Also American
Struggle & ResistanceAchievement & Excellence

Field of excellence

Science & Invention

Black American inventors, scientists, and engineers.

On the timeline

  1. March 1864
    Rebecca Lee Crumpler, first Black woman physician

    Crumpler becomes the first African American woman to earn a US medical degree.

  2. 1876
    Edward Bouchet earns a PhD

    Bouchet becomes the first African American to earn a doctorate in the US (physics, Yale).

  3. 1940
    Charles Drew pioneers blood banking

    Drew's work on blood plasma storage saves countless lives.

  4. August 30, 1983
    Guion Bluford, first Black American in space

    Bluford flies aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger.

  5. September 12, 1992
    Mae Jemison, first Black woman in space

    Jemison orbits Earth aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour.