grooms, Aerospace Engineer born

*Henry R. Grooms was born on this date in 1944. He is a Black aerospace engineer. He is the son of Leonard D. Grooms and Lois Pickell Grooms from Cleveland, Ohio. He grew up wanting to be an architect but built space vehicles. How he got there is interesting: “I realized that my strong points […]

Jesse Russell, Cell Phone Inventor born

*Jesse Russell was born on this date in 1948. He is a Black inventor and IT entrepreneur.   Jesse Eugene Russell was born in Nashville, Tennessee, in the United States of America, into a large African American family with eight brothers and two sisters. He is the son of Charles Albert Russell and Mary Louise Russell. His early childhood […]

Mary Styles Harris, Biologist born

*Mary Styles Harris was born on this date in 1949. She is a Black Biologist and Geneticist. Mary Styles was born in Nashville, Tennessee, to George and Margaret Styles, while her father was earning his medical degree from the city’s Meharry Medical College. Her mother, Margaret, earned a degree in business administration at Tennessee State University. Soon […]

S. James Gates Jr., Physicist born

*S. James Gates Jr. was born on this date in 1950. He is a Black theoretical physicist who works on supersymmetry, supergravity, and superstring theory.   Sylvester James Gates Jr. is the oldest of four siblings; he was born in Tampa, Florida, the son of Sylvester James Gates, Sr., a career U.S. Army veteran, and […]

Robert Jones Jr., Agronomist, and Activist born

Robert J. Jones was born on this date in 1951. He is an African American administrator, agronomist and educator.

Evan B. Forte, Oceanographer born

*Evan B. Forde was born on this date in 1952. He is a Black oceanographer, environmental justice educator, and climate change advocate. He was born in Miami, Florida, and received his primary education in the local public school system. Forde, whose father was a high school science teacher, developed a love of science as a young […]

Ernest Levert, Engineer born

*Ernest Levert was born on this date in 1954. He is a Black welding engineer and material science engineer. His parents were William and Gertrude Levert. Ernest D. Levert grew up in Cleveland and attended Max S. Hayes High School. As a sophomore, he interned with NASA at the John H. Glenn Research Center. He […]

Marian Croak, Inventor and Engineer born.

*Marian Croak was born on May 14, 1955. She is a Black engineer and inventor known for her voice-over IP (VoIP) related inventions. Dr. Marian Rogers Croak was born and raised in New York City. She credits her lifelong interest in technology to her father. While he did not have formal education beyond elementary school, […]

Mark Dean, Computer Scientist born

*Mark Dean was born this date in 1957. He is an African American computer scientist.

From Jefferson City, Tennessee, Dean’s grandfather was a high school principal; his father was a supervisor at the Tennessee Valley Authority Dam. As a boy, he and his father built a tractor from scratch. He recalled growing up that one white friend in sixth grade asked if he was really black. His friend had concluded Dean was too smart to be black. Dean was one of the few black students attending Jefferson City (Tenn.) High School. He was both a fine athlete and a straight-A student.

The Math Artifact, Ishango Bone is Discovered

*National Pi Day is marked on this date in 1988. This is an annual celebration of the mathematical constant π (pi). In 2009, the United States House of Representatives supported the designation of Pi Day.