In honor of Black History month, here are some milestones and achievements in Black History! 

• “Clotel: The President’s Daughter” written by William Wells Brown in 1853 was the first novel published by a Black American. 

• Thurgood Marshall was the first Black American to serve in the U.S. Supreme Court. He was appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1967. 

• Lucy Stanton was the first Black Woman in America to earn a four-year college degree, graduating from Oberlin College in 1850 with a literary degree. 

• Nat King Cole was the first Black American to host a TV Show. 

• Computer Scientist Lisa Gelobter assisted with the creation of Shockwave, which allowed for the development of GIF animation. 

• John Taylor was the first Black American to win gold in the Olympics, winning the 4 x 400 meter relay in 1908. 

• The three-light traffic signal was created by a Black man named Garret Morgan in 1924. 

• “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang was the first commercially successful rap album, with producer Sylvia Robinson being deemed “Hip-Hop’s First Godmother.” 

• Hattie McDaniel was the first Black person to win an Oscar, winning Best Supporting Actress in 1939 for her performance in “Gone with the Wind.” 

• Jackie Robinson became the first Black person to play Major League Baseball in 1947. 

• In 2008, Barack Obama became the first Black president of the United States. 

• Sarah Boone, a Black dressmaker, invented the ironing board. 

• A Black woman named Marie Van Brittan Brown invented the modern home security system. 

• Stevie Wonder was the first Black artist to win Album of the Year at the Grammy’s, winning this award for “Innervisions” in 1973.